Best Racing Games to Play in 2025 on PC

Patrick_Yu

Racing games continue to deliver speed, realism, and excitement, and many of the best titles from recent years remain as engaging as ever in 2025. These standout PC racing games range from detailed driving simulations to action-packed arcade experiences, including motorsport management, motocross, and open-world adventures. Here are the top racing games you should be playing on your PC in 2025.

1. BeamNG.drive

Originally launched in 2013, BeamNG.drive continues to stand out with unmatched vehicle physics and an active, dedicated community. Starting as a physics sandbox, it evolved into a robust racing title, rivaling even major releases in popularity.

A vibrant modding community continually enriches BeamNG with fresh content, while frequent developer updates expand maps, add scenarios, and fine-tune gameplay. The physics engine remains a highlight, offering realistic damage and handling simulation that few other games can match.

VR support has returned in an improved experimental state, bringing a new layer of immersion to the driving experience. Graphics performance has also seen major gains thanks to Vulkan API integration, allowing for smoother visuals and better hardware efficiency.

The new career mode adds structure and long-term goals to the sandbox, with players starting from simple cars and progressing by completing missions and earning upgrades. Though still in Early Access, this mode already adds considerable value and is updated regularly. For players looking for a constantly evolving, physics-driven racing experience, BeamNG.drive remains one of the most rewarding options on PC.

2. Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 sets a new standard for open-world racing games. Built around a sprawling and diverse map of Mexico, it delivers one of the most visually impressive and content-rich racing experiences on PC. The terrain ranges from desert highways and lush jungles to mountain switchbacks and historic towns, making every drive feel unique.

The garage features over 500 cars, many with new customization options and noticeable improvements to audio and handling. Visual upgrades, especially to lighting, dust, and particle effects, enhance the sense of immersion across both performance and quality modes.

Horizon 5 also expands its creative tools. Players can design custom races and events nearly indistinguishable from developer-made content, encouraging a steady stream of user-generated challenges. Career mode has been restructured with an accolade system and dynamic "Expeditions" that showcase the game’s most cinematic moments.

Multiplayer now supports more casual competition, removing penalties for bad online behavior. Cooperative Horizon Arcade events and other subtle refinements round out a package that’s as massive as it is polished. With consistent updates and community activity, Forza Horizon 5 remains a top-tier choice for open-world racing.

3. F1 25

F1 25, developed by Codemasters and published by EA Sports, introduces the biggest overhaul to its flagship My Team mode since its debut. Instead of playing as an owner/driver, you now act as a team principal managing two drivers across a full F1 season. This shift adds more depth to team management, including budgeting, facility upgrades, and production timelines for car parts.

The new management system gives players more strategic control, like choosing which driver receives upgrades first, and assigning perks that affect R&D and negotiations. Although some UI bugs and timing inconsistencies still need ironing out, the added complexity creates a more satisfying long-term career mode.

The game’s visual presentation is the most polished in the series to date, with upgraded lighting, trackside detail, and subtle authenticity improvements across circuits like Vegas and Suzuka. AI behavior has also been improved, delivering tenacious and believable racing dynamics that respect track position and challenge players fairly.

Braking Point 3 returns as a story mode continuation, bringing back characters from previous entries and expanding the narrative. While some cutscenes feel dated due to real-world developments, the cinematic quality and on-track challenges remain engaging. With a refined career structure and standout visuals, F1 25 is a strong entry in the sim-racing calendar for 2025.

4. Assetto Corsa Evo

Assetto Corsa Evo, now in Early Access, already delivers top-tier driving feel. The game features five real-world tracks, Mount Panorama, Brands Hatch, Imola, Laguna Seca, and Suzuka, plus 20 diverse cars. Handling is tight and responsive, with excellent grip and braking feedback, even in wet conditions.

While AI still needs polish and offline-only restrictions limit some modes, the driving experience is strong. The game’s massive planned open-world map, centered around the Nürburgring and set to span 1,600 km², hints at enormous potential.

Despite technical hiccups and limited features, Assetto Corsa Evo shows clear promise. It’s not yet a must-play, but for fans of serious sim racing, it’s a compelling work in progress worth keeping an eye on.

5. Trackmania

Trackmania is a high-speed time-trial racer with a razor-sharp focus on track mastery. Originally launched in 2020 as a remake of TrackMania Nations, it features over 45 official tracks and an addictive gameplay loop that encourages players to shave milliseconds off their best runs. The racing is fast, floaty, and exhilarating-especially when you finally hit a perfect lap on the edge of control.

Custom tracks remain a major highlight. Thanks to a block-based editor, the community continues to produce wild, inventive creations-from stunt courses and obstacle runs to recreations of classic tracks. However, much of this creativity is locked behind a subscription system. Free players can race official tracks and use a basic editor, but access to most community content requires a paid yearly pass.

Despite some clunky UI and a steep learning curve, Trackmania remains a unique and rewarding experience. It may not rival the visuals of modern sims, but its gameplay is timeless-and still unmatched for pure, fast-paced racing precision.

6. Need for Speed: Heat

Need for Speed: Heat, released in 2019 by Ghost Games, marks a return to form for the franchise. Set in the Miami-inspired Palm City, the game blends legal day races for money with illicit nighttime races that earn reputation. This dual system adds a compelling loop of risk and reward that helps progress both your garage and your career.

Customization is a major highlight. Players can personalize avatars, apply deep visual modifications to cars, and upgrade parts with intuitive performance metrics. You can turn an unassuming vehicle like a Volkswagen Beetle into a supercar killer, making the tuning process both accessible and satisfying.

The game offers a wide roster of vehicles, from classic muscle cars to hypercars. Performance rating gates progression but rarely feels punishing unless diving into off-road racing, where setup balance can feel inconsistent. Heat also features a forgiving damage model, though police chases at night turn up the intensity.

While performance issues may appear on older systems, modern setups handle the Frostbite engine well. With its vibrant world, strong customization, and street racing roots, Need for Speed: Heat is one of the most entertaining arcade racers still worth playing in 2025.

7. Tokyo Xtreme Racer

Tokyo Xtreme Racer returns in 2025 as an unapologetically retro racing experience from Genki, now in Early Access. This reboot stays true to its PS2-era roots with single-player highway duels across Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway. Players cruise the expressway, flash headlights to initiate battles, and deplete opponents’ “Spirit Points” through distance, collisions, or wall contact-like a racing-fighting hybrid.

With over 200 named opponents, the game mixes predictable duels with rare boss battles and team-based challenges. Some rivals only appear under specific conditions, adding a layer of exploration. The car list features nearly 50 Japanese models from Subaru, Nissan, Mazda, Toyota, and others-though Honda is notably absent. Handling is slick and arcade-like, best played with bonnet cam. While graphics and customization are modest, the focused gameplay loop is highly engaging.

There are gripes: sound design lacks punch, some menus are clunky, and progression can stall if you can’t unlock specific upgrades. Still, the loop of night driving, rival hunting, and garage upgrading is as satisfying as ever. It’s a love letter to early 2000s racing games-free of microtransactions and live-service clutter-and it’s already shaping up to be one of the year’s most nostalgic and addictive racers.

8. Wreckfest 2

Wreckfest 2 hits Early Access as a high-impact follow-up to Bugbear’s acclaimed demolition racer. Right from the start, it delivers chaotic, metal-crunching action with satisfying driving physics and visual polish. The new Scrapyard map steals the show with destructible environments stacked high with crushed cars and debris, all interactable in real time. Racing through this space feels dynamic, especially with improved sound design and detailed, location-based damage modeling.

Only a handful of cars and tracks are available so far, making the current build feel more like a demo than a complete experience. Still, what's here plays exceptionally well. The AI is aggressive and unpredictable, adding to the tension whether you're in a circuit race or a full-on derby.

Crashes to desktop are a problem some players may encounter, though performance is otherwise solid on modern systems. The lack of upgrade or tuning options limits depth for now, but based on the original Wreckfest, more content is expected later in development.

With its satisfying blend of arcade chaos and surprising nuance, Wreckfest 2 already shows promise. It’s not yet a must-play, but fans of vehicular mayhem will find plenty to like, provided they're comfortable jumping in early.

Recommended Products

Nitro 60 Buy Now	Nitro 14 Buy Now