The best racing games can make you fall in love with driving for completely different reasons. Maybe you want to thread a supercar through a Japanese mountain pass, spend a whole evening shaving a tenth off a lap time, or flatten your friend in the last corner of a chaotic kart race. Those are all good ways to spend an evening behind a virtual wheel.
Instead of treating realistic handling as automatically better than arcade fun, we have picked ten games for different drivers. Some work with an ordinary controller, others reward a proper steering wheel, and a few are better when friends join in. This is an evergreen selection of games available as of October 2026, with the platforms and one drawback for each pick.
Best racing games compared by driving style
| Game | Best for | Where to play |
|---|---|---|
| Forza Horizon 6 | Open-world road trips and car collecting | Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| Gran Turismo 7 | Circuit racing and car appreciation | PS4, PS5 |
| Mario Kart World | Accessible party racing | Switch 2 |
| Assetto Corsa Competizione | GT3 and GT4 simulation | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
| F1 25 | Formula One championships | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| EA Sports WRC | Modern rally stage racing | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Wreckfest | Banger racing and spectacular crashes | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| BeamNG.drive | Vehicle physics and experimentation | PC, PS5 |
| iRacing | Organised competitive simulation | PC |
| Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds | Fast kart racing across platforms | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2 |
1. Forza Horizon 6: Open-world road trips and car collecting
Playground Games takes its Horizon Festival to Japan, mixing dense city streets, mountain roads and open countryside. There are more than 550 cars at launch, and the map invites you to wander rather than simply move between circuit races. You can spend an entire session taking photos, tuning a car or trying a new route.
This is an accessible driving playground, with a handling model that sits between the immediacy of an arcade racer and the feel of a more realistic game. It is our first pick among the best racing games for variety. PS5 players should note that the PlayStation version is scheduled for January 2027, so it is not currently available on that platform.
2. Gran Turismo 7: Circuit racing and car appreciation
Among the best racing games for circuit fans, Gran Turismo 7 is an invitation to care about cars as much as races. Its licence tests, café menus, detailed vehicle models and carefully recreated circuits make progression feel like a guided tour through different parts of motoring. A short race can be just as demanding as a longer championship when you start chasing cleaner lines.
A controller works perfectly well, but a steering wheel gives the driving additional nuance. Some of the economy and online features may frustrate players who simply want every car immediately. For PlayStation owners who enjoy learning tracks, braking points and the difference between machines, it remains an essential racer.
3. Mario Kart World: Accessible party racing
The best racing games for a party put fun first. Mario Kart World makes getting from one race to the next part of the entertainment. Its interconnected areas, Free Roam activities and large 24-driver races add scale without abandoning the series’ simple joy: a perfectly timed item can change everything at the finish line.
It is much easier to introduce to a family or casual group than a simulation, and nobody needs a wheel setup to have fun. Competitive players can still learn routes and techniques, but chaos is a deliberate part of the rules. If you hate losing a race to a blue shell, you already know whether this is for you.
4. Assetto Corsa Competizione: GT3 and GT4 simulation
Assetto Corsa Competizione specialises in the discipline of GT racing. Track conditions, tyres, brake temperatures and car behaviour all matter, and the game is at its best when you are committed to improving rather than collecting hundreds of unrelated cars.
A wheel and pedals help you appreciate its strengths, especially over longer races. Its narrow focus is a plus for motorsport fans but a drawback if you want open-world driving or simple arcade races. Among the best racing games for learning consistent laps in GT cars, it belongs near the front.
5. F1 25: Formula One championships
Of the best racing games for Formula One fans, F1 25 is the obvious starting point if the racing you watch every weekend involves pit stops, tyre strategy and battling through corners with downforce doing much of the work. You can follow the licensed championship or commit to a longer career where small gains add up over a season.
The game offers enough assistance to welcome controller players, although more competitive racing demands attention to setup and driving technique. Its yearly-release structure is not for everyone, and casual players may prefer Horizon. But if you want modern Formula One rather than a generic racing class, this has the right focus.
6. EA Sports WRC: Modern rally stage racing
The best racing games are not all about overtaking on a circuit. WRC changes the rhythm entirely. Instead of fighting for position in the next corner, you are listening to pace notes and trying to keep a rally car intact along unfamiliar roads. Changing surfaces, weather and visibility make a seemingly simple stretch of track a serious concentration test.
Mistakes are expensive, and there are no trackside barriers conveniently guiding you around every bend. It rewards practice, accurate inputs and calm decision-making. The experience can feel intimidating until you learn to trust the co-driver, but rally fans will find that tension incredibly satisfying.
7. Wreckfest: Banger racing and spectacular crashes
Wreckfest remembers that a car does not have to survive in pristine condition for the race to be fun. Vehicles crumple, rivals behave aggressively and the best plan is sometimes to dodge a pile-up rather than find the fastest racing line. Demolition events take that idea even further.
There is real handling under the chaos, which is why winning a rough race still feels earned. It is brilliant with friends who enjoy a little mayhem, though players looking for clean esports competition should steer elsewhere. One of the best racing games when you want to laugh at what just happened to your bonnet.
8. BeamNG.drive: Vehicle physics and experimentation
Among the best racing games for experiments, BeamNG.drive is more of a driving laboratory than a conventional racing campaign. Its soft-body physics model makes bumps, collisions and mechanical failures feel like consequences instead of canned animations. You can build your own challenges, test vehicle setups or simply see what happens at the bottom of a very steep hill.
There is plenty to explore through scenarios and community content, but players who want a fixed ladder of championships may find it directionless. For curiosity about cars and believable damage, it is fascinating.
9. iRacing: Organised competitive simulation
iRacing is built around racing other people who care about fair competition, consistent lap times and the rules of the track. Its ranked series, safety rating and scheduled events give a clear structure to improving as a driver. The driving model rewards patience more than last-second heroics.
The subscription and paid car or track content make it a much bigger financial commitment than buying a single game. It also asks for practice, and a racing wheel is strongly recommended. If you are serious about competing online, that structure is why it deserves a place among the best racing games.
10. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds: Fast kart racing across platforms
The best racing games for groups make every race an event. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds leans into spectacular courses, speedy item battles and the idea that a race should rarely look the same way twice. Its CrossWorld mechanic changes where the action goes mid-race, and vehicle customisation gives players more to experiment with than a simple character choice.
The speed and spectacle are a joy when everyone wants frantic competition. If you prefer methodical racing lines and predictable opponents, a sim will suit you far better. For a family or multiplayer group that is not entirely on Nintendo hardware, CrossWorlds is an appealing party-racing option.
When deciding between the best racing games, focus on the kind of experience you want rather than the number beside each title. The right choice can be very different for someone who wants a quick session and someone planning a long campaign.
Best racing games for a controller
Forza Horizon 6, Mario Kart World, Wreckfest and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds all work naturally with a controller. Gran Turismo 7 and F1 25 also offer assistance settings to make learning possible without buying a wheel. There is no reason to feel pressured into expensive hardware before you know what kind of driving you actually enjoy.
Part of what makes the best racing games worth revisiting is that they reward different habits: exploration, experimentation, timing, persistence or playing with a group. None of those has to be your favourite.
Which racing game is best for a steering wheel?
Start with Gran Turismo 7 on PlayStation or Assetto Corsa Competizione and iRacing on PC. Those games reward careful inputs and repeated track practice. EA Sports WRC is another good reason to use a wheel, but it adds the challenge of managing slides and different surfaces. The best racing games for a wheel need not be the ones with the biggest maps.
One strength of the best racing games is how much variety sits inside the category. A recommendation here is not a promise that every player will enjoy the same mechanics.
What should you play first?
Forza Horizon 6 is our all-round recommendation for variety and exploration. Gran Turismo 7 is the stronger choice for PlayStation circuit racing; Mario Kart World is the easiest party pick on Switch 2. Try Wreckfest when you want contact and wreckage, or BeamNG.drive when the physics are the point. The best racing games are the ones that make you want one more lap, however seriously you take it.
Official source: Forza: Forza Horizon 6 reveal and driving features.
