So you’ve got an Xbox, and all you want to do is race, you may have a full simulator rig set up and ready to go for your Xbox racing games. Or, you might also have a steering wheel and pedals, or you might only have a controller. There are a whole load of different Xbox racing games for you to choose from so let’s look at what is good for you and what you will enjoy.
There are different kinds of racing games, and it all depends on your preference for a game. Are you someone who likes all the detail, designing your car’s liveries and spending hours pouring over car set-up and tracking specific solutions to problems with your car? Then a more specific Xbox racing games like Forza or similar might be for you.
However, if you want to play out the career of a racing driver, then an F1 or Rally game might be more up your street. While you can still carry out some in-game mods, they’re limited and much more manageable if you’re time limited.
Or, a plain old classic fun racing game, something like Mario Kart, where you can have a bit of fun unwinding after a day of work. These games are what they are, classic fun games without the bitter edge of hardened racing, which carry their challenges. Whichever your particular pixelated penchant, you can be sure that CAR has heard you and answered the call. Let’s take a look at the best Xbox racing games.
Xbox racing games
So we don’t confuse ourselves, let’s list the best circuit driving games first before we get into the more arcade style of racing games.
The last version of the game before the new regulations take over. If you loved W12 that much before we entered the fated bouncing era of the new ground effect cars, take a look at this. You may want to relive the 2021 season with a fair outcome. That’s cool. We get it. Start the 10-year career mode with this game and make yourself the champion.
2021 is so out of date. Even the cars are different. So different Mercedes used to be fast! Instead, they’re more like a bouncing arrow than a silver arrow. Are we right, everyone? Guys? This brings about new circuits like Miami and gives you access to F1 Life, a new in-game feature where you can unlock clothing, supercars, accessories and more. Cool
Maybe you prefer two wheels as opposed to four. That’s fine, some of us like watching and racing motorbikes and cars, and we can accept that. You can choose from more than 120 riders across 20 circuits, and with some stunning graphics, you will miss all the drama of F1 and focus purely on good ole racing and elbow rubbing.
If you’re more of a purist and want to look at the unsung heroes in motorsport and race cars from every category, Forza Motorsport 7, with its 4K HDR output at 60fps, could be yours. Forza is the best-selling game on any platform this generation. With over 700 cars available, we know there will be something for everyone here.
If you can go for hours, then consider Assetto Corsa. Here you’ll be able to carry out a full GT3 calendar. Sprint races, endurance races, even the 24 hours of Spa, what a way to spend a weekend. And with new liveries, cars and circuits being ready to order, this could be the most complete endurance racing game.
You may not have heard of GRID, but it’s a game where you can race an entire back catalogue of cars across many different formats, and you can even race against Fernando Alonso in the infamous Renault R26, which took Fernando to that second World Drivers Championship and Renault to the World Constructors Championship.
Okay – we understand this is a stretch for a circuit racer. However, consider this if you’ve had a hard day and want to spend some time smashing pixels with little to no consequences. From demolition derbies to lawn mower racing Wreckfest is a joyous combination of motorsport and crashing.
Arcade driving games
Now for the less serious but still seriously cool stuff.
Explore beautiful worlds and landscapes in some of the most epic cars which money can buy today. You can explore these worlds on your own or go on road trips in some serious metal with other gamers, completing challenges in some epic weather conditions, from dramatic thunderstorms to sand clouds.
Explore 5,000km of the United States of America as you enjoy tasty metal tunable to each terrain type. It’s not just cars you can have in your garage but motorbikes and even monster trucks as you complete challenges and have an excellent time driving
With the roam of Paradise City (cue Guns ‘n’ Roses), you get to do whatever you want, long power drifting around swooping bends. Barrel rolls off jumps and kickers, some technical driving or cruising around with your mates, unlocking up to 75 stock cars.
Need For Speed is the ultimate street racing game. From original versions of the game having mad NOS boosts and drag races, it’s used the motto of ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’. The environments in which you’re driving are epic, the crashes even more so. This is it if you want a bit of a giggle on a game that doesn’t take itself seriously.
Rally driving games
We don’t think there is much cooler than being a Rally driver. Look at the like of Stig Blomqvist, Markku Alen and Ari Vatanen. Legends still today, and even more so considering the machinery, they threw sideways around the back roads of many countries.
Before everything goes hybrid in the world of WRC, enjoy these full octane pumping piston banging exhaust popping hatches smashing around different terrain. Including six historic rallies, you get 20 landmark cars from Alpine, Audi, Mitsubishi, Toyota and even Subaru. You can race across all levels of WRC, from the junior to the entire championship races across 52 teams.
Do you want to explore all the eras of the WRC? Well, Generations is for you. Yeah, the graphics look like they’re from the last generation, but at least you get hybrid-era cars. The classic high-above-the-car and from-behind camera angle which made Colin McRea rally so successful haven’t gone away either. There’s a lot to love about this game.
DIRT 5 isn’t your typical rally set-up – you’re not on classic rallies, more driving anywhere in the world, ragging tail-happy cars around Christ the redeemer. Check. Snow driving in Norway under the Northern Lights? Got that. Throwing cars sideways on the mean streets of New York? Yep. Doing all this in cars that have no right to be rallying but look fabulous. Lovely stuff.
Not rallying, but Rallycross. Purpose–built circuits in hatches hotter than those built at the gates of Mordor by Lord Sauron on a mad one. You can build your team and take all the glory racing across official circuits and locations worldwide.