Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic racing simulations and more fantastical arcade-style racing games. Kart racing games emerged in the 1990s as a popular sub-genre of the latter. Racing games may also fall under the category of sports video games.
Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings. To be competitive in sim racing, a driver must understand all aspects of car handling that make real-world racing so difficult, such as threshold braking, how to maintain control of a car as the tires lose traction, and how properly to enter and exit a turn without sacrificing speed. It is this level of difficulty that distinguishes sim racing from arcade racing-style driving games where real-world variables are taken out of the equation and the principal objective is to create a sense of speed as opposed to a sense of realism.
Grand Prix 2, released in North America as "Grand Prix II", is a racing simulator released by MicroProse in 1996. It is a sequel to Formula One Grand Prix. It was made under an official FIA license that featured the Formula One 1994 season, with all of the circuits, teams, drivers and cars. The cars were painted with liveries reflecting the races that did not allow tobacco and alcohol sponsors.
The Lotus 79 is a Formula One car designed in late 1977 by Colin Chapman, Geoff Aldridge, Martin Ogilvie, Tony Rudd, Tony Southgate and Peter Wright of Lotus. The Lotus 79 was the first F1 car to take full advantage of ground effects aerodynamics.
Satoru Nakajima F-1 Hero is a video game developed by Human Entertainment released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. It starred American IndyCar driver Michael Andretti, and featured the full sixteen-race schedule of the FIA Formula One World Championship circuit.
Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving, released as Redline F-1 Racer in North America, is a Formula One racing simulator game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy. The game is named after and sponsored by the Japanese Formula 1 driver, Aguri Suzuki; his likeness and imagery were retained in the North American version despite the name change.
Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is a racing game developed by Eutechnyx and published by System 3, based on the Ferrari Challenge, a single-marque motorsport championship. It is available on Nintendo and Sony platforms in the Western world, and is exclusively available for download on the PlayStation 3 in Korea. The game features 14 playable tracks and Ferrari's own Fiorano test track, a vinyl editor and online play for all versions except the PS2. The Nintendo DS version features wireless multiplayer and the Wii version utilizes Wii Remote steering and support for the Wii Wheel. The game primarily features the driving and racing of the Ferrari F430 Challenge, along with a series of Ferrari road and racing cars that can be unlocked.
Formula One: Built to Win is a 1990 racing video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Winky Soft and published by SETA Corporation.
F1 2009 is a video game based on the 2009 season of the Formula One motor racing series. It was released on the Wii and PlayStation Portable in 2009 on 16 November in North America, 19 November in the PAL region and 20 November in the United Kingdom. The game was also released on iOS on 14 December for £6.99. The PlayStation Portable version was also available as a download from the PlayStation Store from 16 November.
Need for Speed: Shift is the thirteenth installment of the racing video game franchise Need for Speed. It was developed by Slightly Mad Studios in conjunction with EA Bright Light and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows Mobile, MeeGo and J2ME in 2009.
Split/Second is an racing video game developed by Black Rock Studio and published by Disney Interactive Studios for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Announced on 11 March 2009, the game was released on 18 May 2010 and was later released for OnLive in June 2011. In the game, players take part in a fictional reality television show, consisting of a variety of events, each focusing on destructible environments triggered remotely by driver actions known as "power plays".
F1 2010 is a video game based on the 2010 season of the Formula One world championship. The game was released in September 2010 on the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms, becoming the first F1 game released on the Xbox 360. It has sold 2.3 million units worldwide. The game engine is based on the new EGO 1.5 engine, an unofficially titled evolution of the EGO 1.0 engine that was created specially for the title.
Live for Speed (LFS) is a racing simulator developed by a three-person team comprising Scawen Roberts, Eric Bailey, and Victor van Vlaardingen. The main focus is to provide a realistic racing experience for the online multiplayer game and to allow single player races against AI cars. Users can set personal bests which can then be uploaded to LFSWorld in hotlap mode, and take driving lessons in 'training' mode.
The Ferrari F10 is a Formula One motor racing car used by Ferrari to compete in the 2010 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Aldo Costa, Nikolas Tombazis and Marco de Luca with Luca Marmorini leading the engine and electronics design.
Shift 2: Unleashed is a simcade racing video game, the seventeenth installment of the Need for Speed series. It was developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Electronic Arts. The game serves as a direct sequel to Need for Speed: Shift and expands on many aspects that were introduced in the original. Shift 2: Unleashed was released worldwide during March and April 2011.
F-1 Spirit is a series of Formula One-based racing video games developed and published by Konami starting on the MSX in 1987.
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends is a racing video game developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Rombax Games under license from Atari for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game is a departure from the semi-simulation open world sandbox-gaming style seen on Test Drive Unlimited and its sequel, and returns to closed circuit racing that was last used in Test Drive 6, and also resembling another racer called Le Mans 24 Hours, which was branded as a Test Drive title in the United States on some platforms.
Assetto Corsa is a sim racing video game developed by the Italian video game developer Kunos Simulazioni. It is designed with an emphasis on a realistic racing experience with support for extensive customization and moddability. The game was first released through the Steam Early Access program on 8 November 2013, and officially left Early Access as final release version on 19 December 2014.
Grid Autosport is a racing video game developed by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Linux, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch and Android. It is the third game in the Grid series. It aims to move the series back towards "more authentic racing games" following the release of Grid 2, which Codemasters felt was not as well-received by the company's core fanbase as it was hoped for. The developers consequently introduced major modifications to the handling model and built a lean, race-first oriented design for this title.
RaceRoom Racing Experience is a free-to-play racing simulator for Microsoft Windows, developed by Sector3 Studios, and published by RaceRoom Entertainment AG. Their aim is to provide an authentic racing experience through detailed car and track models as well as realistic car behaviour and sounds. The game provides a selection of free-to-play race cars and tracks to drive in multiplayer and single player games modes. Sponsored competitions and other free-to-play events allow users to use premium game content at no cost.
