The very best iRacing players often compete in real motorsport too, and make a career out of eSports sim racing. The game just won't let you race unless you have a wheel.īut for a certain class of sim racing fan, there is nothing that compares. Oh, and a force feedback wheel is quite literally required here - that's not us saying the gamepad support is poor. It has no meaningful single-player component and, with its subscription fees and live tournament scheduling, it requires significant investment. That also means iRacing is something you need to work up to. With its regular online racing leagues and meticulous car and track modelling, iRacing is as close to real racing as you can get on the PC. Release date: 2008 | Developer: iRacing Motorsport Simulations | iRacing (opens in new tab) A strong eSports scene is now solidified around Project CARS 2, and such is the depth of simulation that for young aspiring drivers, this might well be a fitting substitute for time on track. Several racing drivers across numerous disciplines acted as consultants during development, and it really does show. Loose surface racing feels just as convincing as hitting the track in a road-legal car, and the fidelity it conveys to your hands as you try to bully a car into the apex with its force feedback support is best-in-class stuff.

More miraculous than the sheer breadth of content in Slightly Mad’s sim sequel is the fact they pull it all off. LMP1s hurtling through Imola, Indycars defying gravity at Daytona Speedway - and when you really get bored, Honda Civics trying to make it up Eau Rouge without stalling. Rallycross within Hockenheim’s infield section, mud splattering across everything and everyone. This is the racing sim that attempts to do it all: ice racing on studded tires around Swedish snowdrifts. If you want to take your driving simulation experience to the next level, check out our handy list of the best steering wheels for PC (opens in new tab).Īnd for more articles about the very finest experiences in PC gaming, check out our lists of the best strategy games (opens in new tab) on PC, best free PC games (opens in new tab), the best FPS games (opens in new tab) on PC, and the best puzzle games (opens in new tab) on PC.

But you'll find these games have one thing in common: they will offer a great driving experience, and they'll feel great when you're behind the wheel. We play fast and loose with the definition of 'racing game' here. You'll find hardcore sims like the challenging Project CARS 2, but also offbeat choices like the criminally underrated Driver: San Francisco-a satisfying driving game with a weird body-hopping system.

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