The best PS4 racing games

Project Cars 2: Best PS4 racing games
(Image credit: Slightly Mad Studios)

Even with the PS5 out, the is a clutch of high-octane tiles to make the best PS4 games worth considering, especially as they can be played on Sony's latest games consoles. 

These range from serious racing simulators to more arcade-focussed games that let you simply get behind the wheel of a fast car and tear around a track or course. This list should have something for everyone, even if they don't know a limited-slip differential from a PDK. 

So read on for our selection of the best PS4 racing games to play today, on the latest console or a venerable PS4.

1. Burnout Paradise Remastered

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Burnout screen shot

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

If you're looking for a racing game where speculator crashes are just as much fun as crossing the line in the first place then Burnout Paradise Remastered is unmatched. Launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2008, this refreshed edition landed on PS4 and Xbox One a decade later. In this open-world racer, you can complete a wide variety of challenges either offline or in competitive online modes. And while many racing games offer those features, it's Burnout's unique "Crash Mode" where you are encouraged to smash into other racers that sets the series apart from its rivals.   

2. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled

Crash Team Racing screen shot

(Image credit: Sony)

Racing games don’t have to be serious business; just ask Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled. In this remaster of Crash Team Racing from way back in 1999, players take control of Sony mascot Crash Bandicoot and his friends and enemies, as they square off against one another on tricky go-kart tracks. If you think this sounds like Mario Kart with a slightly different cast, you’re correct. If you think this sounds like a lot of fun, you’re also correct. Crash Team Racing is one of the more kid-friendly entries on this list, so if you have young racing fans in the house, it’s a solid choice.

3. F1 2021

F1 2021 screen shot

(Image credit: Codemasters)

F1 2021 is one of those video games that’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s Formula One racing; and it has vehicles and drivers from 2021. You can race high-tech cars in a story mode (cleverly titled “Braking Point”), in freeform single-player races or in multiplayer of both the local and online varieties. There are 21 different racetracks and 10 different cars, which should keep technical racing fans busy for a while. While F1 2021 may not be the most beginner-friendly game on this list, experienced racing gamers will probably like what it has to offer.

4. Gran Turismo 7

Gran Turismo 7 screen capture

(Image credit: Sony)

Gran Turismo 7 thoroughly earns its given moniker as “the real driving simulator.” This latest entry in the long-running racing franchise is the most complete to date, and a must-play for petrolheads. Across a variety of modes, you’ll race on iconic real-world tracks in some of the most impressive cars in existence. And if you want to ensure your drive experience is exactly to your liking, you can even fine-tune many of the available vehicles tweaking everything from tire grip to suspension levels. 

5. Project Cars 2

Project Cars 2 screen shot

(Image credit: Slightly Mad Studios)

One of the more demanding racing sims on this list, Project Cars 2 is all about variety and accuracy. The developers at Slightly Mad Studios put a ton of effort into everything from dynamic tire movements to racetrack temperature. This is not the kind of game you can just pick up and play — but it is the kind of game in which you can lose yourself for hours at a time, particularly if you have a realistic racing wheel peripheral. The game boasts 60 locations, 140 track layouts and almost 200 cars, and even dabbles in some off-road racing.

6. Redout

Redout screen shot

(Image credit: 34BigThings)

If you’re tired of racing boring old cars on boring old pavement, you could always try Redout instead. This futuristic arcade racer is a throwback to classics like F-Zero, with the flying cars, psychedelic landscapes, and catchy soundtrack to prove it. You can level up your ship in a single-player career mode (complete with boss fights), or try your luck against human opponents on 25 tracks across 5 locations. You can even collect power-ups as you go, ensuring that no two races will ever turn out quite the same. If you need a “pick-up-and-play” racer on standby, Redout is the way to go.

7. Trackmania Turbo

Trackmania Turbo screen shot

(Image credit: Nadeo)

Trackmania Turbo is a colorful arcade racer where overcoming wild obstacles and then challenging yourself to do it again, even faster, is the order of the day. This game features loops, magnetic tracks, air jumps and all sorts of other tricks that would range from “impractical” to “impossible” in a real car. You can drive on 200 tracks in the game’s single-player mode, or team up with another player as you both control the same car in multiplayer. You can even build your own outlandish tracks to share with friends. While Trackmania Turbo is one of the more nontraditional games on this list, it’s also one of the more memorable.

8. Wipeout Omega Collection

Wipeout Omega Collection screen shot

(Image credit: Creative Vault Studios)

If driving a luxury sportscar around a sun-soaked racetrack isn't adrenaline-pumping enough for you, then why not consider the Wipeout Omega Collection where you can partake in the futuristic sport of hovership racing at impossibly fast speeds. 

The Wipeout franchise is practically synonymous with PlayStation, and while it's been dormant on the PS5 to date, the PS4 received this awesome package in 2017. The Omega Collection bundles together Wipeout 2048 and Wipeout HD, boost the visuals so you can enjoy sci-fi racing in 4K resolution, and there's even full PSVR support.

You also got both single-player campaigns to immerse yourself in, as well as multiplayer modes, from split-screen racing to online competitions, so there's plenty of content to keep you racing long into the future. 

Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi. 

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