arcade racing games list

December 19, 2025 - The following is a list of notable vehicle racing video games. The genre first emerged in the mid- to late 1970s.

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r/racinggames on Reddit: List of Arcade Racing Game Reccomendations

October 16, 2023 -

I know the list looks a little wild right now, but I'm sure I also missed quite a few. I will do a restructuring on a later point of time, when more games have joinded the list. As of now, I've not played all of the titles. I created the list because I wanted a place to go to for when I feel like playing a good arcade racer without having to look to much. I added a lot of games that I haven't played yet, but are considered as good or even classics (like the Motorstorm or Midnight Club series). So please feel free to comment more reccomendations or contribute to the list via GitHub.

Classic

The Need for Speed Series:
- Most Wanted Black Edition (2005)
  - Pepega Edition - modded version of the game, adding more content
  - Most Wanted Online Reborn (Discord) - online multiplayer mod
- Carbon
  - Carbon Battle Royale - enhances the game and changes it's progression
- Pro Street
  - Pepega Edition - modded version, adding more content
- NFS (2015), Payback, Heat with the UNITE mod
- NFS III: Hot Pursuit
- NFS: High Stakes
- NFS Hot Pursuit Remastered
- NFS Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2) - PS2 has the best Graphics
- Underground
- Underground 2
- World (community server)
Track Mania
- Track Mania United Forever (use this installer to bypass the graphic issues)
  - TM Nations Forever - Free but still great version of TMUF, but only contains Stadium
- Track Mania 2 (Canyon, Valley, Stadium, Lagoon)
  - Alternatively (and for Consoles): Track Mania Turbo (TM2 is still better in my opinion)
Midnight Club
- Midnight Club: Los Angeles (Console)Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition (Console)
Forza Horizon 1 & 2 (XBOX 360)
Juiced 1 & 2
nail'd
Motorstorm Series (PS3) - Watch this video on how to get them running fine
- Motorstorm
- Motorstorm Apocalypse
- MotorStorm Pacific Rift
Exite Truck (Wii)
Exitebots: Trick Racing (Wii)
Auto Modellista (PAL Version) - The PAL version has better handeling, but the US version has more tracks (with a lot worse handeling), use PS2 or Game Cube edition for best emulation experience
Ridge Racer Series
- Ridge Racer: Type 4 (PSX)
- Ridge Racer 5 & 7 (PS2 & PS3)
Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller - also includes the content from Crazy Taxi 1 & 2
Project Gotham Racing 4 (XBOX360)

Fun-Racer

Mario Kart - Pretty much all the entries are a recommendation, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the expansion packs offers the most
- CTGP Revolution - for Mario Kart Wii (if you got a Wii at home, the best way to play it online)
- CTGP Deluxe - for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (still in development)
Blur
Crash Team Racing (PSX)
- Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (Remake)

Outrunners

Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Horizon Chase Turbo
Slipstream

Antigravity Racer

Wipeout Omega Collection (PS4)
F-Zero GX (Gamecube)
RedOut: Enhanced Edition & 2
Fast Racing Neo (Wii U)/ Fast RMX (Switch)

Combat Racing

Burnout Series
- Paradise Remastered
- 3 Takedown - PS2 version for better emulation experience
- Revenge - There are a few differences between PS2/ XBOX and the XBOX 360 versions (decide yourself)
Wreckfest
Twisted Metal Black (PS2)
Flatout Ultimate Carnage

Indies

Distance
Hotshot Racing
art of rally
Inertial Drift
Neodash
Buck Up And Drive!

More than just racing

GTA V FiveM - multiplayer on customized dedicated servers
Trailmakers
Defunct

Controversial Recommendations

NFS Undercover
- Play with the Roformed mod
SRS - Street Racing Syndicate

Top answer

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Your list is solid. Here are a few additions of my own: Midnight Club 2: arguably the most important and influential of the whole series. This game was old school hard, and it had a chaotic and dynamic feeling to the races with the AI taking different paths and with the frequent crashes against traffic that was so much better than anything that came before Fzero-X: a little miracle of a game that should always be played before GX. Technically it's a miracle game: a 60 fps game with 30 vehicles on track flowing with the tightest controls, all running on the N64 that was notorious for its games reaching 20fps on a good day. It is also introduced one of the best designed risk reward gameplay systems in any arcade racer (the boost feeding of your energy which makes the ship explode if depleted). This game tends to be overlooked nowadays because the analog steering was calibrated for the very specific range of the N64 controller, this means that people playing the game today via emulation will tend to face a game with way twitchier controls than the original had. It is worth it to invest time in configuring some sort of custom analog curve for your controller of choice so that you get smoother steering like the original N64 version offered. Split/Second: I never played it, but it's firmly on my list of arcade racers to play one day given how unique it seems to be. Crash Time Series: very niche arcade racing series that should be on the list just due to its uniqueness. Wave Race 64 and Wave Race Blue Storm: still the 2 best water based racing games ever made, so they should also be in. Mashed: Drive to Survive (or any other version): super underrated vehicular combat game. It's a micromachines clone with great weapons and physics based game play. It's an amazing rare good racing local multiplayer game, due to the shared screen nature of the gameplay. Flatout 1 and 2: These 2 games are a lot more important to play than Flatout Ultimate Carnage which is a sub par sequel. Race Driver GRID (2008, not the remakes): The game that introduced the flashback feature today common in so many games. Also the first arcade game to do convincing AI that makes mistakes. Also has one of the best cockpit views in an arcade racing game ever as well as an incentive to use it (it bumps up your earnings in career mode because it is considered added difficulty). Need For Speed - The Run: Not a fan favorite but arguably one of the most innovative and unique games in the franchise, must play if you ask me. Driver San Francisco: Must play for the car switching mechanic alone. Also a racing game with a story that doesn't suck? And great handling? Count me in. Road Redemption: Is maybe not a mustplay for everyone, but it is a hilarious clone of the classic "Road Rash". Just too many laughs per mile to skip over. Dirt 2: Deserves to be in there representing the criminally under developed offroad arcade racing genre.

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Im surprised you didn't include NFS2. NFS Porsche is also great - but not as arcadey. You could also add Distance here, it's basically trackmania where track has moving traps like lasers and you can fly for short amount of time (and rotate middle air freely). You can find it on steam.

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