Top 10 Car Racing Simulator Games 

Dirt Rally 2.0

If you think you’ve got what it takes to be the next great rally racer, then Dirt Rally 2.0 is the game for you. But be warned – this game does not mess around! It’s all about intense, high-speed off-road racing on muddy, rocky tracks filled with tight turns and crazy jumps.

As you’re flying along the course, your co-driver will be rapidly firing instructions at you about what’s coming up next. Things like “Left 6 over crest into right 5” which means you need to make a sharp left turn, then go over a hill, and immediately make a tight right turn.

If you can’t keep up with the fast-paced directions or you take a turn too wide, you’ll go crashing into the trees, rocks, or other obstacles lining the track. In Dirt Rally 2.0, even the smallest mistake is punished severely!

When you first start playing Dirt Rally 2.0, you’re going to crash…a lot. Like, it will probably feel like you’re spending more time in the garage getting your car repaired than actually driving! But that’s all just part of the learning process in this ultra-realistic rally sim.

If you think you’ve got the nerves of steel and lightning-fast reflexes required to become a true master of Dirt Rally 2.0, then grab that steering wheel and get ready for one wild ride!

Forza Motorsport 

While Dirt Rally 2.0 focuses solely on the crazy world of rally racing, the Forza Motorsport series lets you experience pretty much every other type of racing out there. From sleek modern supercars tearing around road courses to rugged off-road trucks climbing over boulders, this game has it all.

One of the coolest things about Forza is the incredible amount of different vehicles you can drive – over 500 in total! You’ve got famous cars from manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Bugatti, and more. Whether you’re into high-tech hypercars, beefy American muscle cars, drifting tuners, or classic rides from the 1960s, there’s something here for everyone.

Not only do the cars look authentic right down to the smallest detail, but they also handle just like their real-world counterparts. The game’s developers work closely with automakers and professional drivers to make sure the physics and driving feel as realistic as possible.

With so many different cars, tracks, and gameplay modes to explore (not to mention new DLC content being released regularly), Forza Motorsport is a petrolhead’s dream come true!

Assetto Corsa 

When it comes to capturing the true feeling of being a professional-level racecar driver, Assetto Corsa is in a league of its own. This game is all about pure, uncompromising realism and it doesn’t hold anything back.

Assetto Corsa started off focusing mainly on GT3-class race cars before expanding to include other high-performance vehicles like hardcore track versions of cars. No matter what you’re driving though, the physics are always extremely accurate.

The driving experience in this game feels almost identical to the real thing, from the precise steering inputs required to hold the perfect racing line to managing every aspect of the car like the traction control, brake bias, and differential settings. Even small details like the way the tires gradually lose grip as they wear down throughout a race are recreated with amazing authenticity.

While the game does include a good variety of fictional circuits to race on, its real claim to fame is featuring immaculately recreated versions of legendary real-world tracks. 

iRacing 

Of all the driving simulator games out there, iRacing is widely considered to be the most authentic and realistic of them all.

The key thing that sets iRacing apart is its relentless attention to detail and incredible accuracy when it comes to replicating every aspect of being an actual racecar driver. All the cars have been precisely measured down to the millimeter and computer models with physics that behave identically to their physical counterparts on the track.

Not only that, but iRacing has an intense focus on re-creating the rules, regulations, procedures, and overall atmosphere of real professional motorsports as well. 

The level of seriousness and realism extends to the online multiplayer racing community too. To get an official racing license that lets you compete in iRacing’s biggest events and most prestigious series, you’ll first need to prove your skills by climbing through a series of lower-level license categories by consistently turning in clean, competitive performances.

However, all this best-in-class authenticity does come at a fairly hefty price. Unlike most racing games where you just buy everything upfront, iRacing operates on a subscription-based model where you pay an ongoing fee. And then on top of that base cost, you also need to purchase all the individual cars and track pieces you want to use from iRacing’s online store.

Still, for hardcore gearheads and racing fanatics who want as close to a genuine real-world experience as possible, iRacing is simply in a class of its own and well worth the investment.

Project Cars 2 

While not quite as hardcore as iRacing and Assetto Corsa, Project Cars 2 still aims to provide a highly authentic sim racing experience while being a little more accessible to beginners. It manages to strike a nice middle ground between realism and fun that makes it appealing to a fairly wide range of driving game fans.

One of the great things about Project Cars 2 is the sheer variety of different motorsports disciplines it covers. Throughout the game’s career mode, you’ll get to compete in all sorts of exciting events like GT endurance races, touring car battles, extreme off-road challenges, and much more.

The driving itself has a good sense of weight behind it and each car model behaves differently based on its powertrain, suspension geometry, aerodynamics, and so on. While not quite as hyper-realistic as something like Assetto Corsa, it still provides a very believable sense of connection between your controller inputs and the car’s movements on the track.

Best of all, Project Cars 2 manages to remain approachable for novice drivers thanks to features like driving lines, adjustable racing lines, and assisted braking. So if you’re just getting started with sim racers, this could be a good first step before graduating to the higher-end stuff.

Dirt 5 

On the opposite end of the realism spectrum from games like Dirt Rally 2.0, we have the delightfully over-the-top Dirt 5. While it still maintains a focus on off-road racing like its namesake, this game leans much more heavily into pure arcadey fun over technical accuracy.

Rather than a gritty, grueling depiction of professional rally racing, Dirt 5 has more of a playful, high-flying anything-goes vibe to its driving action. The sense of weight has been reduced, making it easier to pull off wild stunts like catching huge air over jumps or executing clutch powerslides around tight corners.

The different racing environments you’ll tear through are all bursting with color and creative flair too. In addition to the expected mix of muddy trails, desert dunes, and icy tundra environments, you’ll also get to shred it up in some wacky locations like repurposed industrial sites and raucous poverty carnival grounds.

One of the most memorable is Playgrounds, a game mode that lets you design and then drive on your impossible stunt courses filled with ramps to catch air off of and lines of objects to skillfully weave through. Between that and the Path Finder mode where you get to tear across branching off-road landscapes to blaze your trail to the finish, there’s always something new to keep you entertained.

With the casual-friendly driving physics and approachable pick-up-and-play mentality, Dirt 5 is an awesome choice if you just want to hop into the action and experience some bombastic, high-flying off-road thrills without things getting too hardcore.

Wreckfest

While most racing games are all about developing a keen sense of vehicle control to prevent crashing at all costs, Wreckfest turns that entire notion on its head. You see, in this demolition derby-inspired racer, not only is crashing heavily encouraged – it’s pretty much the whole point!

What makes the mayhem of Wreckfest so insanely entertaining is how the driving physics provides just the right balance between canyon control and a pleasingly unrealistic amount of destructible spectacle. The cars always feel nice and weighty while still being loose and lively enough to let you yank off huge powerslides and reckless bootleg turns.

At the same time, each vehicle’s individual chassis and body components undergo persistent, visible damage as you whale on them with hits. You’ll see bumpers dangling, doors getting smashed off, wheels getting knocked askew, and entire roof sections periodically getting sheered away in gloriously detailed slow motion.

Of course, Wreckfest wouldn’t be complete without a suitably unhinged array of vehicles to pilot and smash to pieces. In addition to the standard assortment of muscle cars, trucks, and souped-up pickup trucks you’d expect at a demolition derby, the game also includes some wonderfully silly rides. 

So if you’ve grown tired of the standard “don’t crash” rules of most racing games and want to finally unleash your inner-demolition demon, forget about setting blistering lap times and just go get Wreckfest.

Need for Speed No Limits 

While most of the driving sims we’ve covered so far have focused on replicating the feelings of professional-level circuit racing, Need for Speed No Limits takes things to the gritty urban streets for some authentic open-world street racing action.

In this game, you’ll take on the role of an up-and-coming racer looking to make a name for yourself in the seedy underground racing scene. That means tricking out your rides with aftermarket body kits, neon lights, and booming sound systems to build yourself some serious street cred.

Despite taking place in a large open world, the racing its elf in Need for Speed No Limits has more of an arcadey feel and forgiving physics that make pulling off wild drifts and chaining ludicrous mid-air stunts together is all part of the fun. It strikes a nice balance of letting you go full “Fast and Furious” while still requiring a degree of skill to reign things back in when the chaos gets out of control.

With slick graphics that make the neon-soaked urban setting look as atmospheric as it does detailed, a huge garage of real-world cars to build your dream street machine from and the constant hooks of chasing new speed records and beating fresh rivals, there are plenty of content to burn rubber with here.

And since it’s primarily focused on shorter-length races and events rather than marathon-length endurance tests, Need for Speed No Limits is perfect for picking up and playing in short bursts whenever you have a few minutes to kill. Just try to resist the urge to recreate any of the game’s insane driving antics on real-life public roads!

Horizon Chase Turbo 

While most of the titles we’ve looked at so far are all about pushing the boundaries of graphical detail and realism, Horizon Chase Turbo goes in the opposite direction with its charmingly retro low-poly visuals meant to evoke the classic 16-bit racing games of the early 90s.

Don’t let the simple looks fool you though, as Horizon Chase Turbo packs in plenty of depth and content for racing game fans who prefer their driving action to be more lightweight and arcade-focused. The gameplay itself is all about channeling the old-school spirit of games with its emphasis on going fast and chaining together combos to pull ahead of your opponents.

Despite its slick synth-wave ’90s aesthetic and raging rockin’ soundtrack, Horizon Chase Turbo is hardly a slave to retro nostalgia either. There are lots of great modern gameplay touches present like taking the action online for multiplayer races, generating random tracks on the fly based on modular pieces, or even designing your custom tracks in the track editor mode.

So whether you have a nostalgic fondness for the golden days of arcade racing or just find Horizon Chase Turbo’s high-octane stylized visuals to be a refreshingly vibrant change of pace from all the photorealism of most other racing titles, this one’s well worth taking for a spin.

F1 2023

Simply put, F1 2023 aims to provide the most immersive and authentic open-wheel racing experience possible for fans of the world’s premier motorsport.

From the stunningly realistic car models and physics to the broadcast-quality presentational elements, every aspect of F1 2023 has been meticulously crafted to capture the intense high-speed action and glamour of real-life Formula 1 Grand Prix racing.

As you progress through multiple seasons of blistering open-wheel action across all the official circuits and schedules of the real-life F1 calendar, you’ll need to carefully manage your driving skills, PR responsibilities, rival relationships, and all the other demands faced by a professional F1 athlete. Succeed and you could find yourself battling for race wins and World Championships against the game’s authentic lineups of real-world drivers and teams.

With its cutting-edge graphics and physics, robust driving assists to cater to all skill levels, and sheer wealth of game modes and content on offer, F1 2023 truly is the total package for anyone who loves sublime open-wheel racing action. It’s the perfect way to conclude our list of the best car driving simulator games!