What are the best racing games on Xbox? The racing game genre ranges from hyper-realistic simulators to more light-hearted racers with a bit more creative license. Some are excellent, some are just a false start, but only a few are considered must-plays – and these are the games that populate our list of the best Xbox racing games on offer right now.
In this best Xbox racing games guide, we were frankly spoiled for choice. Looking to travel across the globe in some of the most iconic cars? Try your hand at off-roading? Take on friends on two-wheels? Well, you’re in luck. Before we get into the best racing games though, if this list quenches your speedy thirst but you’re keen for more top titles to add to your library, check out our list of the best Xbox games regardless of genre.
Here are the best Xbox racing games:
- Forza Horizon 5
- Assetto Corsa Competizione
- art of rally
- Wreckfest
- F1 23
- WRC 10
- MotoGP 23
- DIRT 5
- Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered
- GRID
- The Crew 2
- The Crew Motorfest
- Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Turbocharged
- Forza Motorsport
- EA Sports WRC
- TrackMania
- Need for Speed Unbound
1. Forza Horizon 5
If open-world racing is what you’re after, nothing comes close to Forza Horizon 5.
An Xbox exclusive that plenty of PlayStation owners will wish they had, FH5 looks amazing, offers up exciting racing, and keeps you entertained for the long haul with weekly and seasonal content updates. Set in a reimaging of Mexico, the open-world mechanics, as always, show off the different terrains of the diverse country from the desert to farmlands, to volcanos all open for racing and exploration. You can even scour the map for Forza Horizon 5 Barn Finds – decaying, rusted old cars that you can restore and turn into some of the best cars in your collection.
You can read our glowing Forza Horizon 5 review here. Plus, now you can get both expansions for the game, offering up a Hot Wheels park to explore and a rally-themed adventure to work your way through. While you’ll have to pay for the expansions, the base game is also available as part of your Game Pass subscription!
2. Assetto Corsa Competizione
This racing sim is from Italian developer Kunos Simulazioni, and the title, quite literally translated to English is, Race Setup Competition… it sounds better in Italian. Assetto Corsa Competizione is one of the best sim racing titles around, aiming for realistic driving over all else.
Although it came out in 2018, there have been numerous content updates as well as some DLCs bringing the GT World Challenge to consoles. If you’re a hardcore racing fan, this one’s for you.
3. art of rally
A little something different next with art of rally from developer Funselektor Labs Inc., an aptly-named rally driving game that’s a lot of fun. Vibrant, colorful, and with a distinct style to them come art of rally’s racing tracks that span the globe.
With 72 stages spanning Finland to Japan, to Africa, there’s a lot to get revved up about with this entry. It’s beautiful to look at and it can test even the most expert drivers with a variety of skill levels to choose from.
4. Wreckfest
If you’re feeling a little pent up, Wreckfest is the chaotic, full-contact, crash-centric racing game of choice for you. With a bunch of challenge modes that will even get you behind the wheel of a school bus, Wreckfest has a lot to offer.
Customization in the game means you can build up a car ripe for taking on these extreme settings and if it’s not good enough, well, you’ll get obliterated in the process.
5. F1 23
F1 is an iconic racing franchise that continues to dominate the racing game genre. So, it’s no wonder that developer Codemasters is the driving force behind this franchise as it is the top gear team for racing games – which you’ll come to realize when you see some of its other games on our list.
F1 23 features two brand-new modes, visual enhancements along with the newer car models with updated physics, adaptive AI, and much, much more that puts this F1 sim racer out in front of the pack. What’s more, the new F1 World mode is the perfect replacement for F1 Life which fans found rather hollow in the previous game in the series.
It’s the most authentic F1 racing game to date, which you can read all about in our F1 23 review before diving in.
6. WRC 10
WRC 10, also known in a more long-winded way as WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship, is the tenth entry in the WRC game series which started back in 2001. And from five onwards, French developer Kylotonn took the baton from Milestone.
This edition celebrates the sport’s 50th anniversary, and with that celebration comes a whole fleet of legendary cars spanning its history. With a generous career mode and a range of solo and multiplayer options, there’s a lot to get excited about.
7. MotoGP 23
It’s about time we raced it out on two wheels and added motorbikes to our list, and what better way to do that than by including MotoGP 23? Based on the FIM MotoGP World Championship, MotoGP 23 is a franchise still under the Milestone developer hat.
This racing sim coins itself the “most realistic and immersive” MotoGP videogame ever, and you’d hope so too with all the possibilities now available with the current-gen Xbox consoles. Alongside some extraordinary racing, there’s also a lot of customization with five graphic editors making it possible to switch up a whole host of things from your helmet to your suit, to your racing number.
8. DIRT 5
Codemasters is back again. The racing developer is also the mastermind behind DiRT 5, which is all about off-road racing and its tracks span the entire globe. With ten locations such as New York, Nepal, Brazil, and South Africa, there are multiple different circuits and routes in each.
Racers can get into the thick of it in a range of diverse terrains, try out the career mode (solo, or co-op), and even make their own course in creator mode, Playgrounds.
9. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered
A timeless classic from the Need for Speed franchise is remastered as Hot Pursuit raced onto Xbox in 2021. It comes complete with all the original content, as well as enhanced visuals and a multitude of quality-of-life updates that bring this game into the modern age of console gaming.
It’s another great choice on our list for anyone looking for something fun and exhilarating. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s packed full of exotic cars to race with such as the Aston Martin V12 Vantage and a range of Lamborghini Gallardos.
10. GRID
Our next entry from Codemasters is GRID, an arcade racer packed with intense racing experiences. It’s also another classic series but oddly follows after GRID 2. It offers a load of different races, in different locations with plenty of incredible cars to enjoy them in. What more could you want from a racing game?
The locations are bespoke, boasting fictional tracks in Sepang, Sydney, and San Francisco. Throughout GRID’s career mode, you can rise through the ranks of the motorsport world.
11. The Crew 2
Another open-world option on our list is The Crew 2 from developers Ivory Tower and Ubisoft Milan, and this time it’s set across the United States. This casual arcade racer doesn’t just pack cars and bikes though, as in The Crew 2 you can also reach exhilarating speeds in boats and planes taking on ground, sea, and sky.
And, while you travel from coast to coast, switching modes of transport with just the press of a button means you can chop and change how you fancy traveling in a wonderful, seamless fashion.
12. The Crew Motorfest
Following on from The Crew 2 is a tall task, but The Crew Motorfest delivers everything that a fan of Ubisoft’s racing series may want. Instead of being stuck with the United States, this next entry takes you to the Hawaiian island of O’ahu to explore the beauties of the tropical destination. Okay, we know it’s still technically the USA, but it’s different enough.
Similar to the previous game, The Crew Motorfest vehicles list lets you take to the skies in a variety of planes or cruise past O’ahu’s many beaches in a boat. You also have plenty of events to take part in, ranging from solo outings to multiplayer races.
The Loadout’s own Echo Apsey said in their 8/10 The Crew Motorfest review that it is “an enjoyable racer that shows more developers can tackle the open-world arcade racer genre”, so what are you waiting for?
13. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Next up, we’ve got a classic that has been remastered from the world of Crash Bandicoot. This kart racing classic originally came out on the PlayStation in 1999, but racers everywhere can now enjoy Crash Team Racing on a whole new level with added online multiplayer.
As developer Beenox says, it’s time to go “fur-throttle” with this one and enjoy crazy games with friends.
As the ever-popular Mario Kart series is tied down to Nintendo’s consoles, Crash Team Racing is an excellent substitute for those with an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S.
14. Hot Wheels Unleashed
Hot Wheels may be micro machines, but Hot Wheels Unleashed makes for a big arcade racing experience that’s hugely enjoyable for the whole family.
Whether you’re doing a loop-the-loop on one of the 40+ base courses, or are being thrown through a loop in one of the multitudes of community-built tracks, there are hours of content to zoom through behind the wheel of some of the franchise’s most iconic cars.
15. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Turbocharged
Milestone’s back again and has managed to produce an even better Hot Wheels racing experience than its first outing. While many may turn their nose up at the miniature racer in favor of Forza Horizon 5’s own Hot Wheels expansion, there’s easily space for both in your games library – especially if you pick Forza up on Game Pass.
Boasting over 130 cars to race on day one, a wonderfully deep track creation system, and tons of customization, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 makes for a huge experience in a pint-sized package.
As we note in our Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 review, it “is a gorgeous arcade racer all about fun that smartly expands on the best elements of its predecessor, instead of throwing a wrench in the works.” Needless to say, you’ll be remiss to miss out.
16. Forza Motorsport
The latest and greatest entry in the long-running series, Forza Motorsport reboots the racing sim series by resetting the naming convention used over the past two decades – and what a reintroduction it is.
Sporting the most cars and tracks we’ve ever seen in a Forza Motorsport game, there’s plenty of variety in this racer. Turn 10 Studios has managed to provide an experience that newcomers and seasoned veterans alike can enjoy. While the Motorsport games are more about hard, realistic racing compared to the more casual racing in the Horizon series, this is one of the most approachable racing games out there thanks to its bounty of assists and settings. Those with lots of experience behind the virtual wheel will be challenged, while beginners can jump in with no problem.
Like Forza Horizon 5, Forza Motorsport is also available on Xbox Game Pass.
17. EA Sports WRC
The World Rally Championship (WRC) series is one of the longest-running in modern gaming. With development duty having changed hands multiple times over the past 20 years, the rights eventually fell into the lap of Codemasters – now owned by EA.
Having already helmed the DiRT series, EA Sports WRC is infused with all of Codemasters’ rally learnings. As such, it’s unsurprising that, when combined with the WRC license, EA Sports WRC is currently sitting pretty with a ‘Generally Favorable’ score on Metacritic.
If you’re looking for a fresh rally experience, you won’t quite get it from EA Sports WRC if you’re already well-acquainted with the DiRT series. But with plenty of iterative improvements from Codemasters’ previous games packaged in, it’s probably the best rally racer on the market.
18. TrackMania (2020)
The latest installment in the series, and a free-to-play game, TrackMania is a reboot and delivers an exceptional racing game where you’ll have to beat each track in the best times possible. It also features plenty of incredible stunts that are adrenaline-inducing and work as great clips to share on your social media.
There’s a bunch of additional content, some of which is paid for, including a track editor if you want to create your own racing experiences. But, if you don’t want to part with your hard-earned money on a racing game, TrackMania delivers an incredibly fun time without having to open your wallet.
19. Need for Speed Unbound
Recent Need for Speed games have been rather hit or miss but Unbound revived the street racing formula that made titles like Underground and Most Wanted as beloved as they are.
Need for Speed Unbound helps deliver everything a racing game fan could want, with a unique new art style that strangely compliments the world of street racing. And, with Unbound being current-gen focused, its stunning visuals are definitely worth the playthrough, especially if you’re a fan of the more tight-knit chaos of street racing.
You can read our Need for Speed Unbound review here to learn more.
So there you have it, our picks for the best Xbox racing games. If it’s relaxed, open-world racing you’re after, or hyper-realistic sim racing, there’s something here for all of you petrolheads to apply your best Xbox steering wheel to.
If there’s nothing here that takes your fancy, then be sure to browse through the new Xbox games to see what’ll be hitting the shelves soon. See you on the track.
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