This massive collection covers almost every type of game imaginable, but it can be challenging to pinpoint the standout titles on PlayStation Plus. Consequently, here are the best racing games on PS Plus to get fans of the genre started.
Assetto Corsa Competizione
Like most other categories, racing games cannot be pigeonholed into one bracket. PS Plus is filled with racers that are so far removed from each other that they barely seem like they belong to the same genre. Assetto Corsa Competizione is a hard-as-nails racing sim revolving around the Blancpain GT Series.
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Realism is the name of the game here, and Assetto Corsa Competizione comes as close as any of its contemporaries to capturing the feel of being behind the wheel. Unsurprisingly, this results in a package that is not friendly to beginners, especially those who wish to jump straight into offline or online races. However, if someone puts in the time to master the game’s mechanics, they will find perhaps the best racing sim on PS Plus.
Hotshot Racing
A throwback to classic arcade racers like Virtua Racing and Daytona USA, Hotshot Racing wears its inspiration proudly on its hood. Utilizing a vibrant, blocky art style that just screams ’90s arcades, this charming racer features eight drivers and more than 30 unlicensed vehicles that pay (obvious) homage to recognizable cars.
In terms of its actual racing mechanics, Hotshot Racing drives like a dream. The cars are responsive and weighty, and their stats do impact the way they control. Similar to its inspirations, Hotshot Racing is not particularly overflowing with content, and players can experience almost everything the game has to offer within a few hours.
Wipeout Omega Collection
Wipeout Omega Collection contains remasters of the PS3’s Wipeout HD and the PS Vita’s Wipeout 2048, both of which are great futuristic racers. Over the last decade, Studio Liverpool’s franchise has been mainly dormant, and that does not appear set to change in the near future. In the meantime, PS Plus Premium subscribers can at least visit two of the license’s highest points.
Offering a stylish presentation and challenging gameplay, Wipeout Omega Collection is the perfect game to throw on for a few quick races. Although it has an arcade feel, the package is not lacking in content either.
Jak X: Combat Racing
Naughty Dog’s Jak X: Combat Racing tends to be overshadowed by the studio’s other kart racer, which is a shame as the PS2 title is nearly as great as Crash Team Racing. Along with exhibition and multiplayer modes, Jak X has a single-player campaign that casts players as the franchise’s heroes in a competition consisting of four cups.
While a kart racer, Jak X places a heavier emphasis on vehicular combat than most of the sub-genre’s representatives, and Naughty Dog even goes as far as to give health bars to cars. The adventure mode is a blast and consistently rewards players with new unlockables.
Kinetica
Overshadowed by Santa Monica’s subsequent Kratos-themed releases, Kinetica has been reduced to a footnote in PlayStation’s history. While not groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, this futuristic racer deserves to be remembered more in this day and age, especially since PS Plus Premium subscribers can play the PS4 re-release whenever they feel like a quick and fun race.
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Kinetica has a great soundtrack, creative tracks, and decent controls. In terms of content, there is not much here outside a bare-bones season mode divided into stages consisting of four tracks each; however, Kinetica is perfect as a palette cleanser between meatier games.
Trackmania Turbo
Trackmania believes in making every second count. Debuting in 2003, the franchise has produced its share of great titles, and Trackmania Turbo is among the most accessible and enjoyable. For the uninitiated, the game consists of short and imaginative tracks that are essentially puzzles. The fun comes from figuring out and mastering a track’s nuances in order to pull off an unbeatable time, and this process is satisfying.
Split into four vehicle types and locations, Trackmania Turbo’s single-player campaign consists of more than 100 events. While some vehicles are more enjoyable than others, the game seldom misses a beat.
GRIP: Combat Racing
GRIP is an indie racer that will likely be divisive among players, but the game has enough positives to justify a recommendation. Caged Element’s title focuses on tank-like vehicles that are impervious to toppling since they can drive on both sides, a mechanic the game makes good use of. GRIP takes a few pages from kart racers by incorporating items that include a whole host of weapons to accommodate vehicular combat.
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GRIP’s multiplayer scene is not particularly active in this day and age, although a group of friends can make use of a split-screen mode. The single-player content has enough depth to keep someone coming back for a few hours, providing a reason to download and install this PS Plus racing game.
Descenders
Sometimes, a race’s challenge comes from its terrain and not other racers. Descenders lives by this motto as it tasks players with cycling down a mountain path en route to a spectacular jump. Although the campaign can be completed fairly quickly, Descenders is a roguelite as its tracks are procedurally generated, meaning some variety is always present. As tends to be the case with the genre, players have a life bar that decreases following a sustained bump; once all the HP is depleted, it is back to square one.
Descenders is an acquired taste, but the game helps fill PS Plus Extra’s extreme sports quota. The game’s controls are solid, and the same can be said for its visuals. If someone is looking for a racing game they can play in between meatier titles, RageSquid’s project is a good pick.
Trials Rising
Ubisoft’s Trials series has been going on for a while, and the 2019 entry is among the franchise’s best. Trials Rising challenges players to complete absurd courses filled with physics-defying stunts. While the game loves to inject a dash of silliness into proceedings, its wacky presentation is combined with precise and satisfying gameplay that comes with a reasonably steep learning curve.
Trials Rising is a creative racer that goes out of its way to surprise players. Newcomers to the franchise might initially struggle to come to grips with the game’s controls, but when things finally click, RedLynx’s title starts to really shine.
Split/Second
As can be said for a number of Black Rock Studio games, Split/Second is awesome and underrated. This arcade racer casts players as stunt drivers in a reality TV show, and the goal is to blow up everything while dashing towards the finish line. Unapologetically ludicrous, the game embraces its absurd premise with vigor and style.
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As fun as the over-the-top shenanigans are, Split/Second also does not ignore its fundamentals. At its core, this arcade racer plays very well.
Wreckfest
Games like Wreckfest rarely come around these days, but Bugbear’s title is so good that it can carry the vehicular combat genre on its shoulders. Regardless of the chosen mode, the goal here is to smash the competition while trying to minimize received damage. Wreckfest loves to unleash complete mayhem, and tracks often resemble trash heaps following most races.
Chaotic as things can get, Wreckfest has a relatively grounded presentation and control scheme. Players can also determine how realistic they want the gameplay to be.
MotorStorm: Apocalypse
From 2006 to 2012, Sony published five Motorstorm games, seemingly setting the license up to be a PlayStation cornerstone moving forward. Then, the franchise just died. Though never reaching the heights of Need for Speed or Forza, Motorstorm is relatively consistent, with each game building on the one that came before it.
Motorstorm: Apocalypse drops players in a world that is falling apart around them, setting races amidst decrepit and crumbling buildings. While not the most precise or complex racing game on PS Plus, Apocalypse is quite the spectacle.
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