A good racing game offers something that no other genre can match: a sense of true speed and the urgency of knowing that the tiniest twitch of your steering or a dab on the brake pedal could spell the difference between first and second place. This is something that can only experienced in a racing game.
As a result of the excellent backwards compatibility options offered by the Xbox Series X and S, users have access to a vast collection of racing games from which to choose. As a result, we have compiled a list of some of the very finest choices for you below. Check out our other lists for Xbox down below if you’re looking for a different kind of gaming experience.
Forza Horizon 5
The most popular racing game series on the Xbox is back, drift hunters and the Horizon festival that it brings to the table is as bit as enjoyable as anything else you could ask for. Mexico is the setting for this installment of the series, and although in previous games you had to work hard to get better vehicles, in Horizon 5 you’ll have them handed to you like candy.
It is so much fun to explore the open world in a high-powered jeep or a true supercar, and there are a ridiculous amount of races and activities to take part in. This is even before you go online, where there are lots of events to dig your teeth into.
Unbound to the Need for Speed
Need for Speed goes back to its origins as a street racing video game by providing an enormous number of car customization possibilities and a plethora of hard competitions to take part in. The risk and reward gameplay features that were successful in Heat have brought back, and they make for an exciting experience regardless of whether you’re fleeing from the police or attempting to sneak into a safehouse without being discovered. The racing in Unbound is delicious.
DIRT 5
If you are someone who enjoys driving their cars off the road and into various terrains, then the Dirt series has been an excellent option for a considerable number of years now and continues to be so. Its fifth incarnation looks amazing on Microsoft’s newest consoles, with stunning lighting and a wide choice of tunes to keep players entertained.
The game’s arcadey handling engine, though, is the actual star of the show. Its engine makes sliding about on dirt, gravel, and everything in between really entertaining, and the best courses transition between various surfaces on the fly while you race.
F1 2022
F1 2021 brings the action back to the track with an incredibly accurate simulation of what it would be like to really compete in a Formula One season. All of the drivers, teams, and cars recreated with a degree of authenticity that is quite astounding.
The sensation of speed you get when you toss one of these precision-engineered cars down a straight as you strive to grab the top position on a podium is very much unmatched by anything else, and the practice it takes to become truly excellent at handling one is its own reward.
Wreckfest
There once a golden period when all driving games featured fantastic damage engines that could correctly portray whatever bumps and wrecks the player involved in. Wreckfest is practically a complete game based on a genuinely excellent damage mechanic, which is now rare once more.
It gives you the ability to completely damage your cars, which are available in a wide variety of configurations, and as a result, its online races are some of the most outrageously chaotic and enjoyable entertainment you could ever have. It’s great to come out on top, but it’s also a lot of fun to wipe out the competition in a hail of sparks and wreckage.
WRC Generations
Last but not least, no collection of excellent racing video games can deemed comprehensive without at least one game that captures the excitement of rallying. Rallying is a type of competition that challenges vehicles to perform at their absolute best on courses that, if you driving a road car, would considered barely a track.
WRC Generations is the most recent installment in a long series that has steadily gained popularity, and there is nothing else on the market that can compare to it if you are looking for long stages that are full of intricate turns and formations that require you to keep your reactions at a high level at all times.
How to decide which racing game to buy for your Xbox Series X or S console
Choosing a racing game to play on your Xbox might be difficult, but answering a few fast questions will hopefully help you limit down your options.
Have you looked at the Game Pass?
Before you purchase a new Xbox game, you should check Xbox Game Pass to see whether it already includes the game as one of the free games available with a membership to the program. This applies to all Xbox game types. In that case, even though you won’t really purchase the game, you’ll be able to test it out for a lesser monthly fee, which will result in cost savings. It is a wonderful opportunity to test out a racer without having to commit to making a purchase.
Which areas of study interest you the most?
If you know you like off-roading or Formula 1 in particular, that should definitely help direct you toward the correct style of racing, but if you’re quite agnostic and simply want to run fast, then something more generalist like Forza Horizon 5 would be more ideal.
Do you want splitscreen?
We enjoy competing against friends in person, but if you’re the same as us, you might want to double check whether or not the feature supported in the game you choose to play before you make your final decision. Split-screen racing on the couch is something that is sadly not as common as it once was in racers.
