The Best Racing Games for Every Type of Enthusiast!

Hey again! This is once again another follow up on a previous article I wrote about sim racing setups for every budget. If you haven’t read it yet, I’d strongly advise you go read it before reading this, but if you’re just curious or wanting to find a new racing game you’re in the right place too. 

Now that you have a shiny new setup, what games should you play on it? Well, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite games for 3 different categories, Casual/Arcade Racers, Simcades and finally Full Simulators. These are how sim racers usually categorize different racing games so I’m just using the same terminology for simplicity sake and easier understanding. So without further ado, let’s start off with:


Casual/Arcade Racers: E for Everyone

Arcade Racers are racing games that prioritise fun and accessibility rather than realism. They’re usually really easy to play and understand, along with having exaggerated physics and over the top mechanics like nitrous or EMP shots. These are the games that most people play with controllers, so you don’t need a setup if you’re planning to exclusively play arcade racers (If you want to I won’t stop you though!)

Need For Speed Heat

This game will always have a spot in my heart, as it’s the game that reignited my passion for everything about cars. Everybody knows the Need For Speed (NFS) series and it needs no introduction, however most people are quick to disregard the series due to the reputation of modern NFS games feeling half baked. While it is true for some games like Payback and NFS 2015, Heat is probably one of the best NFS in recent memory.

It has 127 different cars to choose from, all the way from classics to modern hypercars. The customization options are almost endless on most of the cars. Physics is fun and you can feel the heft of the car when you throw the car around corners. The sense of speed is captured really well from the chase cameras, especially when using nitrous.

I really liked the Day Night Cycle, where in the day, you collect cash through legal races to buy cars and new parts. At night however, you collect reputation points to unlock cars and parts. Speaking of the night cycle, the cops in this game are absolutely ruthless even on medium difficulty (Skill issue I know). Even after finishing the game, there’s even a mod called Unite Heat, where it implements new physics and even more cars. If you like street racing games like Wangan Midnight, this is probably a go-to for you.


Forza Horizon 4

Now before you strangle me, the Forza Horizon series has always felt more 'arcadey' than simulation for me. The handling and physics just don’t feel realistic enough for it to be a simcade, but I digress. The Forza games have always been known to have the prettiest graphics in any racing game on the market, but I personally think Horizon 4 nails its aesthetic.



The game is based off Britain so it has season cycles throughout the gameplay. I’m a sucker for European landscapes so I love this little mechanic, winter especially feels cozy with some lo-fi beats. 

The physics and handling are more realistic than NFS Heat but it’s not enough compared to other simcade games, though you still need to follow brake markers and drive smoothly. It has a huge list of cars to choose from and has a ton of customization options for your dream build. Like NFS Heat, there isn’t really a story but you do feel a sense of progression from it. The game is mostly targeted towards controller players but a wheel also provides some good fun. Overall, one of the best modern open world racing games I’ve played.

Simcades: The In-Betweeners.

Simcades are the middle ground between arcades and full on simulators. They have a lot more realistic physics, handling, tyre and even damage models, but will still have some arcadey aspects to them. They’re still mostly played by controllers but I’d recommend an actual wheel and pedal setup for these if you want to squeeze every drop of fun out of these games.

Project Cars

Project Cars is probably one of the best simcades out there, most people would consider this a full on simulator with the amount of settings and having a realistic tyre model. But the physics still feels slightly arcadey compared to the full simulators that we’ll be talking about later. 

My favorite aspect is the handling in this game. I could feel the wheel slowly feel heavier in the hand when turning, understeer and oversteer feel more natural and the weight transfer feels pretty close to real life. However, correcting a spin feels almost impossible in this game, most of these spins are easy saves too so look out for that. The selection of cars and tracks aren’t that large but it’s good enough for a fun session. 





The graphics are extremely pretty to look at even in the cockpit. Speaking of the cockpit, the interior view is really detailed, with elements like sunbeams, rain and dust looking really realistic through the windshield. It’s quite an old game though, so online play may not be an option, meaning you’ll be stuck with an AI that drives like me when I first got my drivers license, bad.

Dirt Rally 2.0

I originally wanted to include WRC 24 but I felt like this game would be a better choice. Dirt Rally 2.0 is often described as the second hardest rally game to ever exist, the first being Richard Burns Rally. But don’t be put off by that title, once you get the hang of this game’s handling and physics, you’ll love this game to bits. That satisfaction you feel when you first finish a stage without damage is just unbeatable. 

The physics are realistic but its tarmac driving feels floaty and unusual, gravel and dirt are perfectly fine though. Damage in this game is quite lenient but if you turn on hardcore mode, a slight bump on the walls could make you retire from the rally, but if in doubt, go flat out right? 

There’s no modern rally cars like the hybrid Rally1 cars but you have tons of rally legends like the Impreza WRX, Lancer Evo and Audi Quattro. Tracks are plentiful, some even taking around 10 minutes to finish. The online experience is also really good, with daily, weekly and monthly rally stage leaderboards. You could even start your own championship with your friends if you want to. The game is constantly on sale on Steam for cheap so cop it as soon as you see it!

Full-On Simulators: The Real Deal

Full-On Simulators are quite self-explantory, they’re games that try to simulate reality as close as possible. From aerodynamics, tyre wear, road texture, weight transfer and everything else, this is close as you’ll get to driving a real car at those speeds. I’d highly recommend a force feedback wheel for these games as it’s how the games translate important information and details to your hand. Controllers work somewhat but it’s generally better to get a wheel. (If you don’t have the budget this is perfectly fine!)

Assetto Corsa

This game is essentially the Minecraft of racing simulators for the amount of things this game allows you to do. Assetto Corsa by itself comes with decent tracks and a good amount of cars, however the modding scene is where this game gets its reputation. By downloading an extension called Content Manager and a few graphics filters, this game goes from an outdated simulator, to one of the best ones on the market. 

There’s almost an infinite amount of mods that can be downloaded and installed into the game. From tracks, cars, widgets, track tools, graphics filters and even weather options. This game can be modded into anything you want it to be.I haven’t even mentioned the online play, which this game has a large community running. 

There are many different servers that you can join from drifting, touge, time attack etc. However, do note that you have to download the server’s specific car and track in order to actually join it. As much as I adore this game, I have to admit it’s not really a beginner friendly game. Setting up the game can take hours and the learning curve can be steep, but once you get past those barriers, the possibilities are endless. 

What’s even better is that this can almost run on any PC, be it potato or NASA level, it’ll run. Like DR 2.0, this is also constantly discounted on Steam for just a few ringgits sometimes, so it’s an incredibly hard deal to beat.

rFactor 2

If you’re looking for another game that isn't named Assetto Corsa, this is a close second. Although this game is a decade old, many improvements have been made such as graphics, tyre models and server upgrades. 

However, their recent addition of a ranked mode has been a game changer, quite literally. Now players can just join a lobby in ranked mode and race against people of similar skill levels, which is a really great alternative to the subscription model that iRacing has. 

Don’t worry about not having the specific cars to race on, the base game already has a good selection of tracks and cars and it’s more than sufficient for ranked. If you want to race in a specific series, the cars and tracks are inexpensive compared to iRacing and often go on sale. The online experience is much better than before, and there are much more players queuing for races now. The driving feels similar to AC, but I did notice that the force feedback and road detail feels more natural in this game, but they’re both good. If you’re debating between the two, I’d say that rFactor 2 is the way to go if you’re all about that realism, whereas Assetto Corsa is better for road cars and variety. 

There we have it! Those are all the games that I’ve personally played and I’d recommend to anyone just starting out or are curious of which one to play next. One tip I’ll always give beginners is to not feel pressured by people online to play the most realistic racing games. Don’t get me wrong, realism is great because it teaches you how to drive and race against others, but sometimes I just want to play games that don’t require so much input. Fun is the most important aspect when it comes to playing racing games and you should ignore anyone who says otherwise.  Go at your own pace, and happy racing!


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