The PlayStation 5 is a console with a whole lot of horsepower under the hood, so it makes sense that the racing games available to play on it are equally as raring and ready to go. In the two or so years that the PS5 has been on the market petrolheads have had plenty of racing games to go full throttle in, whether that’s via bike, car, or snowboard? Apparently, yes. Deciding which PS5 racing game to play first means having to slam on the brakes, however, so we thought we’d save you some time and trouble by ranking 10 of the best currently available.
From entirely new franchises, returning favourites, to racing games that lean more towards that arcade feel rather than strict simulation, the PS5 already has built up a vast library of worthy racing games that caters to all tastes. Without further ado, it’s time to turn the radio up and roll the windows down, as we rank The Top 10 Best Racing Games on PS5…
10. Destruction AllStars
Merging fast-paced thrills with colourful vehicular combat, Destruction AllStars was an early PS5 exclusive that got initial adopters racing and ramming against one another online. It shares more in common with the hero shooters of today like Overwatch and Paladins than it does a traditional racing game, true, but this gives each available Allstar a unique flavour that only they can bring to combat. Hopping from vehicle to vehicle during the course of a match never ceases to be an unpredictable thrill, as Destruction AllStars affectionately channels the chaotic action of another classic PlayStation vehicular combat series, Twister Metal.
Being a first-party title means that Destruction AllStars is able to take total advantage of the PS5’s capabilities. This means a silky-smooth frame rate (important for racing games) and bright, frothy visuals, in addition to amazing haptic feedback features with the DualSense controller. You’ll feel every crash, bang, and wallop within the palm of your hands. Destruction AllStars might not be the conventional PS5 racing game, but it’s absolutely worth a look for competitive gearheads.
9. GRID Legends
The fifth instalment in Codemasters’ much-lauded GRID franchise, Legends more than lives up to the ambition of that subtitle, with more than 130 tracks available for players to burn rubber on. These include the likes real-life circuits such as Munt Panorama Circuit and brands Hatch, all the way to fictional routes based in cities like Paris, London, and Moscow. GRID Legends really is one of the best racing games for PS5 players who want to prove their legendary status behind the wheel of some of the world’s most powerful motor vehicles.
Unusual for a simulated racer of this calibre, GRID Legends features a full-fledged narrative mode called “Driven to Glory”. It takes clear inspiration from Netflix-style racing documentaries, letting you race against various rivals in an underdog story. Your objective is to work your way up from newbie to racing legend, putting an eclectic roster of cars through their paces through a series of Drift and Elimination events. It’s one of the best PS5 racing games for Driven to Glory alone, offering players something different compared to a lot of other sim racers out there. Legend awaits!
8. MotoGP 2022
We give the green light to the latest iteration of MotoGP’s official tie-in game. Packed with 120 riders and more than 20 circuits you’ll recognise from around the globe, MotoGP 22 is one of the best ways on PS5 to enjoy fast-paced thrills on two wheels. It’s never been more authentic to work your way up from Moto3 all the way up to the titular tier either, thanks to improved tyre physics, even more ways to tweak your ride in the garage, and new challenges that let you master how to be the fastest on each track in the MotoGP Academy.
Often fondly remembered as one of the best seasons in MotoGP history, MotoGP 2022 lets you directly relive the 2009 champion across 17 chapters. It even includes more than 50 minutes of real-life footage, narrated and directed by the legendary Mark Neale. You’ll be racing in the boots of Pedrosa, Rossi, and more at the peak of their careers. MotoGP 2022 authentically straddles both eras and is a true love letter to the act of tearing up tarmac on two wheels.
7. WRC 10
WRC 10 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the World Rally Championship, letting PS5 players faithfully relive iconic moments from 1973 all the way up to today. It’s one of the best PS5 racing games out there because it touts improved handling and physics when compared to previous series instalments, even making excellent use of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback to really make you feel like you’re a racing champion.
There are four new 2021 rallies to test out in WRC 10: Estonia, Croatia, Belgium, and Spain. These all sit alongside six historic rallies (including Germany and Argentina) that further celebrate the championship’s long-running heritage. Through the career mode you’ll experience contemporary cars that are entirely customisable, but the highlight for most people will be the 20 legendary cars that are featured from Alpine, Mitsubishi, Audi, and others. 50 years of history are packed into WRC 10, making it well worth a look for PS5 racing fans.
6. Wreckfest
Previously released on last-gen consoles, the PS5 iteration of Wreckfest depicts all the crashy-bashy racing action in much higher detail. Ramming cars into one another was already immensely fun anyway, true, but now (thanks to the power of PS5) the game’s soft-body damage modelling is on full display. Deby racing simply doesn’t get better! If simulation racers aren’t your thing and you long for the days when cult classic Ps One game Destruction Derby let you unleash havoc with friends, Wreckfest is a solid spiritual successor.
It might not be the newest racing game on the block, but in the five or so years since it was first released Wreckfest has continued to be supported by a generous amount of seasonal content. The PS5 version comes with all this content bundled in, meaning you can get to grips with the Banger Racing, Retro Rammers, and Modified Monsters car packs immediately. If you’re seeking a scrappy racing game in which to unleash havoc with friends, odds are Wreckfest will be the ideal PS5 racing game for you.
5. F1 2021
We couldn’t write this list without giving due credit to the official Formula One video game. But as one of the first EA-published entries since the publisher acquired Codemasters, it doesn’t slow down the pace. F1 2021 comes packed with new circuits based in the likes of Melbourne, Marina Bay, and Suzuka, all of which weren’t able to go-ahead in reality due to the pandemic – but they’re fully reinstated and present as intended here. That alone makes F1 2021 a bit of a racing game gem, serving as a time capsule of sorts of how Formula One should have played out.
F1 2021 takes on other racing game rivals with the introduction of the Braking Point story mode, letting players compete from 2019’s Formula 2 season, then up to 2021 Formula One during the course of three years. Codemasters designed it to give players a taste of the sport both on and off the track, following in the footsteps of story modes featured in other EA sports games like FIFA and Madden. The addition of a two-player career mode also adds another twist to the – you guessed it – formula. So even racing pairs should give F1 2021 a shot.
4. Riders Republic
If extreme sports are more your thing, racing games don’t get much better than Ubisoft’s Riders Republic. The game is built around a community festival that lets players compete in mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, and wingsuit flying, letting up to 64 people race against one another across all four disciplines online. That generous player count is only available on PS5, too, with he PS4 version capped at just 20 people. That means to experience Riders Republic to its fullest and as intended, PlayStation 5 is the way to go.
Mass races of the kind that Riders Republic presents have never been achieved in a console game of the scale before, but it all contributes to the overall atmosphere that you’re part of a group comprised of thrill seekers. There’s an entire open world for you to explore between the seven main settings. Races are always a visual treat, however, mainly because of such beautiful locations as Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton, and Mammoth Mountain all being featured. Riders Republic is unbridled joy distilled into an extreme sports racing game, looking and playing best on PS5.
3. Dirt 5
Dirt 5 represents a markedly different tone for the series, choosing to go down a far more arcade-style route when compared to the simulation days of old. However, off-road vehicles have never looked or handled any better than in this fifth instalment of the long-running series, letting you blaze your way across a global tour of several fictional tracks and circuits. Gravel, ice, snow and sand all change the way your vehicle controls, forcing players to think deeper about how to approach straights and corners while still being able to enjoy the arcade approach.
Another early racing game to come out of the gate for PS5, Dirt 5 is still easily one of the best racing games on the platform thanks to excellent haptic feedback on the DualSense, a banging soundtrack, and a sheer willingness to not take itself too seriously. It’s one of the few PS5 racing games on this list to offer full-fledged, local splitscreen co-op, which makes Dirt 5 the ideal choice for petrolhead players wanting to tear up all kinds of surfaces together
2. Hot Wheels Unleashed
Want to recapture the feeling of playing with die-cast Hot Wheels cars as a kid? Developer Milestone – the same folks behind MotoGP and other racing games – chose to let players do exactly that, with a licenced racing game that is actually good. Hot Wheels Unleashed is much better than it has any right to be, giving players the ability to unlock and race some of the most iconic cars from the series – ranging from dinosaur trucks and even the batmobile. Tearing up plastic from the perspective of a toy car is a unique experience for both kids and kids at heart.
Hot Wheels Unleashed has just as much fun with the track design, shrinking you down to the authentic size and seeing you jump out of monster mouths, drive around garages, and boost up through various loop-de-loops. That boost mechanic is incredibly fun to pull off successfully during races, too, although (in pure arcade style) it can sometimes be too powerful. Beating out competitors in Hot Wheels Unleashed is a balancing act because of this, but it’s also easily the most successful translation of these little toy cars yet.
1. Gran Turismo 7
Likely surprising absolutely no-one, topping our list of the best PS5 racing games out there is the well-oiled machine that is Gran Turismo 7. Yes, it is technically a cross-gen release that straddles both PS4 and PS5, but it still manages to squeeze almost every ounce of horsepower from PlayStation 5 with dynamic weather effects, ray-traced visuals, and 3D spatial audio. All these different elements working in tandem helps absorb you into PlayStation’s prestige simulation racer like never before.
The PS5 version of Gran Turismo 7 is the only way racing fans can enjoy 4K visuals and 60fps simultaneously. That’s why racing these iconic vehicles in unprecedented detail looks and feels better than ever before, truly living up to the “simulation” moniker by granting players endless ways to tweak, customise, and race. It’s sure to be a long while before Polyphony Digital get around to the inevitable eighth mainline instalment, but that’s an easy pill to swallow seeing as Gran Turismo 7 represents simulation racer perfection. It’s by far the best racing game on PS5.
