Top Racing Games of All Time

Is there anything more satisfying than swinging the backend of a Lamborghini around a sweeping bend, putting your foot to the floor and racing past the rest of the pack with driving music pumping through the radio? Probably not. But which games do it best?

While it may have given way to the console scene in recent years, PC was once the home of racing games. Before your Gran Turismos and your Forza Motorsports started leading the way on console, it was the PC that was the go-to device for many budding petrolheads, with Geoff Crammond's F1 sims fondly remembered by some as the leaders of the pack.

And there have been loads of great racers in the years since, too, with Codemasters and Criterion creating some excellent arcade racers with DiRT and Need For Speed, and the simulation scene continuing in the shape of GTR and Assetto Corsa. Here's the top 30 racing games of all-time.

30. F1 2014
F1 2014 contains the same fun and exciting racing as the rest of the series, but sadly also contains the same UI, cutscenes and animations, too, while lacking the Classic Content of 2013.

Platform: PC
Rating: TBA

29. F1 2015
Codemasters continues to juxtapose thrilling driving with a distinct lack of ways to race with a disappointing new-gen debut for Formula One.

Platform: PC
Rating: TBA

28. Evolution GT
By no means perfect, but the handling and wet weather racing really makes Evolution GT stand out from the crowd.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-2
Rating: TBA

27. Need For Speed Carbon
Regardless of that feeling of déjà vu, Carbon is another solid racer from EA, and the Auto-Sculpt feature is absolutely fantastic.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-8
Rating: PEGI 12+

26. Test Drive Unlimited 2
At times it seems as though Eden tried to make the experience tedious, but it's possible to get hooked exploring the expansive island locations.

Platform: PC
Rating: PEGI 12+

25. DiRT Showdown
There's a scrappy little multiplayer brawler to be had with DiRT Showdown

Platform: PC
Rating: PEGI 7+

24. F1 Race Stars
There's just enough style in F1 Race Stars to make it stand on its own.

Platform: PC
Rating: TBA

23. GRID Autosport
Autosport feels like a game made purely for the GRID fanbase. A great variety of racing disciplines and true wheel-to-wheel action, Autosport does a good job of returning the series to form.

Platform: PC
Rating: PEGI 3+

22. Trials Fusion: Awesome Level Max
Awesome Level Max includes some excellent action that is worth the price tag if you're itching for some more Trials Fusion, but sadly the Awesome Adventure isn't nearly as expansive or interesting.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-4
Rating: TBA

21. Need for Speed Most Wanted
Need For Speed: Most Wanted is not only the best Need For Speed title in some time, but also one of the best racers period.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-4
Rating: PEGI 3+

20. FlatOut 2
Pure arcade-style thrills and spills, excellent mini-games, and extended fun thanks to online play. FlatOut 2 is a hugely entertaining racing title.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-8
Rating: PEGI 12+

19. TrackMania United
Ultimately, United falls just short of brilliance, but fans will appreciate the strong community integration.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1 + Online
Rating: PEGI 3+

18. Test Drive Unlimited
Test Drive Unlimited is simply wonderful. It's a breath of fresh air to the racing genre and features some of the best online integration to date.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1 + Online
Rating: PEGI 3+

17. Colin McRae: DIRT
Poor performance on practically every PC available and a lacklustre online multiplayer mode prevent this from being a classic, but Dirt is still one of the premier racing titles of 2007.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1 + Online
Rating: PEGI 12+

16. FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage
It's bound to get old eventually, but FlatOut fans looking for more of the same but with stunning next-gen visuals will find exactly that.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-8
Rating: PEGI 12+

15. GTR Evolution
GTR Evolution is definitely an evolution of the series, as opposed to a revolution, and while the game is in need of a graphical overhaul, the rest of the game is all you could ask from a racing sim.

Platform: PC
Rating: TBA

14. Need for Speed Shift
Need For Speed: Shift is a brilliant new start for the franchise and has clearly been built by a team that loves racing. Shift comes highly recommended to all racing game fans.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-8
Rating: PEGI 3+

13. Driver: San Francisco
Driver San Francisco could have been a one-trick pony but it has managed to use that trick in a variety of clever and interesting ways, ensuring the driving gameplay never becomes tiresome or generic.

Platform: PC
Rating: TBA

12. F1 2012
The subtle improvements are almost invisible to an untrained eye, but F1 nuts will find immeasurable satisfaction in taming and tuning this year’s cars to performance perfection.

Platform: PC
Rating: TBA

11. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed mixes some wonderfully loving nostalgia and ambitious design to create a credible Mario Kart alternative.

Platform: PC
Rating: TBA

10. GRID 2
Another quality racing game from Codemasters.

Platform: PC
Rating: PEGI 7+

9. F1 2013
An accomplished racer, but one that needs some competition to really move forward.

Platform: PC
Rating: TBA

8. ToCA Race Driver 3
If you're a racing fan ToCA Race Driver 3 is a no brainer. It's got game modes and racing disciplines bursting from every polygonal seam and it's smart enough to cater for beginners and novices alike.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-12
Rating: PEGI 12+

7. GTR 2
With fabulous visuals, solid sound, and physics that would make Stephen Hawking jealous, GTR 2 is easily the finest racing simulation available for the PC.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1 + Online
Rating: PEGI 3+

6. Race Driver: GRID
With a new found freedom to take risks GRID sits up there with the mighty Project Gotham Racing 4 as a leader in the arcade-style racing genre.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-12
Rating: PEGI 7+

5. Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
For true next-gen arcade racing thrills Burnout Paradise is most definitely your best option.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-8
Rating: PEGI 3+

4. Blur
Blur is a modern take on the Mario Kart formula, done in a way that feels incredibly cool and refreshing.

Platform: PC
No. Players: 1-20
Rating: PEGI 7+

3. F1 2010
F1 2010
F1 2010 is one of the most comprehensive and complete Formula 1 offerings to date, and has everything we’ve come to expect from the genre over the years.

Platform: PC
Rating: PEGI 3+

2nd Shift 2: Unleashed
If you're a serious fan of the genre, know that Shift 2 does several things better than anything else on the market right now, which makes it an essential purchase.

Platform: PC
Rating: PEGI 3+

1. Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2012)
Need for Speed: Most Wanted's greatest achievement is how it sets such a firm focus on racing. Criterion set out to make an open-world arcade racer where competition is king, and succeeded.

Platform: PC
Rating: PEGI 7+