An open world setting can be a tricky thing to pull off for a racing game. For a genre that’s so focused on constant speed and forward momentum, the absolute freedom of a vast open world can be a tough thing to reconcile, and it can be just as tough to actually populate that world with interesting and varied activities that all fit within the framework of a racing game.
Even so, there have been more than a few excellent open world racers that have managed to do just that, and here, we’re going to highlight some of the best of the best, as we rank the ten games that we feel stand the tallest in the genre.
ODST VOLKOR
29.07.2022Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2010 isn’t open world
rcng086
28.07.2022We get it, Forza Horizon 4 is great
ryproar11
28.07.2022Snow runner is not racing though. 🤔
Think about it. How can you race when you are trying to maneuver through a mud pit or use a wench to pull out your semi from a snow bank.
Male Aloy
28.07.2022i don't get the salt in the comments… it's subjective yea..? Or maybe he just forgot other ones, i always forget games that i feel like I'd never forget… it's ok! Besides the comments section is here for a reaaon, list your games without the hate.
Black Panther
28.07.2022All Burnout games were awesome but Burnout Paradise is my favorite. It sucks what EA did to the Burnout series.
Happy Glaze
28.07.2022Why do people pronounce Forza, Fortza
5TC Cambo
28.07.2022Testing in the end
Jay Kenneth
28.07.2022In ps1 ridge racer is the best racing game.
Liyon Malinda
28.07.2022Nfs Heat 🙄?
-TAYLOR'ED-
28.07.2022The crew 2 is an amazing game. With all the free dlc it's definitely worth buying
Sik Switch13
28.07.2022none pf these games are "open world"
ypu still have to do specific races to open maps
this clip is all sorts of wrong………
Agni Banerjee
27.07.2022There is no game as great as midtown madness.
Micsko Róbert
27.07.2022Where is Need For Speed Underground 2?
Philly Everything
27.07.2022I really don’t like racing games but I did pick up burnout paradise Nd enjoy the heck out of that game
JohnK
27.07.2022https://youtu.be/DO8GV05Hrcg
Sphered
27.07.2022yeah i definitely drive 200 mph on muddy slush in snowrunner in my 15 ton truck
Design Team
27.07.2022https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3BLjaSABII&t=20s
guys see this realistic car games
Skip2TheEnd
27.07.2022You put the Crew 2 and Snowrunner on this list, but NOT Driver San Francisco? Are you fucking kidding me?!?
Jason Johns
27.07.2022NFS :HP2 on ps2 is by fast thew breezy NFS game ever, same with first 2 Midnight Club 1 and 2 way better than Los Angeles. NFS HP on ps3 is great in it's own way.
Jason Johns
27.07.2022Nfs MW was horrible. And probable worst of thew entire series cept the 2 on ps4 that are online only.
Jason Johns
27.07.2022Forza series is trash
Viper
26.07.2022I don't completely agree with this list, but 2005 Most Wanted is on it and that's all that matters. Still to this day my all time favorite racing game. Really wish I could play it again.
AE K
26.07.2022Driver was better than midtown madness back in the day (I am not how they aged as I played them back in the day – 20 years ago… getting old).
This list just shows how disappointing open world driving is at this moment. Besides Snowrunner not one sim game (which is the only good game imo, but not always fun and sometimes frustrating). Forza is fun for some hours but lack depth (in terms of driving)… NfS games are hardly openworld games. The actual game, meaning the races are set, and even in most wanted, the open world acts as a hub with no activities outside racing (besides being chased by cops).
Shub Lal
26.07.2022https://youtu.be/gH2gboDcBFE
Dylan John Cahill
26.07.2022Simpsons Hit & run beats them all
Ritam Jharimunya
26.07.2022What about Forza Horizon 5
Tak Jakby Ja
26.07.2022Eeeem… where is FUEL?
codywantstobegood
26.07.2022…., this dude never played online fh4 if he's putting it number 1 NotLikeThis
Ben Vorbeck
26.07.2022How on earth did Black ops 3 not make this list!!!
Aubrey Marsh
26.07.2022Plays racing games with a controller
Supra 23
26.07.2022You forgot horizon 1 & 2!!!!
Greazer
25.07.2022TDU SOLAR CROWN
Vikrant Thakur
25.07.20222005 MW is garbage now
Matt Lewandowski
25.07.2022you need to play Grid (1)
GySgt USMC Ret
25.07.2022I Beta tested TDU2. In my opinion, it would have been close to perfect if it had been able to replicate the Hard Core Mode of TDU.
Fair winds and following seas to all.
Fatin shadab :)
25.07.2022I found you by Google!!!
Sara M
25.07.2022The newer hot pursuit was just bad, the old one was about the same too.
Rivals was a better recreation of hot pursuit but still there was not much to do in that.
JonoBoio123
25.07.2022The crew 1?
aaron davidson
25.07.2022bruh 5th place?XD?
Homie Stars
25.07.2022Horizon 4 deserves No.1 because the graphics are so beautiful ! NFS Heat is also very good !
Jstjean
25.07.2022The crew 2 and snow runner are my favourites
Nisse Heseding Music
24.07.2022I really don’t like those unrealistically fast racing games.
Snowrunner is just my baby since yesterday. Because I got it yesterday😂
eLuSiVeMiTe
24.07.2022You forgot the grandaddy of open world racing
Carmagedeon.
I must revisit that and see if I can get it running in VR
Dino
24.07.2022Need for speed most wanted on the 360 imo is the greatest nfs game
Pranjal's NFT factory
24.07.2022Midtown madness is only the game my microwave can run lol
Smoked Robot Pâté
24.07.2022NO. 1 = FUEL
Pr1me A
24.07.2022Does anyone know the name of the game in PS2 it's a mostly trucks racing in mountains and such kinda the same vibe as snow runner
KiR-3d
24.07.2022Oh… Everywhere is the same sh. Forza, NFS, Test Driving and etc. … the same pile of nice looking useless entartaining games for kids.
I can't remember the name of a pretty old driving sim game. Shortly: you're starting with a modest car. There is an open city (not a big world like GTA 3+) You can drive, do some races. The main difference with these fancy new blurred plinky drippy dirty new games… is the realism of car's physics! If you smash THAT car (in that old sim) on 60+ km/h by any side – it becomes hardly drivable. Like in reality. And driving there is a real pain. It's like in real life if you want to go really fast without driving assistants then you need to be a very expirienced driver and be very careful!
P.S. Snow Runner seems to be a good exclusion from that dirty list 🙂
kenway34
24.07.2022NFS rivals is nice as well i guess
Stan B
24.07.2022Where is NFSU2 ?