Some of the first commercial arcade games were racing games, as the concept dates back to electro-mechanical games from the 1960s. Early racing games on consoles were fairly rudimentary, consisting of little more than a pixel moved about a screen, but technology improved rapidly, and racing games kept pace. They improved as each console generation came and went, so we’ve identified the best racing game from each one. The winners were chosen based on contemporary critics’ reviews upon release, their impact on the genre, and how much fun they were to play. Kart racers are excluded, as they’re a sub-genre all to their own, leaving only standard racing games considered for this list.
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1st) Wipeout
1st Gen: Atari Pong | Coleco Telstar | Magnavox Odyssey
The first console generation was primarily about Atari’s Pong, which was based on the Tennis game featured on the first successful home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey. The system featured several games, including a racing game called Wipeout. It was far simpler than the genre would eventually become, as it required placing a plastic overlay on the television screen. The player would then guide a pixel across the track using the controller. This sounds a lot easier than it actually was, as you needed to remain on the track, which was challenging.
2nd) Enduro
2nd Gen: Atari 2600 | Channel F | ColecoVision | Intellivision | Magnavox Odyssey 2
By the second console generation, technology had advanced considerably, and while Pole Position was ported to the Atari 2600, where it was incredibly popular, the best racing game of the generation was Enduro. The game featured several notable innovations, including a day-to-night mechanic, inclement weather, and an endurance race. Players had to pass a set number of cars each day during the race, which posed a significant challenge. Pole Position is more historically significant to the racing genre, but when it comes to technological innovation, Enduro stands on its own merits.
3rd) Formula One: Built to Win
3rd Gen: Atari 7800 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Sega Master System
The third console generation saw plenty of great racing games, including Rad Racer, R.C. Pro-Am, Excitebike, and many others. The game that took the top spot is Formula One: Built to Win, released in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is one of the first to feature a career mode, with a choice of vehicles that can be enhanced through an in-game tuning mechanic. This was a unique innovation at the time, elevating the genre considerably while presenting an excellent racing game that played similarly to Rad Racer. While Formula One: Built to Win was critically successful, it’s not the best-known racing game on the NES.
4th) Road Rash
4th Gen: TurboGrafx-16 | Genesis | Neo Geo | Super Nintendo Entertainment System
One of the more interesting aspects of racing games in the early days was the introduction of a combat mechanic, and Road Rash expertly incorporated this into the game. Electronic Arts published the 1991 racing game as one of its first independently-developed titles, and it’s all about motorcycle races across California. Each race is more difficult than the last, and you can engage in armed and unarmed combat against other racers to progress further in the rankings. The game was a massive hit when it arrived on the Sega Genesis, though it was ported to numerous systems, including the Game Gear, Game Boy, and Master System. I should mention that F-Zero came in a close second, but was overshadowed by Road Rash.
5th) Gran Turismo 2
5th Gen: 3DO | Jaguar | PlayStation | Nintendo 64
The 5th console generation is when racing games began to look and feel more like those found in arcades, as the use of CD-ROMs enabled better graphics and sound. The hardware could accommodate much faster processing as well, allowing for more photorealistic cars and greater immersive experiences. The best racing game of the generation was Gran Turismo 2, a massive success that sold nearly 10 million units and was one of the best-selling games on the PlayStation. It also kept the franchise going and featured some excellent cars and tracks with over 600 of the former and 27 of the latter, which is a lot.
6th) Burnout 3: Takedown
6th Gen: GameCube | Dreamcast | PlayStation 2 | Xbox
There were plenty of excellent racing games released during the 6th console generation, including some unusual additions like Crazy Taxi. Still, the generation’s top competitor was Criterion Games’ Burnout 3: Takedown. The franchise threequel added to its boost mechanic by introducing the takedown maneuver, which worked in tandem with boost by slamming into opponents until they crashed. The fast-paced action racing game was a massive success upon release, earning widespread critical acclaim. It’s highly aggressive and a lot of fun on either the PlayStation 2 or Xbox, as it was released on both consoles simultaneously.
7th) Forza Motorsport 3
7th Gen: PlayStation 3 | Wii | Xbox 360
The 7th generation featured some pretty amazing racing games, including Split/Second, Need for Speed, and Burnout Paradise. While they’re all excellent titles, the one that takes the top spot for the generation is Forza Motorsport 3 on the Xbox 360. The game features over 400 cars, all of which are customizable, and the Ultimate Collection version of the game tacks on 100 more. There are over 100 tracks to race on with up to eight cars at a time. Graphically, Forza Motorsport 3 nails the car models to the maximum potential of the system’s hardware, which still looks good today, and the game was an unsurprising universal success, receiving worldwide acclaim.
8th) Gran Turismo 7
8th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Wii U | Xbox One
There’s a lot of contention regarding the best racing game from the 8th console generation, and Gran Turismo 7 is likely to spark some comments, as it was heavily review-bombed on Metacritic. This wasn’t due to the game so much as it was the inclusion of microtransactions within it that players absolutely hated. For this list, we’re looking beyond that terrible decision and focusing on the game, which actually recreates its cars and tracks pretty amazingly. They look even better on the PS5, but we’re not there yet, and Gran Turismo 7 was initially released in the 8th console generation. Other contenders for the top spot included GT Sport, Need for Speed Heat, The Crew 2, and several others.
9th) Forza Horizon 5
9th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X|S
The 9th console generation featured hardware that truly stretched the capabilities of racing games beyond photorealism. The racing games released on the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S are truly spectacular, and chief among them is Forza Horizon 5. The 2021 racing game absolutely dominated the genre, receiving worldwide critical acclaim and taking home numerous accolades, including Racing Game of the Year. The game’s open-world environment is set in Mexico and is massive, offering extensive gameplay across vast landscapes and the largest map in the Forza franchise. There were some other good racing games released during the 9th generation, but Forza Horizon 5 is an easy pick for the top spot.
10th) Fast Fusion
10th Gen: Nintendo Switch 2 | PlayStation 6 | Xbox Project Helix
As of writing, the video game industry hasn’t reached a consensus as to when the 10th console generation began, nor has anyone firmly agreed that it did. Still, some have pointed to the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 as its beginning, and until that changes, we’re going with it. To that end, the best racing game released thus far on the Switch 2 is Fast Fusion. The game was one of the system’s launch titles and features single-player and multiplayer gameplay on fast-paced tracks, with 15 unlockable vehicles, though only 3 are available at launch. A more robust game will likely emerge as the 10th console generation gains steam, but until then, Fast Fusion is leading the way.
What’s your favorite console racing game? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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