What are the best Racing games on Steam?

Controller Support:Partial

Co-Op:

Top Pro

Supports 900 degree rotation of gaming wheel

Assetto Corsa supports gaming wheels and 900 degree rotation while using them. What is even more enjoyable is that the cockpit view animates 1:1 with the rotations of the players gaming wheel while used. See More

RickZeeland's Experience

Now on offer on Steam for only 3,99€ See More

Top Pro

Mods, mods, mods

One of the best features of Assetto Corsa is its mod support. The unlimited variety mods bring for car and track selection is already astounding and will only get better with time. See More

The developer Codemasters has created many rally racing games but are striving to make this the most simulation based title out of all of their releases. This is very welcome as there have not been many Rally simulation games released in the past from Codemasters or any other developers. See More

score 6 · Answer 2

DiRT Rally

Top Pro

Fills a niche of a more realistic rally simulation

Specs

Hearing rocks ping the chassis as you race or the frame whine with rough landscapes makes for a real life racing experience that matches what it actually sounds like when racing this type of terrain. See More

Top Pro

Realistic sound design

This means that online games will be dependent on the developers servers. There will be no way for users to create their own servers that can house their own rules or tracks. Earlier releases allowed for this and it does seem that the console release has held the game back in this regard as dedicated servers are how the consoles work as well. See More

score 11 · Answer 3

Trials Fusion

Top Pro

Runs at 1080p and 60fps

score 4 · Answer 4

Trackmania Turbo

Top Con

No personal servers for PC

Top Pro

Simple in nature

The looks as well as the gameplay may bee seen as a bit simple, but this all plays into the core of the game as it is designed to do one thing and one thing well, race time trials. So while it does not feature over complex customization or graphical effects, its track design and overall fun of play is what makes the whole game stand out. The point of the game is easy to grasp that anyone will understand how to play, of course this does not mean the game is easy, the difficulty is quite challenging, which just adds to the charm and overall appeal. See More

Specs

Top Con

Very difficult

This is a time trial game and it shows, players will need to reset after reset each course in order to learn the track to get the best times. One mistake and that record is gone. Only pure perfection succeeds here. Some may enjoy this type of challenge, other though will most likely get frustrated. See More

Top Pro

Crisp and clean visuals

The graphics have a very arcade feel to them, but do stand out as well done. The colors are bright and the tracks each have their own look thanks to the locales they are placed in. The whole game will run easily at 60fps no matter the platform, which helps to keep things looking sharp thanks to no dips in the framerate. Overall this is a slick looking racer. See More

Top Con

Music is a bit "samey"

The music in the game is basically techno with thumping beats. The majority sounds pretty similar and it may become grating for those that spend a ton of time in the game. While not overly bad, it definitely gets old after a while. See More

Top Pro

Robust track creator

The track creator in the game allows for creation of just about anything one can imagine. What is even better is that players can share these tracks online, which means unlimited replayability due to always having a plethora of new tracks to race on. See More

Top Con

Basic looking cars

There is not much to differentiate between cars, while not really the focus of the game, having a few more unique looking cars could not hurt. See More

Top Pro

Over the top gameplay

Cars dropped from helicopter to begin a race, tracks with numerous loops, jumps, twist and turns, this all lends itself to how over the top the gameplay is. Not based in reality at all but the game offers a bunch of arcade crazy action. See More

Top Pro

Available for consoles and PC

Trackmania has historically been a PC game with only on release on console for the Wii U. Trackmania Turbo breaks this tradition as it will be available for PS4 and XBone. See More

Top Pro

Cars can be customized

While not necessary for the game and a bit limited, there are some painting customization for the available cars, which allow for a more individualistic look, though this only goes so far as most cars do look the same no matter the color. See More

Top Pro

Local and online multiplayer

There is split screen local multiplayer as well as online multiplayer. Both of these allow players to play with their friends whether they are in the same room or online somewhere else. This makes for convenience, which is always nice to see. See More

score 16 · Answer 5

The Crew

All

1

Specs

Playing with a peripheral wheel will be the superior choice for racing game vets, and Project CARS 2 is a great choice for anyone who wants an immersive driving experience. The wheel is smooth and responsive, with rumble feedback picking up each bump in the road, the grip loosens in chaos each time you lose control of the vehicle, and it quickly tightens up once you regain control. Controlling races with the gamepad naturally isn't as responsive as the wheel, but it's still a fine way to feel the thrill of the game's speed and fluidity. See More

score 6 · Answer 6

Project CARS 2

Top Pro

Finely-tuned controls with a peripheral wheel

Top Con

Difficult for new racing players

While there are some tools to help ease new racing players into the game, like an engineer that will help suggest how to tune your cars based on your preferences, Project Cars 2 can otherwise be a daunting experience. There are an overwhelming amount of cars, tracks, and customization options. The optional lines along the tracks for beginners to follow will sometimes lead players off track or into frustrating, hard-to-pull-off turns, souring the learning experience. See More

Specs

Genre:Racing Simulator

Project CARS 2 shows off every glare of sunlight over each car, the droplets of rain over the windshield in the middle of a downpour, and the flurry of snow rushing across the field as you navigate through a blizzard. Each car is recreated with painstaking detail, and the movement of the player character's hands as they rumble in-time with the wheel or shift around to change gears looks life-like. See More

Top Pro

Gorgeous visuals and dynamic weather

Top Pro

Great selection of cars and tracks

With over 130 tracks and 180 cars to choose from, there's a great deal of variety that gives the game a lot of replay value for both single-player and multiplayer races. Open wheels, dozens of vintage cars, popular road cars such as a handful of Porsche and Lamborghini models, and tons more are all on offer, along with a near-endless combination of customizable tracks for single-player races and rule sets for AI opponents. See More

Top Pro

Amazing sound design

Listening to every sound of the exhaust and engine from the driver's seat is exciting, making you feel like you're right behind the wheel. Other cars jetting by, the sharp noise of the wheels burning rubber on tight turns, and the clicking motion of the player character manually changing gears are all at their best, making Project CARS 2 a standout game of the genre in terms of realism. See More

There is an actual sanctioning body for the game called FIRST that keeps players in line making for a non toxic community that behaves professionally. If a player races aggressively or continually breaks the rules of the rod their license will receive infractions that will soon label that person as one to stay away from. See More

score 6 · Answer 7

iRacing

Top Pro

Unique community rules

Top Con

Expensive as it requires a subscription plus additional costs

iRacing requires a subscription that starts at $6/mo. as well as has costs for extra cars and tracks. Overall an expensive game to play for those that want to experience all of the content on offer. See More

Specs

Genre:Racing / Simulation

Co-Op:None

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Unlimited replayability

Once the subscription is paid there is no set path for the user. Everything is open to the player meaning they can choose what to do and where to go. This makes for a completely open-ended title that allows for a fresh experience anytime the player wants. See More

Top Con

Difficult to play with a gamepad

The controls for the game are very precise and in being so is best played with a driving wheel with petals and a shifter. Trying to play with a gamepad does work but will really inhibit the players controls especially if they are competing in online races. See More

You don't have to be the best racer to get the most out of this game. Even if you lose a race, you will still earn experience and money to keep upgrading your hydrojet until you can finally beat the track that has been giving you problems. Upgrading your craft and purchasing new moves to perform is continuous throughout the game, regardless of your skill level, meaning everyone can progress at their own pace and unlock all of the various stunts and crafts. See More

score 2 · Answer 8

Riptide GP: Renegade

Top Pro

Solid sense of progression for all skill levels

Top Con

The police only target players and not the AI racers

During races, the police hydrojets will only pester players and not the other AI racers. Getting constantly knocked off your hydrojet as the computer controlled AI racers zoom past you completely ignored by the police feels unfair. See More

Specs

Controller Support:Yes

Rather than rubber on asphalt as in other racing games, Riptide GP: Renegade features racing your hydrojet in semi-submerged cities, with the flooded streets serving as the race track. Rather than driving a car around a track, you will be racing robots (and friends!) by cruising your hydrojet through the wreckage of a flooded city, jumping waves, and running from cops who are chasing you. This puts a new coat of paint on the racing genre, resulting in a unique look and feel that can't be accomplished in standard racing games. See More

Top Pro

Water-based racing is a new way to enjoy the racing genre

Top Con

Low number of tracks

There's only nine different racetracks to choose from, meaning the player will have to keep grinding the same maps over and over. After a while, the same maps starts to get old fast and once you learn all the shortcuts and tricks to the various races, racing the same tracks time after time loses it appeal. See More

Top Pro

Excellent hydrojet handling

The controls for your craft are finely-tuned and completely lag free as you turn tight corners on your hydrojet. Some of the turns are very sharp and sudden, but due to the way the game controls, making these turns is more about seeing the action play out and less about losing control due to a sudden change in the course. Acceleration is natural and exciting as you race your hydrojet through the various waterways as you can gain speed without losing control. Performing stunts while airborne off a big jump come natural, as the controls to do so are the same as piloting your craft. See More

Top Con

Some sound effect levels are mixed poorly

A few of the water effects such as hitting the water hard after a big jump are too loud, resulting in a sound effect that will drown out and overpower the background music. This sudden burst of sound can be jarring at times and break your concentration from focusing on a tough race or opponent. See More

Top Pro

Never a dull moment with lots of action

Levels are designed to be action packed, with a generous amount of ramps and waves to jump off, twists and turns, and opponents trying to gain the lead. Race through waterways and flooded streets and use waves to make those big jumps and perform airborne stunts. The surface tension of the water is noticed as you race your way around the various tracks, take tight turns, and perhaps even wipeout. The riders around you leave a foamy wake in their path, waves crash from side to side knocking you around, and the water churns as you splash around and perform stunts resulting in some authentic and fast paced water-based racing action. See More

In MotoGP 17, you'll race at full speed to push ahead of the pack of other motorcycles, using the game's tight controls to your advantage to make narrow turns before accelerating again. Keeping that balance between speed and strategic slowdowns is exhilarating when you manage to pull it off and win race after race. You'll get to feel the weight of the motorcycle in your hands through the controller. The vibrations mimic the engine and your wheels grinding against the asphalt of the tracks, making you feel like your hands are right on the handles of your motorcycle. The smooth, responsive controls help to make sure that every race is all about your skills as the player, so you won't have to worry about laggy button inputs when going for difficult turns. No music plays during races, but listening to the buzzing of your motorcycle's engine is addicting and doesn't get old. See More

score 1 · Answer 9

MotoGP 17

Top Pro

Racing is fun and the controls are responsive

Top Con

Overall presentation is barren and soulless

The game has overused, repetitive animations,and lifeless movement from crowd NPCs during matches. Overall there's a general emptiness in the environments. There's a lack of emotion and soul in MotoGP 17, making the game feel unfinished and unpolished. It's not a pleasing game to look at, and it might break immersion for you if you're looking for something that's more realistic and lively. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

For anyone looking for customizable difficulties in a racing game, MotoGP has plenty of settings that you can fine-tune to match your skill level. Longtime racing fans can jump right into races at higher difficulties, or you can tweak the AI settings to be more challenging across the board. For tournaments, there's a ramp-up in difficulty from the qualifying rounds to the ranked races, so veterans will find a good challenge in adjusting to each race on the fly. See More

Top Pro

Racing veterans will find a challenge to conquer

Top Con

Inconsistent AI difficulty

During qualifier rounds where there should be a reasonable amount of difficulty, the AI is deceptively easy. You'll end up winning races with a false sense of security, only to find much harder ones later on. It makes things confusing when trying to figure out your skill level and where you might need to improve. See More

Top Pro

Plenty of tools to help new players excel

For new players, you're able to adjust settings in the menu to give you an easier time controlling your motorcycle. You can set colored path lines along the track that you can follow if you need some help with getting ready for turns ahead of time. There are also options to manually lower the AI difficulty to get you used to the game's learning curve. As you become more skilled at the game, you can gradually wean yourself off of these tools. They're great for anyone who wants to reach those expert levels of play, but might be discouraged by all the new mechanics that come with the racing game genre. See More

Top Pro

Fun experimentation with the team manager simulator

MotoGP 17's managerial mode gives you control over a team's resources to lead your riders to the World Championship. It has some interesting features that have potential for more additions in future games in the series. Working behind-the-scenes, you'll invest resources into improving your riders' skills, like with nutrition programs and athletic training. As your team wins more races, you'll gain more visibility and have a better selections of paid sponsors to choose from, earning you more money. As you earn more money, you'll be able to afford faster motorcycles, making your team even better. All of these systems have the promise for more improvements and depth, but what's available is plenty of fun to experiment with. See More

Stages are procedurally generated as you go. This means that Dirt 4 has virtually endless replayability. The custom stage creator called 'Your Stage' is fairly simple to use. You choose only the length and the complexity of the stage and on which country your race will take place. There are five countries to choose from: Australia, USA, Spain, Sweden and Wales. See More

score 4 · Answer 10

DiRT 4

Top Pro

Virtually endless replayability

Top Con

Some car categories are not that well-covered

While certain car categories and eras are well-covered with lots of different models, some eras are left behind. The 2000s for example are represented by only a handful of car models. See More

Specs

In career mode you can spend earned credits on improving your facilities and as a result the effectiveness of your engineers. You also get to micromanage your career, especially when it comes to sponsorship deals where you will constantly try to find better and better deals to increase your earnings. See More

Top Pro

Lets you micromanage your career and facilities

Top Con

Visuals lack a little sharpness

Some of the visuals lack a bit of sharpness found in other racing games. Especially shadows which appear a bit blocky. See More

Top Pro

Great visuals

Even though they could stand to be a little sharper, the visuals are very detailed. You can easily see and make out in detail the leaves as they rise above the ground once you pass on them, or the mud caked on the car you are driving. The water visual effects are phenomenal as well. Especially the splash effects. See More

Top Pro

Brilliant sound effects

The sound effects are brilliant as well. From the buzzing sounds coming from the cars to the nature sounds coming from the track you are currently racing. See More

Top Pro

Great variety of terrains available

Races take part in five different countries around the world: USA, Australia, Spain, Sweden and Wales. Each of them with unique features and demands. Australia for example is gravel-based with tight zones and twists. Spain is mountainous with little margin for error. See More

Top Pro

You can share custom tracks

If you create a custom track that you enjoy, or rather, if the game generates a custom track that you particularly enjoy, you can save it and even share it with friends who own the game. See More

To win races in F1 2018, it comes down to learning when to make those hard turns, when to be aggressive, and when to take the risk of making pit stops. Driving fast is exhilarating as you feel the car's wheel in your hand through your controller or peripheral wheel. You play the long game in F1 2018, making quick judgment calls on when the best time is to make a pit stop, even if it means losing your lead in the race. When you know you won't be able to make it to the finish line, that's when you'll want to stop. If you want to push your car past its limits, then you can decide to keep going and do your absolute best to drive better and shave off even more time. As you keep playing, this cerebral risk/reward aspect will come more naturally to you, helping you improve your races down the line. See More

score 6 · Answer 11

F1 2018

Top Pro

Fast, fun races with on-the-fly strategies

Top Con

Reused driver animations from F1 2015, F1 2016, and F1 2017

Yet again, this latest iteration of the F1 series has too many recycled assets. During the victory segments, the drivers have reused animations to express excitement over their awards. Popping bottles of champagne and spilling the contents out in glee is great in moderation, but it gets old after a while. Certain drivers may not have the personality to do that, so for fans who follow the racers in real life, it can be a strange thing to see. See More

PositiveAsbolus's Experience

Realistic See More

Specs

Each car in F1 2018 is a faithful rendition of real-life motorsport racing, giving you control of awesome cars like the Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, and other brands. You'll drive in first-person view from the cockpit, getting to see the car up-close and personal, like how the huge front wheels at either side of you run at full speed and curve with your movements. The true-to-life tracks are straight out of locations from across the world. The game's weather is also spectacular to look at, like the sunny skies reflecting off of your car's coat of paint. When it's raining, you're get to see every detail from the open cockpit, with every drop of rainwater dripping down your helmet. See More

Top Pro

Realistic cars, tracks and weather

Top Con

Poor graphics for human models

Compared to the smooth graphics for cars, tracks and weather, the human models look terrible in comparison. Their skin textures look unfinished and they lack detail. It can be distracting and jarring to go from great-looking races to scenes with the drivers. They do look better than the ones in F1 2017, but not by much. Models for key characters in the career mode are thankfully a bit more polished. See More

Top Pro

You get to enjoy time in the media spotlight throughout the story

During the story, you get to experience what it's like having the media's attention on you as a pro racer. The reporters come up to you with a camera and prepared questions, asking you about the results of the race -- whether you win or lose -- as a way to probe how you feel. If you give good PR responses about team morale and doing better next time, then your sponsors may see this as a good thing, if and only if that's the kind of reputation they want you to have. But they may want someone who's more of a lone wolf and boasts about their own performance, so that same sponsor won't respond well to your sportsmanship. It's a cool way to feel involved in the sport, giving the sense that you're representing not only yourself, but also your team and your sponsors. See More

Top Pro

Lots of customization options for the UI, AI difficulty, weather, and car upgrades

The game gives you a bunch of options to make everything custom-fit for you. There are settings like hiding elements on the screen during races, setting the time of day and the weather you'd like for each track, and tweaking the AI difficulty to your liking. In the career more, there's also an in-depth Research and Development skill tree, improved from F1 2017, with dozens of upgrade options for your car. If the R&D skill trees looks too complicated, you can always go with the recommended options instead. See More

Jumping into a race is simple and fast. All you have to do is pick which city you want to race in, and you can find a match within a short time. The Crew 2 is great for dropping in for a quick run and then dropping out whenever you want. See More

score 6 · Answer 12

The Crew 2

Top Pro

Easy to join races just about anywhere

Top Con

Plane and boat racing aren't that enjoyable

Compared to the arcadey fun of driving cars and bikes on roads, steering speed boats in the water and planes in the air isn't as engaging. Races by boats are pretty boring, where you just go from point A to B with only a few turns to make. The flying controls are imprecise, like how the game sometimes doesn't register when you correctly pull off a loop or barrel roll, and you end up not getting points for them. It's a cool concept to switch between three methods of racing, but it's obvious that the devs didn't spend as much time refining these two. See More

Specs

Genre:Racing, Multiplayer

The best part about The Crew 2 is getting to change your vehicle type on-the-fly. While racing around on the road with a normal race car, for example, if you go flying off of a ramp at high speed over a lake, you can switch to your speed boat with a few simple button presses. Then, while zipping through the water, when you're about to reach land, you can change to your plane and fly for as long as you want. When you find a street to land on, you can go back to your car. It's a fun and innovative concept that lets you cross stretches of land in different ways. See More

Top Pro

You can switch freely between driving a car, a speed boat, and a plane

Top Con

Thin story

There's not much of a narrative here. Basically, it's up to you to win races and gain social media followers for fame. The story doesn't even try to pull you in, and it knows that it's less important than the gameplay. So if you're looking for even a halfway decent plot in a game, you won't find one here. See More

Top Pro

Slick and clean visuals

Everything looks nice and polished. Paint on your vehicles gleam in the sunlight, the weather is realistic, and the locations you race around in all look amazing. While character models in story cutscenes aren't as well-done, they're still fine. The devs did a great job at making the game pleasing to the eye. See More

Top Con

Online-only means you need to have a good connection to play

The Crew 2 is always-online, which means you need a solid internet connection in order to play. If you don't have stable internet, then you're probably better off not purchasing the game, since your performance during races depends on how well your connection holds up. If you're constantly lagging and/or rubberbanding, then you're going to have a bad time. See More

Top Pro

Huge map of the United States to race around

The Crew 2 features a giant open world set in major cities across the US. Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and more are here for you to drive around in during races and free exploration. The cities are all true-to-life recreations of the actual locations, with recognizable landmarks and buildings. You can go anywhere you want within the available locales, driving around, joining races, and making your own fun along the way. See More

Top Con

The world is barren and empty

Even though the open world is massive, most of it is wasted space. The cities you drive around don't feel lived-in, as if they only exist for cars, boats, and planes instead of actual people. It's just a nice copy of the US without any recreation of the history and culture of the locations, serving as empty sandboxes for gameplay. Having more detail and fine touches throughout the maps would have gone a long way to make these places feel more meaningful and worthwhile. See More

Now on offer on Humble Bundle for only €15.99 https://www.humblebundle.com/store/wrc-9-fia-world-rally-championship See More

score 1 · Answer 13

WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship

RickZeeland's Experience

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

score 2 · Answer 14

Hot Lap League Deluxe Edition

Top Pro

Crazy fun tracks

Top Con

No track editor

Specs

Top Pro

Ghosts don't interfere with track times

Top Pro

Racing against real player ghosts

Top Pro

Arcade time-trial-based racing