These 8 best PC racing games that we’ve got lined up here for you are all set and raring to go on your prepped up machines. Before we put pedal to the metal and get going with the list, we’d like to mention that we’ve chosen to select titles only from recent years, leaving out iconic ones such as Most Wanted and the Underground series, so as to grant you the latest high-speed action to be dived into using your ever so faithful computers.
So as we eagerly await F1 2012 and the Most Wanted reboot which are slated to roll out into retail soon, make sure to have a glimpse at this catalog and choose your picks to kill some time before they launch. Each of them contains wonderful offerings, and has something in it for every driving game fan. Here goes the list then (in no particular order).
1 – F1 2011
What better game to start off with than the latest in the series of Codemasters’ Formula One beauties. What makes this game special is that it covers all the little bits of high octane action that gives the sport of F1 racing its flavor.
Besides, it’s got officially licensed cars as well racers in its tow, so you can jump into the shoes of the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and more. And you’ll be able to race with them on a total of nineteen recreated circuits from all over the globe, including the new Buddh International Circuit from New Delhi, India.
2 – Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Any roster would be incomplete without a mention of this NFS title which came out in 2010. It renders some awe-inspiring visuals if your PCs are up to date enough. It comes with a campaign as well as online multiplayer content, making it utterly hard to get your minds off.
And moreover, this game marks contains the much loved Autolog feature which encourages competition among friends. The race times of your friends on Origin will be tracked and compared, infusing competition at every point in the game. The use of weapons and gadgets is another aspect which makes the title the absolute gem that it is.
3 – Blur
Bizarre Creations, the developer that gave us all those Project Gotham Racing titles back in the day, released its next racer called Blur in 2010, and gave a completely new experience when it came to frantic combat-based driving. One of its most prominent aspects is the ability it grants you to collect and use power-ups to gain advantage over your adversaries.
Think Re-Volt with real world cars and current-gen graphics; now that’s got you excited, hasn’t it? Whopping twenty-player races are supported by its online multiplayer, and you even can call three of your friends over to indulge in the game’s four-player splitscreen offerings.
4 – Race Driver: GRID
If you’re all for indulging in a variety of racing types, Race Driver: GRID is the title that lets you do so with great enjoyment. Muscle car racing, city racing, drift racing, traditional circuit racing and a lot more can be experienced in this game which grants you to access to tracks set in the US, Europe and Japan.
Its campaign has you starting from scratch and making your way to the top pedestal in the world of racing by creating your own teams, hiring co-drivers and attracting sponsors. Its damage modeling and physics are two elements that will constantly devour your attention.
5 – Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
The Burnout series was strictly a console experience before this title came along. The next entry to our compilation is a breakthrough game for the franchise, in terms of the awesome new elements introduced by it. The frenzied and chaotic high-speed action is still there, but this time around it’s complemented by a seamless open world. And that really is what makes Burnout Paradise the spectacular game that it is.
The famous Crash mode has retained itself in the form of the Showtime mode which asks you to crash, wreck, spin and scrape your cars for points. Purchasing the enhanced Ultimate Box version will grant you access to motorbikes and other additions.
6 – Pure
The off-road quad-bike trick-racing that Pure has on offer really is something that cannot be ignored. One of things that make it so attractive is its stellar and deep graphics. You grab you ATVs and race on off-road locations all over the world, performing insane stunts at great heights.
These vertigo-inducting jumps never fail to deliver the exhilaration that comes with such kind of races. Apart from a single-player campaign, it also comprises a multiplayer component.
7 – Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed
This recent NFS game treads on the realistic side when it comes to its core gameplay mechanics. With its authentically designed cars, brilliant crash physics and gorgeous environments, Shift 2 Unleashed proffers quite a hefty action package. It marks the introduction of the brand new helmet cam which gives you a true first-person account of its racing scenarios.
The neatly crafted element provides the game with a genuine feel, making it all the more engrossing. And the Autolog feature which we witnessed in NFS Hot Pursuit can also be spotted in this title from our catalog.
8 – DiRT Showdown
DiRT Showdown isn’t your usual DiRT game; it instead is kind of a spin-off to the classic series, delivering a more arcade-based experience with its obstacles, pinch points, multiple-routes and ramps that make for frantic scenarios.
Its graphics are marvelous to say the least. Its event can be indulged under all kinds of weather conditions that include rain, sun, fog as well as snow, and that too during daytime or under lights at night. Another sweet feature is its integrated Crashback camera which lets you capture your crashes, and upload them to YouTube directly.
Conclusion:
Those were all our picks for this roster of the best PC racing games. Some of them having been out here for quite some time, are being offered now for extremely inexpensive rates.