Racing has been around for nearly 100 years. Which is why, and there’s no surprise here, racing games have been among the very first ever to be made by the gaming industry. Long ago, little cars would barely move on your black and white TV screen, sometimes doing what you’d tell them through a controller, but mostly not. Today, racing games are huge everywhere.

Many people have started into the whole world of gaming with racers. First came the SEGA and SNES consoles, with their reinterpretations of Formula 1, or simple street racing games, in which you’d just have to avoid obstacles coming your way from afar. Next racers turned into a bit more, with the first 2D games, and after that, they evolved into the 3D masterpieces of today.



Racing Games, And How They Work

What makes a great racing game nowadays? There are certain elements that people look after, but most gamers prefer a simple, easy to grasp game that looks amazing, instead of the ones that are overcomplicated just for the heck of it. For example, you’re better off playing the official Formula 1 simulator, coming out every year, than going into a story-driven racer, for example.

Why? Because unlike other games, like RPGs or RTSs, racers are driven by the idea of racing against one or more opponents. In recent years, a lot of good racing games have turned their attention to the story-driven campaigns, but despite those, the pleasure of racing against your friends in an online or local street fight is the ultimate pleasure you can grasp from a racer!





A racing game has a simple mechanic: use your hands to make the car on your screen go faster than the others at the starting line. If you cross the finish line first, you’re the winner. In the meantime, you can upgrade your car with many features, visuals, performance and other enhancements as you turn better and better at the game. Sounds simple, but we all know, it is far from it!



Our Best Racing Games

Egaming holds a special place in our hearts, and catalogue, for racing games. We’ve got dozens upon dozens of these titles, and because we’ve devoted so much time and interest into offering you the very best racing games out there, we’ve summed the entire thing down to 20 of our very best racers that are currently in stock. Try one or two, or all of them, and stay ahead!

Need For Speed - There's one game that's legendary in the racing world, and that game, the one that started it all, the OG, that game is Need For Speed. The original NFS still is a classic, a game about racing through a city and competing for better cars, performance, and visuals. It's simple, yet perfect! Like with most racers, the more you play NFS, the better you get at it. And the more money you make so that you can build your ultimate dream car. Compete in the most exciting races, now in up to 4K resolution with this version of the legendary game.

F1 2017 - Formula 1 simulators come out every single year. And people are waiting for them with their hearts trembling. But this 2017 simulator of the most famous racing competition on earth has something special to it. New cars, better performance customization, tracks, championship system, this game has them all. And let's not forget about the 10-year career mode, in which you put your driver and team through hell and back while raising their fame and powers over the entire grid. Another feature that shines is the practice mode, in which you can train for as long as you need.

GRID 2 - Get ready to race away with this highly-anticipated sequel to a game that was good, but not great. This racing simulator? Perfect! With elevated standards for things like damage, visuals, AI, and the new Flashback, GRID 2 is a pinnacle of racing in virtual terms. You will have to give it your all while gaming this title, as this game is not your typical racer, but puts every muscle in your body to the test, not just the hands. With GRID 2, as with every other title of the legendary series, it's all about the race, and nothing else.





Dakar 18 - This is as close as we regular folks will get to the real deal, the most demanding rally ever made, the Dakar. The 2018 version of the Dakar virtualization is putting everything in front of gamers, from the authentic experience to the thrills of missing out on the mark by just minutes. In this most demanding race on the planet, you will be able to rally with many vehicles, not just cars, but also bikes, quads, even trucks. There's a machine for each driver, the only constant being the ultimate experience of a near-perfect racing simulator

V-Rally 4 - Speaking of rally simulators, here's one that's going to blow your socks off, but not as demanding and intricate as Dakar 18. With this title, you will be able to partake in many events, rallies, crosses, drifts, climbing hills, or a mix between them all. You can even race through the lands with buggies, which are complete fun and exciting. Regardless of your choice, you'll be met with a journey you will never forget, spectacular on all fronts. This is rally virtualization taken to the max, offering you the ultimate experience without actually being in a rally car.

Need for Speed Rivals - Among the best recent NFS racers, "Rivals" focuses on the idea of drivers versus cops, the ultimate team of gameplay in any modern car racing game. Redview County is the beautiful world to be explored by you and your car while in this title, and the way they made it look, for both the PC and other devices, is like few racers we've seen. With the new mechanics, you'll feel the speed while racing down the streets and through the environments, this being one of the unmatched features of the "Rivals" episode from the acclaimed series

The Crew Ultimate Edition - If you're into exploring, but also racing, but mainly exploring a landscape from the wheel of your car, then The Crew is surely the game for you. And why stop at the general version when you can get the Ultimate Edition, for a special price? This game makes the entirety of the United States your map. You can roam around for free wherever you wish, and also stop to admire the landmarks of the country as you go. And surely, for upgrading your ride and performance, battle with other racing figures in the many forms of racing over all possible terrain.

TrackMania 2: Stadium - Fans of the legendary TrackMania game of racing have been blown away by "Stadium", the new edition of the acclaimed series which now takes part in ManiaPlanet, a world in which everything is big, unexpected, and fun. Better graphics and features have been added, making "Stadium" the ultimate experience. Also, the bonus of the game is the Track Editor, which lets you personalize your own tracks as you wish. Players have put their imagination to the test, pushing it to the limits and coming up with no less than crazy tracks, on which the little cars fly, get destroyed, or enter legendary statuses.





Wreckfest - A game with a name that says it all, Wreckfest is about wrecking cars before, during, and after the actual race has ended. Wreckfest is simply about the most epic of crashes. Track or road races are so close, they’re always left to be sorted near the line. Well, if you get there in one or more pieces, that is. All of the moments you’ll go through while in gameplay are unique, and better than the last. Race the old cars into oblivion, with zero rules on what you can and cannot do, and then enjoy the crossing of the finish line before everybody else.

F1 Race Stars - We haven't forgotten about the smallest of our avid gamers, no! This game, F1 Race Stars, is all about the thrills of Formula 1, but in a smaller, more manageable mode. In fact, cars have been reduced to small, almost kart-like vehicles, while the wobbling heads of drivers were left to scale. It's a sight to see, this game, while you progress through the many modes, on your way to becoming the ultimate racing star. Collect the points and enjoy the perks coming with each win. All while racing on the most famous of all F1 circuits on the planet.



Tips On Beating All Racing Games

Surely, there is no secret formula with which you can win ALL and ANY racing games. Every single game that involves racing a car or any other vehicle is also coming with different settings, features, and special mechanics. Those are the ones you have to understand, and then master, in order to get a grip of how the game really works. If you can do that, then any racer will be in your pocket in no time.

If you can't be that great with all racing games, and chances are, you are not, then you can follow a set of rules that will get you into the groove, and then slowly allow you to get better and better at the title you're playing

Rule 1 - Start with the tutorial: Most racing games have "driver assist" modes or tutorials in which you learn the basics about handling the cars, track conditions, performances, and so on. Start your gaming here, and learn things like controlling the transmission, if it is manual, then traction control, braking, cornering, taking over your opponents, the list goes on. If it happens in the game and it's important, the tutorial part of it will surely cover it.





Rule 2 - Choosing the right car: Most racers come with a dozen or so cars for you to choose from, right from the start. Now, this can be a daunting task because you'd most likely want to go for the most powerful, or the best-looking one. But the truth is, all cars come with different features, and it's those you should look up to, not the aspect of the car itself. If you can match the features of the car with your style of play, that's a match made in heaven.

Rule 3 - Learn the tracks: Speaking of cars and tracks, there's no successful race, no matter how good your car is if you haven't learned the track properly. Every twist and turn in a track can either make or break you passing the finish line first. The more you study and go over the track, the better you'll know where each turn and straight are, and the better you'll be able to manage speed, brakes, and so on while in the actual race.

Rule 4 - Weather and ground: 21st-century racers are all about that realistic approach. If it rains on the track in the real world, you can also "make it rain" on the virtual one. So if you want to really get a grip of how your car handles while it rains, or snows, or while you're on off-road terrain, that's something for you to look into for better racing performances. You never know what awaits on the track on race day, so better be prepared!

Rule 5 - Controller: Finally, although this buying guide is for PC racing games, there's no hurt in using a controller when playing these titles on your terminal. So what if this is not a console? Nobody is against using a good controller if you want to excel at your gameplay. An awesome controller that you master will turn you unbeatable in front of your enemies. Try out different combos, and surely, different controllers, and when you find the right one?

Practice, practice, practice!