Since the legendary days of Need For Speed Most Wanted, racing games have improved in many ways, including racetrack designs, vehicle physics, and stunningopen worlds, to name a few. Along with these, modern racing games put a heavy emphasis on next-gen graphics, which is something quite popular among fans.
However, not all racing games will opt for the same choices. Sure, lifelike visuals work well in a series dedicated to realism, but not all games need to look realistic to be visually breathtaking. Case in point, games set in adystopian worldmight opt for a more futuristic aesthetic compatible with the art direction while still being impressive.
The Redout series pays homage to classic arcade games with flashy track designs and high-speed futuristic aircraft. It’s set in the future when the people have settled down on Mars, and anti-gravity jet racing is humanity’s favorite sport. Redout 2 features tracks on Earth, Mars, and the event horizon of a small black hole.
The game prioritizes art direction over AAA-style graphics to create a neon-lit dystopian worlds blended with sci-fi elements. In addition, the tracks on Earth feature abandoned industrial structures or beautiful landscapes such as Mount Fuji and its stunning cherry blossom trees.
Dirt 5 draws inspiration from classicarcade-style gamesinstead of realistic driving simulators that are hard to master, ensuring players looking for a good time get what they asked for. New to the series is a narrative-focused career mode that puts the player in competition against a rival while receiving feedback from a mentor. The race types include rallycross, ice racing, and off-road buggies.
The graphics are definitely “amplified” in that they emphasize visual flair while ensuring they aren’t cartoonish. The game nails its vibrant colors, dynamic weather system, and dirt particle effects, but flaws such as texture pop-ins prevent it from being a visual masterpiece.
Wreckfest is a dream come true for fans of chaotic racing. The gameplay features banger derbies where you reach the finish line by expertly targeting other cars out of commission. You can also play demolition derbies, where players deliberately hit other cars until only one remains as the victor.
The game also features a horde of cars to choose from. you may upgrade or customize vehicles using in-game features or add new ones withcommunity mods. In addition to career mode, you can use multiplayer features to race with players worldwide.
This game is set in scaled-down renditions of two Hawaiian islands and revolves around a themed festival—the main area for accessing events. Similar to its predecessors, the gameplay features other vehicles such as boats and planes, in addition to supporting online multiplayer.
The graphics are not photorealistic in some aspects, but that works in its favor. The saturated colors make the heavily detailed cars pop out against a background of dense shrubbery and interesting landmarks. At night, the island’s neon lights are reflected beautifully on rain-soaked surfaces.
Payback is the second installment of the Need For Speed series since the 2015 reboot. Unlike its predecessor, it featured an offline mode and a 24-hour day/night cycle. It’s an open-world game set in a fictionalized version of Las Vegas, and we follow the story of three protagonists, each with a different driving style.
In terms of graphics, it is one of the best-looking games in the series because of its realistic car models and dynamic lighting. However, the vast open world can feel lifeless due to sparse traffic and limited interactions.
While Motorsport 7 wasn’t a giant leap compared to the sixth installation, it introduced new content that the fan base appreciated. The game boasts 700 cars and 33 tracks and a campaign with six championships featuring different races—from traditional races to creative events like car bowling.
In terms of graphics, the game dials up the visual fidelity way up thanks to increased hardware capability. In addition to photorealistic lighting illuminating the tracks in Dubai and Prague, the game introduced dynamic weather in the series for the first time. The car models are meticulously detailed, showcasing weather effects such as sand and rain on windshields.
Forza Horizon 5 is an open-world racing game set in the sprawling country of Mexico. It has the most extensive map in the entire series, bumbling with activities that are either part of the Horizon story campaign or discoverable in Event Lab or through free exploration.
The game’s crowning achievement is the recreation of Mexico and its manybreathtaking locations, encouraging players to free-roam the beautiful country. To that end, it features natural sites such as active volcanoes and beaches, as well as structures like modern-day Guanajuato City and ancient Mayan temples.
Gran Turismo 7 is the eighth major installment of a series popular for its use of real-world physics, encouraging players to adopt real race-driving techniques to be competitive. The game features a single-player campaign as well as a multiplayer. However, it requires a constant internet connection to save progress.
GT7 is one of thebest racing games on PlayStation 5due to its true-to-life gameplay and visual fidelity. The game uses PlayStation 5’s dedicated ray-tracing hardware to illuminate the world and simulate some of the most realistic shadows in racing games.
