The Best Racing Games Across Kart, Arcade, Sim and Browser

Racing games cover a lot of ground, from kart racers and open-world arcade games to simulators, demolition derbies and browser time trials. Platform-specific roundups, like the one on racing games on PS5, only show part of that range. The eight games below are picked to show the genre across styles and platforms, from a Nintendo Switch kart racer to a time-trial game that runs in a browser.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

The classic that gets better with every version. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the kart racer on this list, and its volume of courses sets it apart. The Switch version includes 48 tracks from launch, and the Booster Course Pass adds 48 more across six waves, bringing the total to 96. The added courses are remastered from all seven earlier console Mario Kart games and from Mario Kart Tour on mobile. That makes it an easy pick for anyone who wants variety over a single set of tracks.

Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 trades circuits for an open world. Playground Games set the game in Mexico and released it on November 9, 2021 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC. The map mixes seaside towns, desert highways, volcanoes and rainforest, and the other drivers in the world are Drivatars modeled on real players. An Events Lab mode lets players build their own races and game modes.

PolyTrack

The next pick moves that formula into the browser, with Trackmania as its stated inspiration. Kodub’s PolyTrack offers 17 official tracks across Summer, Winter and Desert themes, more than 30 community creations and a track editor where tracks can be exported and shared, and it runs on desktop, phone and tablet. Players can also watch ghost replays of other runs to study their lines.

Burnout Paradise Remastered

Burnout Paradise Remastered is the arcade pick, built around Criterion Games’ open-world Paradise City. Paradise City’s mix of traffic and shortcuts requires your full attention with takedowns that send rival cars flying into the scenery. The remaster includes all of the original game’s downloadable content.

Wreckfest

Get rewarded for collision as much as speed in Wreckfest. Finnish studio Bugbear, which also made FlatOut, spent about four years in Early Access before the full release, and the game’s soft-body damage modeling makes cars crumple and warp on impact. It mixes demolition derbies with regular races, and parts such as roll cages and reinforced bumpers add protection but make cars slower in corners. Full mod support comes through the Steam Workshop.

Trackmania

Trackmania is the time-trial pick. Ubisoft Nadeo released it on Windows on July 1, 2020, and the base game is free to play, with a paid Club subscription unlocking extras such as community tracks and online events. Players race a track from start to finish in the fastest time possible, a seasonal campaign of 25 tracks rotates every three months, and the track editor lets players create custom blocks and upload them for others. Consoles got the game on May 15, 2023.

Gran Turismo 7

Looking at the simulator end of the list there is Gran Turismo 7. Polyphony Digital developed it for Sony Interactive Entertainment, which markets it as a real driving simulator with more than 420 cars available at launch on March 4, 2022. On PS5, the DualSense adaptive triggers simulate ABS feedback and varying brake resistance, and online play supports up to 20 players with PlayStation Plus.

Assetto Corsa

Assetto Corsa is the simulator for PC players. Italian studio Kunos Simulazioni put the game through Steam Early Access from November 2013 before its full PC release on December 19, 2014. It aims for a realistic driving experience, with detailed tire simulation and laser-scanned tracks, and it was built for extensive modding, including support for Python plugins. The game lists 15 official tracks with 45 layouts, and its PC version holds a Metacritic score of 85 out of 100.