The racing genre is so diverse that it’s hard to imagine. Of course, it might seem that the monotonous winding of circles on boring tracks bothers. However, the developers of games in this genre for the entire time of its existence have come up with many different ways to diversify and brighten up the gameplay. Here is a list of racing games that will be popular and relevant at all times.
Additional software
The coolest races were released long before the current realities. Most modern igrodelov pursues the quality of graphics and special effects, paying little attention to the process itself. Unfortunately, degradation is a natural process not only in games.
Today we look at a variety of games. Steep races for all time have come a long way, and many of them can no longer be run on modern platforms. Therefore, if you are still planning to play old races, then you will need at least Wndows XP.
Download and install Virtual Box on your computer. It will allow you to emulate a working environment. The interface is intuitive, so you can easily create a separate virtual hard drive. Then install Windows XP on it. Now you will have a "computer" that can run old racing games on cars.
Need for speed
And we will start with one of the most popular toys for the entire existence of the genre. "Need for speed" began its journey as a normal race. The player opened cars in the course of passing more and more new tracks. Of course, most of them were of the same type, and towards the end, the rider remembered almost all the turns and places in which you can "cut".
If you want to know how the racing games on cars and their history began, then the early versions of Need for Speed are for you. The toy is undemanding and will not brake when launched on the emulator. Moreover, you do not even have to look for additional drivers for equipment running under Win 98.
Hot persuit
A new twist on NFS history begins in 1998, when chase mode was added to the game. Now the race is illegal, and on various tracks you will be chased by police. Not the best version of the game for boys is a race from justice, but this feature became an absolute innovation in the genre and allowed developers to break out into the lead.
Windows 98 is also required to run the game. But we recommend downloading the second part of Need for Speed: Hot Persuit 2. It works stably on the Windows XP operating system, and the graphics are much better than its predecessor. If special effects are of any importance to you, then it’s better to use this advice, because 3D racing games originate from here. As a last resort, you can try to evaluate the reissue, released in 2010, although the impressions will not be the same.
Underground
The last in this series is to consider a selection of several parts dedicated to street racing. NFS: Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted, and Carbon were released between 2003 and 2006. Illegal street racing is in first place here. Now the role of the police is becoming more logical and understandable.
You will find one of the best stories possible in racing, car tuning and the most difficult tests of your driver skills. As do not change the complexity of the game, the enemy will not drive slower or crash into everything. Especially the “bosses” are the key rivals and owners of the districts.
Starting from the second part of the game, city racing is becoming an integral element. Moreover, you get the opportunity to move freely around it, as well as participate in random events.
Twisted metal
Separately, it is worth mentioning the coolest race dedicated to battles in cars. And this is by no means just “tanks”. Of course, such racing games for children are not intended, but interest in them will always be relevant.
Twisted Metal has little to do with racing. You have to choose a car and go through a series of "meat grinder". Using any available weapons, the player needs to destroy all enemies and move on to the next round. The game will launch exclusively on Windows 98 or XP. So you just need an emulator.
Carmageddon
As fans of this game say, this is a celebration of meat and violence. Well, what other race can you win by simply destroying all your rivals? This is precisely the main task of the player. You can pass all the checkpoints and win the race, or you can spit on everything and just rush to ram your opponents.
In 2016, a reprint of the original game was released. Racing around the city is now not only your main task. Added new modes, maps, as well as improved graphics and cars. What makes these PC races different from other street racers? The answer is simple - the presence of pedestrians. And this is what becomes the reason for the rating 18+. After all, one of the available competition modes is to bring down as many people as possible.
In general, the updated version is practically no different from the original. If you want to feel the atmosphere of games of the 90s, then you can safely put "Karmageddon 2" on a virtual machine running Windows 98. If you are more interested in the process, the new version will work on new personal computers.
"Truckers"
Not all races have a competitive component. And not always the coolest races take place on fireballs and sports cars. A series of games "Truckers" is dedicated to trucking. You have to build effective trade routes and manage the delivery of goods. However, everything is not so simple. If you drive too slowly, competitors will get ahead of you, and some products may go bad. You will not have normal maps, and you will have to drive according to the signs. As a result, we get a mixture of economic strategy and racing.
You can choose any of the three parts. These games have received conflicting reviews throughout their existence. In the third part, a hint of the plot appears, but the second gameplay is better. In any case, it is better to try both versions than none.
FlatOut 2
The concept of the game is similar to "Karmageddon." If you are interested in dirt and off-road racing games, then FlatOut is for you. The endless pursuit of pits and broken roads, as well as completely destructible cars make the race insanely interesting. And destructible objects on the tracks can be used to destroy the enemy.
Of course, this is not Karmageddon. You simply will not have time to completely destroy competitors, and in a collision you can suffer more than your opponent. But, for example, having knocked down a support on the road, you can drop a canopy on another car and thus slow it down.
The good news is that there is a version of this race on the PC, as well as on consoles, including PSP. You will be able to play on absolutely any machine with weak characteristics.
Dirt
"Poppin" series of games about off-road racing. In total, the last (third) part contains 62 cars. It may seem that this is too much, especially considering that the player will still ride on one thing. However, these machines do not always correspond to the modes and levels of driver reputation. So you have to learn to drive different cars to complete the game.
Most of the time, the player is busy gaining a reputation for discovering new cars and opportunities. Just like in the old parts of NFS: Hot Persuit 2. However, this does not mean that the game is monotonous and boring. Your choice of several fan modes, such as capturing the flag, the spread of zombie infections and the destruction of buildings.
Pure
As you know, the coolest races are held not only in cars. Pure is a game in which you have to assemble your own ATV from scratch for parts, so if you like tuning, this component will please you. Competing in extreme off-road racing, in which ordinary cars just stand dead weight, you will go from a beginner to a master to overcome rough terrain.
F1
Fans of legal races can enjoy the “Formula 1 ″ on the fireballs. The F1 game from the publisher Codemasters Birmingham is best suited for this. This is a fully licensed race based on real world tracks and sports teams. Since 2009, a new part is published annually, which includes updated data on real-life ratings of professional teams. If you are fond of sports, then the closest analogue for you will be FIFA.
Crazy taxi
For those who prefer to relax and have fun at the computer, rather than suffer until the seventh sweat, trying to get past the next track, we offer "peaceful" games. Steep races can occur not only against opponents, but also time as such. In "Crazy Taxi", you have to deliver passengers at a specified point at a speed, performing various tricks along the way. The more spectacular and faster the trip, the more you will be paid, which means you can go to the next level.
Rocket league
Back to the race for survival. Despite the outrage that is happening in the game, this application can quite be attributed to the category of “games for boys”. Racing takes place on a football field where you must try to score a ball into the opponents' goal. Simplicity and arcade gameplay are completely leveled by the tactical component and the swiftness of what is happening. Football on cars makes it easy to learn the basics of the physical interaction of bodies, since it is absolutely necessary for a successful hit on the ball and sending it into the goal of your opponent (or yours). Acceleration and jumping across the entire field is a great way to relax in front of the monitor and not get addicted to toys.
Trials fusion
It's time to switch to other types of equipment. Motorcycle racing games are no less popular than car racing games. In the "Trial" you have to overcome many difficult tracks and perform just a huge number of a variety of tricks.
In this game you will not compete for speed, but for the beauty of performing figures and movements in the air. Despite the absence of opponents, the game does not become uninteresting. You can study most of the tracks for hours and still not find the perfect way to go through them.
MotoGP 14
For those who prefer the classic motorcycle racing games, we offer a series-analogue of "Formula 1". These are ordinary motorcycle races on real-life tracks and flat roads. The main thing that will please you is the support of various non-standard gaming devices, as well as the increased realism of vehicle control simulations. It is the version of this toy that is installed in many machines in entertainment centers, when you need to sit on the seat and control the movement of the motorcycle with your body.
Burnout paradise
And this game stands out even against the background of such "monsters" as NFS. The idea is simple - combine motorcycle and car racing into one. Of course, at the same time, two types of equipment will not be present in the race, since the difference in speeds is too obvious, but, in fact, we have an analogue of NFS: Underground 2 or Most Wanted.
A significant difference is that the car can be broken here, and for fixing it will have to roll off a round sum. Otherwise, everything is exactly the same. You drive around the city, collect banners and participate in selected races. Tuning as such is not here. The maximum you can do is repaint your vehicle.
For its time (2008), the toy’s graphics are very nice, but not demanding on the system requirements of the computer. You can run it even on the weakest, but modern laptop.
Online
Most of the presented toys work in multiplayer mode. If you want to compete with your friends in driving a car or a motorcycle, you can do it without any problems.
In extreme cases, for example, when using the pirated version of the game, you can use a VPN. The Hamachi program is ideal for such cases. With it, you can set up communication with a friend’s remote computer via the Internet and play as if you are on the same local network, for example, in a computer club.
Mini games
For the smallest car fans, mini-games are also good, which are also full on the Internet. Entire sites specialize in this genre. You can run your child 3D racing games 3D and 2D with cartoony and frivolous graphics. For the most part, you won’t have to choose for a long time. Such games are simple and all you have to do is get to the finish line. You can also find suitable motorbike and jeep races there. To run such gadgets, you only need installed fresh Java drivers for your browser and no more.