At first glance, it’s easy to see the Forza saga as the best racing game on the platform. It’s the ruling franchise for racing, and it has gone to various sub-genres. That includes open-world, simulation, arcade, and realistic. Other studios are giving Forza and the PlayStation’s Gran Turismo series a run for its money. For example, Codemasters has created Dirt 5, Dirt Rally 2.0, GRID, F1 2021, and other sim racers. In any case, you can’t go wrong with any of the games on our list. They are the 20 best Xbox racing games you can play now.
Selecting Best Xbox Racing Games
When it comes to racing, fans can pick among Xbox. There’re top-tier exclusive racers and third-party games everyone should play. That said, racing games can go in one of three ways or a combination of these three:
Realistic-sim Racers: These offer photorealistic visuals and a controller mechanic that tries to imitate how driving works in real life. At the same time, they may include a series of systems and variables (such as weather or traction) to affect your experience in realistic ways. Sim Racers: These are different from “realistic sims.” They also try to imitate real-life situations but can do so while adding other creative elements. For example, they can add other art styles because they won’t imitate realistic graphics. Or, because they don’t need to deliver realistic controller schemes, they can force you to drive in different ways, with different perspectives. Arcade Racers: These add other elements and challenges to spice up the formula. That may include power-ups, stunts, jumps, damage, or character progression. They feel more “gamey” and less constrained by reality.
We’re picking games on any of these three brackets or a variation that blends these elements. The games we selected boast high critical and fan scores and should be present on almost any racing games list. Some of these are exclusive for Xbox consoles, but others are available for additional devices. Still, remember some of these games are available on Xbox Game Pass, exclusive or otherwise. Also, I should explain a peculiarity of the Xbox Series:
You can find Xbox Series Optimized version. These are Xbox One game versions studios create using the Xbox Series development kit. The result is free-upgrades offering faster load times, better visuals and response, 4KHD, and 120fps on 1080p. You can find “Built for Xbox Series” games or native Xbox Series titles. These titles debuted for both the Xbox One and the Xbox Series, so they already bring top-of-the-line graphics. You can find retro-compatible games. These are Xbox One games you can play and download on Xbox Series. You can improve how these titles work with auto-HDR and FPS boost features.
The games we’re choosing can belong to any of these three categories. In any case, any Xbox One game is available for Xbox Series.
Best Xbox Racing Games
Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5 is a realistic-sim racing game. It’s the fight entry in the Forza Horizon series and the 12th entry in the Forza franchise. Compared to previous entries, it delivers various technical improvements to make the game more immersive. You play in open-world Mexico; it includes dozens of cities, highways, beaches, jungles, and ancient temples. You can free-roam or participate in races, challenges, and competitions. The gameplay is flawless, and the experience evolves with the comprehensive tunning mechanics. Lastly, the game has a local weather system. There’re also multiple climates, biomes, and four seasons. Every environment reacts to the weather, and your driving experience also changes. And speaking of changes, developers keep adding updates to expand and improve the game.
Dirt 5
Dirt 5 is a “simcade” racer, so it’s a blend between the sim and arcade sub-genres. It’s the latest entry in the Dirt series and stands as one of the most flexed-out and creative games in the spectrum. The game delivers off-road racing. You can experience it through the story-driven campaign, online, or 4-player split-screen. Its variety ranges from super tracks to off-road buggies, ice racing, mountains, jungles, ruins, and rally cross. There’s also a dynamic weather system, seasons, events, and more. Lastly, the game is a notorious option on Xbox Game Pass. There’s also an enhanced Xbox Series version and a free upgrade from Xbox One. The Optimized version delivers what they promise, and the upgrades are worth it.
Forza Motorsport 7
Forza Motorsport 7 is the latest installment of the Forza Motorsport series. It’s different from the Horizon saga, as they traditionally approach the genre rather than delivering open worlds. The gameplay is about competing in realistic-sim competitions with over 700 cars. Most come from Forza Horizon 3, but there are about 200 race configurations and dozens of tracks. There’re also new circuits, like a Dubai street circuit or the Suzuka circuit. Lastly, the game has two new features compared to older Motorsport games. It has dynamic weather, which came from previous Horizon games, and customizable drivers. Elsewhere, the driving mechanics are intuitive but difficult to master.
Forza Horizon 4
Forza Horizon 4 is a racing simulator game. Compared to previous versions, it features over 750 real-life cars. Players also have the opportunity to buy houses to unlock items, cars, perks, and fast travel. The game happens in an open-world Great Britain. Aside from the open world, the game introduced changing seasons and has dynamic weather. Moreover, like Forza Horizon 5, the content keeps expanding with every update. The gameplay is about free-roaming the country’s cities, highways, mountains, and roads. Alternatively, you can create customized races, participate in races and competitions, and more. Lastly, the setting lives as a shared and synchronized online world, but you can play offline.
Wreckfest
Wrecked is an arcade racing game. It’s a spiritual successor to FlatOut, and it mixes elements of the older game with the explosive Destruction Derby title. Like so, it includes a body damage feature, which models damage and affects car dynamics. There’re various gameplay modes, and they all rely on damaging your opponents. You can ram, push, and dodge enemy cars in races, derbies, and survival modes. Before that, you select a vehicle with automatic or manual transmission, and ABS brakes or not. Then, you can play the career, custom events, or multiplayer. In particular, races focus on vehicular combat, deadly barriers, and a physics engine that handles driving dynamics.
F1 2021
F1 2021 is the official 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship game. It’s a highly-rated sports title and invites you to play a licensed videogame version of the high-octane competition as a realistic-sim driving game. It’s also the 14th entry in the popular saga. This version adds a dramatic story-driven career mod that takes its cues from a Netflix documentary series. It’s an immersive adventure where you play as a racer through competitions, sponsors, travels, lifestyles, and rivalries. Additionally, you can create your own F1 team in your career. Another exciting addition is being able to play the campaign with another person as a 2-player co-op team.
WRC 10
WRC 10 is the licensed videogame version of the FIA World Rally Championship. Its particular feature is a comprehensive physics engine that simulates driving, aerodynamics, turbo, brakes, and surface traction. The title celebrates the competition’s 50th anniversary. So, it has vehicles, tracks, and historical events ranging from 1973 to today. For instance, a game mode tests your skills on various historical moments. There’re various gameplay modes, though. These include rallies in Spain, Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, and other historical rallies. There’re also over 100 chapters to play, 52 official teams, 20 legendary vehicles, and a story-driven career mode.
The Crew 2
The Crew 2 is an open-world racing game, and the setting recreates various locations in the United States. It’s an online-only experience, though, as it has a persistent online setting akin to an MMO game. So, you control a racer trying to rise through the ranks of various racing sports. Still, you can free-roam the country or complete the story-driven campaign. Additionally, you can drive bikes, motorcycles, powerboats, airplanes, and more. Also, the game includes various hub worlds, each featuring themes and playstyles. These themes include street, off-road, freestyle, stunts, pro racing, and more. Lastly, there’s a huge emphasis on multiplayer in co-op races and versus modes.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fuel is an arcade kart racing video game. I’d say kart racing has become its own sub-genre, and, as such, it has the rules and elements you’d expect. First, you select one of the several characters from the Crash Bandicoot series. Each has its kart, power-ups, and quirks to race and combat against your opponents. Then, you join races that revolve around gathering and using turbo. There’re various gameplay modes, though. These include adventure modes, kart customization, in-game shops versus modes, Prix tournaments against the AI, online races, and more.
Burnout Paradise Remastered
Burnout Paradise is an open-world arcade racing game. It popularized open-world settings in racing games and is also the first title in the Burnout series. It was a best-selling title and an Xbox 360 Greatest Hit. The Remastered version delivers the same experience as before, and it can go up to 4K. So, you can drive along Paradise City and make up your own action. You’ll create a name for yourself as you drive, do stunts, and create hectic chaos. The Remaster delivers online play, too, with up to four people in the city. The bundle has all addons, including Year of Paradise and Big Surf Island.
Assetto Corsa Competizione
Assetto Corza Competizione is a racing simulator with GT4 and GT3 sports cars. It has an official license for these vehicles and competitions within the GT sphere. What makes it unique is the number of systems it calculates to deliver a true realistic-sim immersive experience. Specifically, it has mathematical models to create a careful game engine. The engine simulates tire grip, vehicle engines, suspensions, electronic systems, and aerodynamic impact. That said, the game includes competitions against the AI or online.- It has a career mode, custom cups, races, special events, tutorials, and more. Also, it has photorealistic graphics and weather, night races, and motion capture animation.
NASCAR Heat 5
NASCAR Heat 5 is the official video game of the popular NASCAR competition. It delivers a realistic sim racing experience within the NASCAR Cup series. Then, the game features all of the real-life official teams, drivers, and cars from the sports. It also shares the Xtreme Dirt Tour for extra off-road racing. Lastly, the gameplay revolves around an immersive career mode. It also has a Quick Race mode, multiplayer (online and split-screen), and other game modes.
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Hot Wheels Unleashed is an arcade racing game where you play with the Hot Wheels toy line. It can easily call your attention if you have played with any toy car before. That’s because the game is incredibly creative. You play in third-person as a Hot Wheels vehicle and race in miniature tracks full of twists, turns, swirls, and ramps. These locations vary from bedrooms to backyards, kitchens, garages, and living rooms. Then, you can highly customize the vehicle, and there’re 66 cars in the base game. There’s a career mode, a track editor, challenges, a 12-player online mode, and more.
Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame 5
Monster Energy Supercross: The Official video game is a series with an annual release. This is the latest installment in the saga. As usual, it has a license to the Monster Energy Supercross competitions. The license brings 17 real-life tracks, dozens of real-life bikes, and several competitions. Moreover, it features a superb bike controller scheme. You can experience the game through career mode or the game’s track editor. In the career mode, you can build your bike team with sponsors and colleagues. Still, the playtime revolves around championships, as you must rise to a pro of the 450SX bike class. However, you must train, race, heal injuries, and explore.
MXGP 2021
MXGP 2021 is another dirt bike game, and it’s about Motocross competitions and motorcycles. The experience relies on a campaign mode where you’re to become an MXGP champion. You start by customizing a team or joining an official team. Then, you go to an MX2 category and rise in ranks on the career mode. You’ll get sponsors, contracts, teams, and competitions as it plays out. It’s also a realistic driving sim with a big game engine that imitates how bike driving goes. Additionally, it has iconic real-life tracks from Italy, Mexico, and France. Lastly, real-life brands offer hundreds of parts you can unlock to customize your bikes.
Dirt Rally 2.0
Dirt Rally 2.0 is a racing simulation game focusing on realistic driving physics. It makes the game challenging, but because it has a rally/rallycross setting, it’s still quite fun. The gameplay revolves around timed stage events on off-road tracks. Each event offers varied weather conditions, and there’re stages in various countries. These include the United States, Argentina, Spain, Australia, Poland, and New Zealand. In particular, the game has an environment modeling system that affects weather, grip, and handling. There’s also a car damage system, which makes each short stage. All of t120. This encourages you, as a player, to have extra concentration.
MXGP Pro
MXGP Pro is also an official Motocross video game. It follows the 2017 Motocross championship, and you can experience a customizable rider and a customizable bike. So, it revolves on tuning your motorcycle’s systems. That includes suspension, throttle, brakes, and more. A Pro Physics system considers all of these pieces, rider behavior, and general track physics. Also, there are up to 30 challenges where you can practice and learn real techniques. Once you’re ready, you can progress your career to unlock sponsors, contracts, bike parts, tracks, and more.
Grid Legends
Grid Legends is a craving sim game, and it represents the 5th entry of the Grid franchise. It mixes real-life circuits and fictional tracks for a total of 130 places to run and test. Also, it includes several vehicle types. That includes touring cars, open-wheel cars, drift cars, stadium trucks, electric vehicles, semi trucks, and more. The combination between the tracks and the vehicles delivers a Jack-of-all-trades realistic-sim racing game. Lastly, Grid Legends offer a story-driven campaign. It’s a drama based on Netflix’s docu-series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. You play as “Driver 22” on a quest to create a name for yourself.
Project CARS 2
Project Cars 2 is an intense motorsport racing simulator game. It offers intuitive controllers, dynamic handling, and various game modes. For instance, multiplayer supports up to 16 people. First, the game includes 180 brand road and race cars. It has an even larger track selection and offers a career mode with challenge-driven progression. More importantly, pro drivers tuned and tested how all cars, features, and tracks work. The game includes motorsports, rallies, rallycross, street tracks, competitions, and vehicles. However, its most unique feature is the dynamic weather, which affects performance and surfaces. Specifically, weather changes each lap during races.
SnowRunner
SnowRunner is a 2020 off-road sim driving game. It’s a sequel to MudRunner, and it’s similar, but in the snow. So, you control off-road vehicles and travel to secluded locations to complete objectives. Its gameplay revolves around sandbox mechanics. Moreover, you have over 15 locations and 60 different vehicles. Vehicles include Ford, Freightliner, and Chevrolet trucks. You can travel with the one you choose on savage and dangerous open worlds. Then, you can unlock, expand and personalize your car flotilla with upgrades and accessories. Elsewhere, you can join a 4-player co-op. The game thrives on a physical engine that manages driving, handling, surfaces, traction, and more.
