Latest News
2026 Honda Ridgeline Review
Looking for the next big racing game? Check out our picks for the best car racing games of 2023!
Racing Cars from Your Couch
I’m a big fan of racing, but NASCAR and F1 aren’t going on everyday throughout the week. To help fill this motorsports lull between real-life races, I’ll hop on my PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series S to enjoy some video game racing. Last year provided racing fans with titles like Gran Turismo 7, World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing, and Need for Speed Unbound. There were also plenty of updates to some of our favorite racing series like Forza Horizon 5’s DLC packs, Assetto Corsa’s numerous mods on PC, and iRacing’s continued additions. 2023 was a little lighter on car racing game releases, but we’ve brought together some of the best arcade style and simulation racers that are well worth the seat time this year. Here are our picks for the best car racing games of 2023!
Best Arcade Racing Games of 2023
Hot wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
Every car enthusiast started as a kid playing with Hot Wheels in their room. These tiny toy cars would speed along those bright orange tracks at high speeds and launch off ramps to kids’ delight. Well, Hot Wheels fans can bring their imaginary races from their childhood somewhat to life through the Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged video game. This sequel allows players to select from 130 iconic Hot Wheels cars and race them around different locations like a mini golf course, an arcade, a dinosaur museum, and even somebody’s backyard. It’s a great family racing experience and available for all major gaming consoles as well as PC.
LEGO 2K Drive
Another toy-based racer of note is LEGO 2K Drive. This racing video game introduces the LEGO world of Bricklandia and the Sky Cup Grand Prix. This brick based world allows you to drive LEGO-fied versions of the McLaren F1, McLaren Solus GT, Dom’s Dodge Charger R/T, and Brian’s Nissan Skyline GT-R. Being a LEGO game, players can also make their own cars brick-by-brick and share these designs with the community. Players have already created LEGO versions of the DeLorean DMC-12, Tesla Cybertruck, 1985 Audi Sport Quattro S1 rally car, ECTO-1, Mystery Machine, Batmobile, Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder, and so many more wild ideas. Get your hands on this LEGO racing adventure that’s available on all major platforms including PC.
The Crew Motorfest
The Crew Motorfest takes the festival formula that’s been popularized by the Forza Horizon series, but with its own unique spin. You’re racing all over the island of Oahu, Hawaii, which is a much smaller sized map than previous installments of The Crew series, but it makes for better scenery. The game offers a number of different car culture events as well as some automotive personalities like the Donut Media team, Supercar Blondie, and the HOONIGAN crew coming for season 2. Most importantly though, the game offers over 600 vehicles to choose from over 50 different manufacturers. That of course not only includes our favorite everyday cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford F-150 Raptor but also a number of motorcycles, boats, monster trucks, airplanes, demolition derby cars, rally cars, and Alpha GP racecars. Get The Crew Motorfest on PlayStation, Xbox, or PC this year.
Best Sim Racing Games of 2023
EA Sports WRC
I love a good rally racing sim but there’s been a bit of a break in the action since DiRT Rally 2.0. Luckily, EA Sports brought us the new WRC game that features 18 different locations and over 200 different rally stages to tackle. There are of course modern WRC cars like the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 HYBRID as well as some rallying icons like the Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, Lancia Delta, Ford Escort, and the classic Mini Cooper. There is also a Builder mode which allows you to craft your very own rally racing machine. Perhaps my favorite bit of EA Sports WRC though is the historical rally challenges that put you in the driver’s seat of WRC’s most memorable moments. Check out this rally racing game on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC.
F1 23
This year’s installment of F1 23 introduces the Braking Point 2 story mode, updated car liveries, updated F1 team rosters, and two new circuits. Speed around the Losail Circuit in Qatar and then speed down the Strip at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Whatever team you’re a fan of, you’ll want to hook up your racing wheel and hit the track against competitive AI or online opponents in this fast-paced F1 video game. Pick up F1 23 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC today!
Forza Motorsport
It’s been over six years since the release of Forza Motorsport 7, but the latest installment has finally come to Xbox and PC. Forza Motorsport introduces new physics, better AI opponents, graphical improvements, more tracks, and of course, an extensive and ever-growing list of cars to race. It’s such a great racing game that it beat all the other games on this list at the Game Awards 2023 and took home the award for Best Sports/Racing Game. Check out our full rundown of Forza Motorsport here before you buy, and I’ll see you at the virtual starting line.
