Fancy sinking your teeth into some simulation racing? There’s never been a better time. What was once the past time of a few dedicated racing ultras has burgeoned into a fully-fledged e-sport with a global community. The latest in sim racing gear is sharp and purpose-built, the genre’s online presence is ever-growing, and the best sim racing games are now just a percentage or two away from a true-to-life experience.
You could, however, be forgiven for not really knowing where to start. Taking one’s first steps into sim racing can be a bit daunting, especially given all the brand names that may not sound familiar as a newcomer, but the CAR team is here to help. We’ve put together an array of articles covering everything you need to get into sim racing - from seats to wheels to gear shifters and most things in between. What you really need to kick off your sim racing career, though, is a great sim racing game.
While arcade-style racing games focus on visual and mental stimulation with twinkling graphics and lazy, yet no less pleasurable, car handling mechanics, the best sim racing games are all about authenticity. As the name would suggest, these games focus on simulating a real-life racing experience at home, putting players in the game as though they were really sitting in the car on screen.
As interest in sim racing continues to grow, more racing game developers are enhancing their games to attract a new audience of sim racers to the franchise. The latest F1 and DiRT Rally titles have successfully optimised elements of gameplay for sim racing, but there are still a handful of sim-focussed games that continue to lead the field. To help you find the best sim racing game, we’ve picked a few of our favourites and why.
The best sim racing games:
Editor's choice
The Assetto Corsa series has served as an enduring pillar of the sim racing genre since its inception. By virtue of its crisp graphics, diverse racing opportunities and realistic car handling mechanics, Assetto Corsa is often regarded as the discerning sim racer’s game of choice.
Why have we picked the Competizione edition as one of our top sim racing games? While it may not offer as many different racing opportunities as the original Assetto Corsa title – AC Competizione focuses solely on GT racing - we’ve chosen this game because of its attention to detail.
By narrowing down the scope of gameplay to just a handful of disciplines, Kunos Simulazioni – the game’s development firm – could focus its efforts on the audio and visual detail of ACC to create one of the most immersive racing games ever. As this is a list of the best sim racing games ever, we think that makes it a worthy choice.
Pros
- Industry-leading detail
Cons
- Limited racing opportunities
| Platform | Multi |
Best for racing classic cars
Project Cars 2 is another quality sim racing title for all would-be bedroom racers, especially those with a soft spot for motorsport’s bygone years. Not only is this title packed with just about every racing discipline this side of the sun but Project Cars 2 also offers players the opportunity to race old-school machinery – from 60s Grand Prix cars to Hollywood’s Le Mans heroes – on past track configurations. Fancy living out your Jimmy Clark fantasies? On Project Cars 2 you can pilot his championship-winning Lotus 25 around a period-accurate Spa circuit and all in stunning detail.
While PC 2 may lack some of the handling refinement of Assetto Corsa Competizione, with all the racing opportunities available, both old and new, it still ranks as one of our favourite sim racing games.
Pros
- Wide and diverse range of racing opportunities
Cons
- May not offer the same hyper-realism as other titles
| Platform | Multi |
Used by professionals
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Just shy of 20 years ago, the original rFactor racing simulation game made waves upon its release as the most accurate and realistic simulator ever developed – not that it had a lot of competition back in the mid-2000s. It went on to form another pillar of sim racing’s early development years, but it was the game’s sequel, rFactor 2, that would go on to become the number-one hit.
Not long after rFactor2’s release in 2012, it was picked up by a number of different racing teams, manufacturers and competitions as their simulator program of choice, becoming something of a standard in the industry.
Today, thanks to the input from professional racing teams, rFactor2 offers possibly the most realistic driving experience you can buy without stepping into a real racing car. The game features accurate vehicle dynamics, changing track conditions and the first ever thermomechanical, physically based tire model. Locked up into Monza’s
Variante del Rettifilo? Expect your lap times to pay the price.
RFactor2 is still used by many official esports events as their racing sim of choice, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual race and previously the Formula E Race at Home Challenge. The game may have come under fire recently over some technical glitches but we still think it’s one of the best racing sim games out there.
Pros
- Hyper-realistic racing experience
- Dynamic track and tire conditions
Cons
- That Max Verstappen incident
| Platform | Multi |
Best for competition
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Like rFactor 2, iRacing is another sim racing fan favourite with over a decade of development since its release. The game focuses on replicating an authentic driving experience, going so far as to restrict players from any other view than the cockpit for real-life, hardcore racing. Unlike the other titles on this list, however, iRacing is a subscription-based, online-only game. While that may limit would-be racers without a strong internet connection, the game excels at bringing racers together, just as it has done for 15 years.
Once players have obtained their rookie license, they’re free to progress up the licensing ladder from D to A, competing across a range of different racing disciplines from against other racers all over the world of various quality. The graphics and car handling dynamics may not be on par with other racing simulators but if you see fierce yet healthy competition as the bedrock of sim racing fulfilment, this is the game for you.
Pros
- Fantastic online presence
- Great for healthy competition
Cons
- Not as immersive due to lacking quality
| Platform | Online |
Best rally sim game
If the thought of sliding four wheels around the Welsh countryside or the hills of Monaco gets you up in the morning, there’s a sim racing game for you too. While DiRT Rally 2.0 wasn’t developed specifically as a rallying simulator, it was the first game in the series to introduce certain elements to support this type of gaming. Like its predecessor in the DiRT Rally series, the second instalment focusses heavily on realistic driving physics, though takes things a step further with an all-new dynamic weather system that can affect grip and visibility while on the stage.
There are no gimmicky shall-we-try-that-one-again-mate flashbacks on DiRT Rally 2.0. If you crash your car, you’ll know about it with visual and mechanical implications. It’s a tough game, but after hooking up a few clean corners, you'll appreciate the reward. You can even race in VR on DiRT Rally 2.0, but we recommend taking things slow at first to avoid hurling before you reach the first bend…
Pros
- Fantastic graphics for an immersive experience
- Best hardcore rallying game in the world?
Cons
- Hard. Really hard.
| Platform | Multi |
Which sim racing game is right for me?
The right sim racing game for you largely depends on where your motorsport interest lies and where you see the value in sim racing. If you're looking for a soft, entry-level game in which you can pilot a number of different cars in different disciplines just to get a taste of racing, Project Cars 2 would make a great choice. Conversely, if it's the thrill of hardcore competition you seek, why not opt for a game with a big online community? You might just be looking for all-out immersion, in which case - Assetto Corsa Competizione. Ultimately, the choice is yours.