Physics
Can you feel the car's weight, how does it react to bumps and kerbs, how do the tyres behave at the limit? This decides whether driving will still be interesting a month from now.
Reviews
Reviews
A racing game review is useful when the author explains how the car behaves on track and who the game is for. We don't give scores; instead, we show which aspects of a game to look at so you can reach your own conclusion.
One racer wants a predictable arcade game for the evening, another a simulator for years. A useful review tells you who a game is for, not how good it is in general.
How this section works: we don't give scores, compile rankings or compare specific games. Instead, you'll find the criteria that will help you decide for yourself whether a racing game suits you.
What to look for in a racing game
Six aspects of a game that shape your impression of racing the most.
Gamepad handling
How smoothly the car responds to the sticks and triggers, and whether you can adjust deadzones and sensitivity. For many players this is the main criterion.
Wheel support
Which devices the game recognises, how detailed the force feedback and steering rotation settings are, and how easy it is to map buttons.
AI opponents
Do they defend, leave room, make human-like mistakes? Passive AI makes a career boring; overly aggressive AI makes it infuriating.
Online
How matchmaking works, whether there's a safety rating and penalties for rough driving, and how stable the connection is.
Accessibility
Assists, racing line guides, colour and audio settings, rewinding a mistake. All of this opens the game up to beginners and to people with different abilities.
Arcade or simulation
| Criterion | Arcade | Simulation |
|---|---|---|
| Barrier to entry | Drive straight away | Takes hours of practice |
| Controls | Comfortable on a gamepad | Shines with a wheel and pedals |
| Physics | Simplified, forgives mistakes | Detailed, punishes inaccuracy |
| Car setup | Minimal or none | Extensive and affects results |
| Session length | Short races | Long races and practice sessions |
| Online | Casual lobbies | Races with ratings and rules |
How to read other people's reviews
First find out what the author played on: a gamepad and a wheel give completely different impressions. A complaint about "wooden" handling may apply to only one of them.
Note how much time the author spent with the game and whether they tried online play. The first hours in a simulator are almost always tough, and the weak spots of the online side don't show right away.
Separate facts from taste. "No deadzone settings" is a fact that's easy to check. "Boring tracks" is an opinion you may not share.
Related sections
- Games
Types of racing games, from arcade to simulation, and how to match a genre to your controls and free time.
- Mechanics
Racing line, braking points, weight transfer, understeer and oversteer, tyres and step-by-step car setup.
- Guides
Step-by-step guides: wheel calibration, career mode, qualifying, wet tracks, crash-free online races. Plus our article catalogue.
- Glossary
A racer's dictionary: track and driving, car and setup, game and online.
What we rely on
- User manuals and developer help pages for racing games
- Motorsport driving school training materials on driving technique
We describe the general principles of racing games. Menus, modes and online racing rules in a particular game may differ and change with updates — check the developer's help pages.