🏎️The Best Racing Games
Racing splits cleanly into three moods: arcade games that reward crashing, simulators that reward patience, and kart racers that reward betrayal.
Pick the mood first and the game almost chooses itself.
Arcade racing
Forza Horizon 5 (2021)
- PC
- Xbox
An open Mexico full of events you drift into by accident. The most generous racing game ever made for people who are not very good at racing games.
Burnout 3: Takedown (2004)
- PS2
- Xbox
Crashing as a scoring system. Twenty years on, nothing else has the same weight of impact.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005) (2005)
- PS2
- Xbox
- PC
Police chases with escalating heat levels and a grey-blue filter over everything. The definitive street-racing fantasy.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 (2023)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox
- Switch
Orange track loops through real rooms. Easy to pick up and great with a kid on the second pad.
Simulation and track racing
Gran Turismo 7 (2022)
- PS5
Careful, slow-building career racing with a museum's respect for cars. Best with a wheel but fine on a pad.
Assetto Corsa Competizione (2019)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox
GT3 racing modelled seriously enough that lap-time gains come from technique, not upgrades.
F1 24 (2024)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox
The licensed season with an approachable difficulty ladder and a career mode that runs for months.
Dirt Rally 2.0 (2019)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox
Rally stages with no rewind and a co-driver you learn to trust. Punishing and quietly brilliant.
Kart and couch racing
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
- Switch
Four-player split screen that works for eight-year-olds and adults in the same race. The default party racer.
Mario Kart 64 (1996)
- N64
- Switch (NSO Expansion)
Battle mode on Block Fort is the reason a lot of people still own an N64.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (2019)
- PS4
- Xbox
- Switch
A faithful remake of the PS1 kart racer with a much higher skill ceiling than Mario Kart.
Diddy Kong Racing (1997)
- N64
Karts, hovercraft and planes with an adventure mode attached. Still the most structured kart racer ever released.
Gear that fits this list
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Retro-Bit Legacy 16 Wired USB Controller - (Onyx) | Compatible with Switch, PC, MacOS, RetroPie, Raspberry Pi, Other USB Devices
$14.99
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KIWITATA 2X Classic SNES USB Controller for PC Gamings, Retro SNES Wired USB Gamepad Emulator Controller for Windows XP 7 8 11 Mac Raspberry Pi 3
$17.51
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Rii Classic Retro USB Wired Game Controller for PC Gaming, Grey, 2 Pack | Game Emulator Controller, Compatible with Raspberry Pi, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Ergnomic design, plug and play
$9.99
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ZAMPAM 2 Pack Wireless SNES Controllers, 2.4GHz USB Gamepads for PC | Plug & Play Works with Nintendo Switch 1, PC, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, RetroPie, Recalbox and more，Not Switch 2
$34.99
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2 Pack USB Controller for SNES Retro Gaming, miadore SNES USB Classic Gamepad Joypad Gamestick for Windows PC MAC Linux Retropie Raspberry Pi 3
$15.29
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Prices as of Oct 27, 2026, 4:34 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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