The best racing games on PlayStation make for a bounteous list of cars, karts, anti-gravity crafts, and more. Our grid includes PS3, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5 racers from the arcade, simulation, and simcade categories.
The best racing games you can play on PS3, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5 are listed right here; selected by the TrueTrophies news team. We have put these together to reflect every trophy-supported era, as well as a variety of tastes. As always, we will be adding to it in future! So, enjoy our current grid of the best racing games on PS3, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5 right now.
Best Racing Games on PS3, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5
Best racing games to play right now on PS3, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5
Just before we get you into the games, it is important to note our definitions. A racing game is any title where there is a competitive vehicular contest of some kind. There are three definitive subgenre camps we have considered — the arcade racing game that prioritises fun, the simulation racing game that prioritises realism, and the simcade racer that straddles the line between realistic graphics and easy controls. All have been equally considered for this list; though, in future, we will create individual lists for the subgenres.
Burnout Paradise (2007) — PS3, PS4
Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise is one of the greatest racers ever, on any platform. Criterion took its formula for the legendary lap-based PS2 arcade-racers in the series and made it open-world, wholly succeeding in the process. Welcome to Paradise City, where the grass is green and the cars are being T-Boned at every intersection — please call an ambulance. The world is a magnificent playground — brought right up to modern graphical speed in Burnout Paradise Remastered for PS4 — abound with mega ramps, shortcuts, smashable items, and secret areas full of fun.
The game thrives at high speed during violent races and enthralling exploration, with every crash deserving of a slow-mo replay. There are very few games that offer this level of laugh-out-loud fun with your mechanical beasts, and it helps that the soundtrack is straight-up iconic. Online, everything gets heightened tenfold — it's worth a go just for the challenges you can do with strangers. In single-player, this racer is showing its miles, but the moments where you have to chase rival cars around the city are still bombastic entertainment.
As for the Burnout Paradise trophies on PS3, most have been discontinued as the servers have been shut off. So, if you are keen on playing this to completion, hop onto the Burnout Paradise Remastered trophies instead. While your main list and the platinum, Burnout Paradise Elite, are not going to trouble you, those DLC trophies will — so be careful. Burnout Paradise is no doubt a phenomenal arcade racer!
Gran Turismo 7 (2022) — PS4, PS5
Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo 7 is, mechanically, an incredible sim-racer for fans of GT racing. It oozes passion for automobiles and for the tracks you race on — with a DualSense in hand or a magnificent rig set up, we don't know that any game can really compete with just how much love there is in every chicane, in every spoke of a wheel, or along every straight. Our Gran Turismo 7 review covers a lot of the incredible technical driving aspects in depth, but the general gist of it is that there are fewer more pleasurable racing experiences that feel so grounded by intelligible simulations of small details.
Polyphony Digital's game might have got off to a rough start with its live-service components and limited online functionality (resulting in another game taking centre stage in official FIA esports), but we feel it has recovered enough to earn its place on the list. The Gran Turismo 7 trophies are a long quest, but not one that will go without you getting significantly better at the game as you spend time perfecting you cornering speeds, throttle control, and track positioning. GT7 is a sim-racer, but don't let that put you off — it's got arcade-like addictiveness too.
Split/Second Velocity
We just can't let go of Split Second for the PS3. This arcade racer never quite took off as it should have, but those who know, know. We should all pray to the Split/Second gods for a sequel, but for now, the one we're talking about will have to suffice. It's become a cult classic for its adult Mario Kart vibes where instead of blue shells you can use the environment to blow cars off the road. By "blow off the road," I actually mean cause serious structural damage to skyscrapers and dams that will cost the local council lots of money to repair. How else would you envision a real-life blue shell?
Sometimes, you use a single power bar — fuelled by drifting and going fast — just to explode a few parked cars and nudge a leading rival sideways enough for you to close the gap. Sometimes, you use a full set of three bars to crash a plane on a runway and kill everyone in a firey abyss. Did I do that? Oops. Now, pray for forgiveness at the altar of destruction because more is coming — thank you Split/Second gods!
This is an innovative racer that would be perfect for a sequel with its fun TV show-like campaign, wicked track selection, sturdy driving mechanics, and breathtaking chaos. Unfortunately, we just have to be content playing it through the PS Plus Premium games collection. Indeed, the Split Second trophies will dominate your life, given that some of them are wily beasts requiring mastery of the game. Oh god, we love this racer... and so will you!
F1 22 (2022) — PS5, PS4F1 22
F1 22 is not really a racer that should have its place questioned on this list, but it is a bit boring. If you love F1, and we know you do, then you'll probably have a great time running through the various campaign modes and getting feisty online. The sim models are very good, but perhaps not quite in line with the new car models introduced for the real-life 2022 season. On the tarmac though, it feels as good as ever regardless of accuracy.
So, whether you are a Verstappen fan looking to conquer the title while laughing at Leclerc's misery or a Ricciardo stan trying to get him back in the big leagues, this is a racer for you. In our F1 22 review we did knock it for being one of the laziest iterations paced with unnecessary microtransactions, so do be wary of that. The F1 22 trophies shouldn't cause any bother, though. Another great rendition of the sport — just not a particularly innovative one.
Wreckfest
Wreckfest begs to deceive. It's an arcade racer in looks, but we think it actually has more of a simcade feel. The simulation components, like the vehicle destruction, handling model, and braking patterns, are matched by the arcade insanity of driving a combine harvester around a loop-the-loop. With this combination Bugbear made one of the best racers of the PS4 generation, and it seems they've made the leap to the top of the PS5 pile, too (just watch out for the cross save Wreckfest trophies issue).
Why do we rate it so highly, then? Well, the handling model is superb — easily approachable but with depth enough to make it serious when needed. The destruction modelling is glorious — you will have quite a few "Where are my rear tires?" moments — while also altering the way you drive before and after crashing. The tracks are original and varied, with plenty of tight hairpins and chicanes matched by ramps (both planned and made impromptu out of car corpses) and banked corners that rain the metal of your rivals. The car selection is varied, with customisation that is not just for aesthetics but actually affects performance under the hood as well. Also, the online community is fantastic. Really, this is one of the best racers of its kind in recent years.
Assetto Corsa Competizione (2022/2020) — PS5, PS4
Assetto Corsa Competitizione
Assetto Corsa Competizione is the sim racer that toppled GT7 for the FIA esports competitions in the GT categories, and you know what? It deserves it, too. Speak to most sim-racer fans and they will recommend you this fiendishly detailed racer as the one to get your competitive spirit out with. That is particularly interesting because it wasn't critically well received partially due to its comically newcomer-unfriendly aspects and its pretty limited single-player. But, as a fully immersive driving experience with a sim-rig? Get in the seat of the leading sim-racer on the console market — though just be wary of those tedious Assetto Corsa Competizione trophies.
Motorstorm RC (2012) — PS3, PS Vita
Motorstorm RC
Don't doubt one of the best PS Vita games. It might have come to PS3 as well, but Motorstorm RC, from once PlayStation Studio Evolution, is an absolute top-down arcade racer gem. Controls are tight, the soundtrack is mega, the tracks are technical and perfect, and the competitive spirit truly played out in full. This is genuine arcade perfection, taking that coveted spot while Micro Machines isn't around to compete, all while being helped on by some wonderful Motorstorm RC trophies. While the rest of the Motorstorm series is a phenomenal experience and unlucky not to make the list, this is a best in class.
Driveclub
Even hampered and rusting, the PS4's Driveclub deserves a spot on the best racing games list. Evolution Studios developed this superb racer with realistic looks but a slick handling model that doesn't necessitate much graft to comprehend. Its online functionality has been closed — despite its reliance on servers for leaderboards, six of the Driveclub trophies, and its club functionality — but it has a comprehensive roster of single-player activities if you don't mind losing out on the platinum. In place of that loss, however, comes one of the most cultishly beloved racers in the racing community.
The game looks unbelievably good, even now. The car models are fantastic and the sounds they make... oh, my! The weather system the team managed to patch in after launch was so far ahead of its time it's a bit scary — in some cases, it's still leagues ahead of racers that would release over the following eight years! It was supposed to be a PS4 launch game, but was in such a state in 2013 due to issues with getting the online stuff working that it would take another year of polish before it would get to the recommendable heights it would later attain. This kerfuffle got the studio shut down — one of the stupidest decisions Sony would ever make given the hotbed of UK development talent residing there that would go to Codemasters later. Honestly, a truly fantastic game and one that was wholly underserved.
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fuelled (2019) — PS4
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fuelled
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled is a superb kart racer with such deep mechanics it would be silly not to include it. Even if the aesthetic doesn't appeal to you — though look at how cohesive and glorious that art style is! — it is so filled with technical karting detail you'll start getting your fingers in a tangle quickly. The boost functionality requires absolute mastery if you want all the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled trophies. The items you use are much better balanced than those in Mario Kart and often have much higher skill ceilings than that oft-mentioned Nintendo love-in. The tracks are really, really well put together a lot of the time and require a bit of muscle memory to get around effectively. It's as deep as a GT7, but with the beloved Crash Bandicoot at the helm. What is not to love in this unique racer?
Wipeout Omega Collection (2017) — PS4
Wipeout Omega Collection
This final place caused consternation amongst the TT news team, and we still don't know if it is quite right. It was this, Trackmania Turbo, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered, The Crew 2, Project Cars 2, or Onrush. We went for the Wipeout Omega Collection in the end because it is a staple PlayStation franchise that blossomed on PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, PS Vita, and PS4 — and while Sony might try to bury the Wipeout series, who are we to deny that success?
It just so happens that this pairing of Wipeout Fury and Wipeout 2048 for PS4 is a pretty great match. Good tracks and funky anti-gravity ships are now paired with much higher frame rates and cleaner visuals. The Wipeout Omega Collection trophies are going to take some time to unlock given that a few of them are pretty challenging, but it's definitely worth your time. This racing is fast and trippy, slotting you straight into vibe mode as the music pops and your focus narrows. Fantastic stuff from Clever Beans, but what a shame Studio Liverpool aren't around to see it!
That is it for our list of the best racing games on PlayStation! What did you think? Anything missing? Any games you feel are sorely underrated or overrated? Let us know in the comments!