The racing video game market is flooded with different types of racing games good and bad and it can be hard to dig through them to find good ones so I have found 5 of the best racing games you can play in 2025.
Racing games come in all types of versions whether it’s a sim or arcade or if it looks realistic, cartoonish or retro, and they come in different types of quality whether it’s a disaster only at launch or is quality through its life and if it’s supported throughout its life with constant updates. The racing world has many entrees every year but only a handful know how to get it right and these to me are the five games to buy and play in 2024.
1. F1 24
The only yearly racing game franchise left after nascars dumpster fire is the F1 games by EA, and lucky this year is the best it’s been for a while. At launch it definitely wasn’t with its very broken physics but luckily they have quickly fixed it and has equalled 23’s physics some players would say it’s no up to par still but it’s more of a preference thing when it comes to the F1 games. The new revamped career mode is more enjoyable then 23’s with the new secret meetings feature to maybe form alliances with other teams to abandon your team. It is fun and exciting to see if your team hears about the meeting because if they hear it your chance of getting sacked for next season increases. The new legends mode being able to drive as past legends of the sport is an awesome addition, seeing Senna back in a Mclaren or Shumacher in the ferrari is something to behold, some of their models do look very off from their actual faces but for a first time I think they nailed it. The multiplayer is typical chaos but if you enter ranked you’re guaranteed a cleaner time. The game is available on all platforms besides switch and is usually discounted 3 months after launch.
2. The Crew Motorfest
Motorfest is a different spin on what the crew franchise used to be with Crew 2 being an open world of the United States but with less detail due to the large size and time requirements of the map they have moved to a map of hawaii of the island O’ahu with it being an about 1:3 scale with a huge increase in graphical quality and detail since its overall smaller than the U.S map from before. The game has a decent single player mode with fun new multiplayer modes such as the grand race where 32 people race through a lengthy track traveling across dirt roads, water etc. The game also has more forgiving yet some realistic aspects to its physics to make it the best it’s been in the franchise. It also is still getting updates with its new island making the game 50% larger with the island of Maui to explore for free, making it a fun open world arcade game to play with friends, since the game is available on all platforms excluding the switch.
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario kart 8 deluxe has been around since 2017 and is still one of the most popular and enjoyable racing games to play. It being a simple port of the Wii U’s Mario kart 8 with a new battle mode became a game with a whole booster pass adding new characters and a whole new game’s worth of tracks both new and old. The base game gives you the needed fun but with the semi recent completion of the booster pass for $25 you get 48 more tracks and 8 more playable characters this makes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe one of the best bang for you buck racing games since you can enjoy all of this in multiplayer and if just one person has the booster pass anyone in your lobby is allowed to pick the new booster tracks so you can benefit the players you play with. The only drawback is that you obviously have to have a switch to play it but most of the world seems to have one.
4. Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo has remained popular since its inception in 1997 and that hasn’t been for no reason. GT7 has been supported since launch with almost monthly updates adding to its amazingly crafted world of racing and car culture. With the amazing graphics car physics and multiplayer GT7 has stayed at the top as one of the best sim racing games on console and the update to include vr has only highlighted its amazingly crafted car models, being able to sit in every car and just look at their beauty is something to behold the first time you do it, and it doesn’t end there when racing in vr with a wheel and pedals setup you think your there and when your heading into a wall it sometimes can trick me to scare me out of the headset. The livery maker adds more depth to a connection with the player and car, making paul walkers skyline then driving it is surreal. The only drawback is the lackluster single player and car market where cars are priced like their real life counterparts which means earning the more expensive cars may take a few decades, and it is a playstation exclusive so you will need a PS4 or PS5 to play.
5. Wreckfest
Wreckfest is not your traditional racing game where you go and start with a Honda Civic then buy a LaFerrari. Wreckfests racing is hard and aggressive, all about destroying your competition while also winning. In Wreckfest you drive derby tuned cars, or buses, maybe some lawn mowers or even a cultivator where you take to tracks that probably won’t pass any safety tests and race against opponents smashing them out of your way and flipping across the finish line. The main attraction is obviously the realistic damage model where any contact will have a consequence on your car so if you want to drive dirty you best be ready to either die in the race or come last with half your car laying on the track. The career also is more engaging than others on the list due to it being an older game from 2014 where single player content was more important. But don’t let the age deceive you the game has been supported since then with even a next gen patch to make it compete with brand new games with graphics. The multiplier is also obviously a blast. Why wouldn’t T Boning your friends into oblivion not be fun.
There is no definitive best racing game more best for the environment or category if you look at it this way. If you want a realistic experience just play f1 or Gran Turismo something more just braindead fun play Wreckfest or Mario Kart or if you want to just explore a world get The Crew.
