Whether in real life or a video game, driving your car can be a satisfying experience. While video games like Need for Speed are known for high-stakes racing, there are times when you simply prefer a game that allows you to ride for miles at a decent speed.
Many video games are designed to help you unwind after a stressful day at work, and it’s only natural to want to know the ones where traveling long distances is highly relaxing. These games promise many hours of easy-going driving, regardless of your skill level.
Very few driving games deliver the same satisfaction as SnowRunner, an off-road sim with realistic physics and a variety of vehicles to use. Featured among thebest games where you manage a business, you earn money and expand your operations by completing tasks ranging from hauling logs across a muddy road to helping with a town’s construction efforts.
With unique locations such as Michigan in North America and the Kola Peninsula in Russia, SnowRunner will hardly feel boring, even after hours of gameplay. Whether you’re navigating a snow-filled road or one submerged by a river, playing this game will have a calming effect on you, especially after a tiresome day at the office.
The PS4 exclusive Driveclub may no longer have active online servers, but there are so many enjoyable things to do in offline mode. Whether you opt for Tour or Single Event modes, you may pick a car from several available models and cruise down the track of your choice.
You’re also free to set your preferred weather conditions before starting a race. Driveclub doesn’t have a steep learning curve, so if you’re familiar withracing games, then taking a Ferrari for a ride on a sunny day or at night should provide entertainment for long periods.
If you fancy a driving game that allows you to load a ton of mods, then BeamNG Drive is an excellent choice. The game offers several gorgeous terrains to drive through, such as tropical jungles and arid lands. This is the sort of game to get lost in as you drive across scenic routes.
BeamNG Drive offers boundless vehicle customization options if you’d like to tweak your ride before going for a drive. The game also stands out for its soft-body physics, as your car, upon crashing into obstacles or other vehicles, can become instantly wrecked. While ramming your car into an object may not be everybody’s favorite pastime, it’s fun to try out different vehicles.
Released in 2011, Test Drive Unlimited 2 may feel dated when compared with more recent racing games like Forza Horizon 5, but it remains a thrilling way to spend the weekend or a holiday. You get to ride along off-road and asphalt roads on two different islands (Ibiza and Oahu) with a total of 60 levels and diverse missions to keep you occupied.
Whether you choose to race on Ibiza or Oahu, rest assured that both islands have night-day cycles which further enrich the game’s realism. Storms occasionally occur, and the sudden lightning flashes across the sky are always fun to stare at.
Rally games may not exactly be as popular as other niches in the racing game genre, but Art of Rally may win over a sizable portion of gamers. The game features a top-down view that not only deals a huge dose of nostalgia but lets you enjoy the pleasant views of the in-game world while driving.
While you can participate in competitions like time trials, you can also expand your horizons by giving the Free Roam mode a shot. With various well-designed cars to choose from and the lovely in-game music, Art of Rally is a top choice for a game to brighten a stressful day.
Although Assetto Corsa’s release wasn’t received with hefty praise compared to F1 2016, it still delivered a unique racing simulator experience. The vehicle handling feels realistic, and you have to be extra careful when cornering a track. If you’re keen on simulating a real-life race, then playing this game will do just that.
Like most racing games, you get a single-player mode, which sees you start with an Abarth 500 before progressing to use a wide range of sports cars and supercars. The tracks look real, especially when racing from a first-person view.
Released by Ubisoft, The Crew 2 carries on the tradition of The Crew by offering you a vast open world in which you get to drive with abandon. The fact that you may drive from one city to another (Los Angeles to New York, for instance) makes this a great driving game to play when you need to relax.
Although the game allows you to drive land vehicles, it’s also possible to control sea and air vehicles. This added variety increases the game’s replayability, especially if you’re a hovercraft or airplane fan.
Grand Theft Auto 5 may not be a pure racing game, but the game’s massive open world and variety of cars to use make it possible to drive around Los Santos without a care in the world. Of course, you could get into a heated police chase depending on your driving behavior, but the feeling of riding from urban Los Santos into rural Sandy Shores is unmatched.
If you’ve completed the story plus the challenges and don’t know what to do next, consider setting a custom route and just driving. Whether you choose one ofGrand Auto 5’s best cars, like the Entity XF, or an armoured truck to cruise around, expect to be thrilled.
While building the next best continental trucking empire,Euro Truck Simulator 2charms you with its gorgeous sights and impressive landmarks. Feel free to drive across Europe hauling cargo ranging from petrol to logs while the in-game radio station treats you to sweet music.
Forza Horizon 5 stands out for its well-detailed environments and abundance of fast vehicles. While there’s a single-player campaign mode to play, you can opt to freely roam the large in-game map that’s a fictional version of Mexico.
Thanks to the inclusion of dynamic weather, expect dust storms and rainstorms at certain times. The vehicles in Forza Horizon 5 handle nicely, allowing you to easily navigate obstacles while enjoying a long drive across the map. Whether you’re using a racing wheel or a traditional controller, you can play this game the whole day without breaking a sweat.
