Ranking the 10 Best Sim Racing Games Ever Made
As the title suggests we are going to explore in detail and rank the 10 best sim racing games ever made.
Before we get started let’s explain the methodolgy we used in order to create this ranking.
The Methodology
We ranked the 10 sim racing games in our pool with 4 metrics.
- Average reviews when the game was first released
- The realism of the simulation and driving experience
- Number of cars and circuits, overall content
- Graphics
For all the metrics, we gave all 10 games a rank between 1 and 10. 10 points for the best game in the category in that category and 1 point for the worst. We then added all 4 numbers and obtained a score on 40. We ranked the 10 games according to this system.
10 – F1 World Grand Prix
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 7,5/10 | 3 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 4/10 | 2 |
| Content | 5/10 | 1 |
| Graphics | 2/10 | 1 |
| Total Score | 7 |
The score of this game might be low on many compartments: graphics, content, etc. But don’t let that fool you. It is low only because this game was first released in 1998 and compared to today’s game, well, some things are just not the same.
This game is awesome and was one of the best racing games for many years. It has various mode: complete championship season, Grand Prix races and Challenge mode where you relive key moments of the 1997 F1 season and need to attain an objective in a particular setup.
I remember playing this game for months, literally. It has 22 drivers, most notably Schumacher, the “Williams Driver” who was Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill, etc. It also contains 17 racetracks, the ones for the 1997 season.
This was one of the first racing games allowing the player to customize everything about the car: tyres, fuel quantity, gearbox parameters, wings inclination, etc. It has also a way of managing the in race damages. Just amazing for its time.
Now let’s go to number 9.
9 – Ascetto Corsa
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 7,4/10 | 1 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 7,5/10 | 9 |
| Content | 8/10 | 9 |
| Graphics | 6/10 | 2 |
| Total Score | 21 |
There is a big gap between number 10 and number 9, and let’s be honest, a lot of games that will follow can be worse than this one according to the person making the ranking. Personally, I own this game and find that there are better ones on the market.
Ascetto Corsa is a great game but it has some flaws in my opinion: it came out in 2014 and graphics are a bit outdated. Personally, I like to drive seeing the car from the outside and holy cow, when you do that on Ascetto Corsa, sometimes it is ugly.
Another problem I have with it it’s that sure, there is content, but you have to pay for it all the time. When you first get the game the vast majority of the cars comes from add-ons and additional packages. Not great in my opinion.
Besides that, great game. It is very realistic and one of the references in the market. It has plenty of ways that you can customize your experience. It allows many features of sim racing (triple screen management for example).
The setup window is just nuts, you can customize: tyre compounds, tyre pressures, fuel, suspension settings like anti-roll bars, wheel rates, ride height, packer rates, travel range, damper settings like bump stops and rebounds, heave dampers, alignment setting, etc.
You cannot go wrong with AC. Ranked 9.
Let’s go to number 8.
8 – F1 2018
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 8,4/10 | 7 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 6/10 | 5 |
| Content | 7/10 | 4 |
| Graphics | 7/10 | 5 |
| Total Score | 21 |
Actually, F1 2018 as the same score as Ascetto Corsa. Meaning according to our ranking thy are both ranked number 8.
F1 2018 is an incredible game. It is the first F1 game with a completely reviewed career mode allowing the player to develop the car and compete for the title.
It has the 20 drivers and the 21 tracks of the official calendar. Along with many historic F1 cars such as the Williams FW18, of Ferrari F2004. The game is loaded with content with historic cars going back to the 70s. The game has many modes such as career, simple race, online race, etc.
The main drawback for this game, which I love, is that the driving experience is not really realistic. The game is more a sim-cad than a sim sim. It is made in way to allow the casual racer to be able to play it.
In that regard it has many ways of customizing the car but you can also choose not to customize a thing an play casually.
7 – rFactor 2
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 7,8/10 | 5 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 9/10 | 10 |
| Content | 6/10 | 2 |
| Graphics | 7/10 | 5 |
| Total Score | 22 |
Slightly better than F1 2018 in our rankings, rFactor 2 might be the most realistic sim on the market. rFactor 2 is renowned for its realism. It has incredible physics.
The main drawback is that the graphics might appear to be relatively poor. The game first came out in 2012, so it’s starting to get a bit old. The content could also be better, a lot of things can be obtained through modding. The mods are sometimes not as high quality as one could expect.
Options and parameters might also be difficult to understand as it is a game dedicated to serious sim racers. Besides that, this is a true reference on the market.
Now let’s get to number 6.
6 – Project Cars 2
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 8,4/10 | 7 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 6/10 | 5 |
| Content | 7/10 | 4 |
| Graphics | 7,5/10 | 6 |
| Total Score | 22 |
What is there to say about Project Cars 2? Hmmm….
It is a game that came out first in 2017 and has up to date graphics, although this depends on the track. It is a great game on every aspect but somewhat inconsistent. The biggest drawback is that on some tracks the driving realism is just not there.
Besides that, it is really good. There are lots of content, cars, tracks and a very good career mode. It is considered to be one of the best sims on the market. The high review it obtained upon its release is proof of that.
The game has also nice features such as its much-praised graphic engine managing dynamic weather. A good choice if you are looking for a racing sim.
Now let’s get on to number 5.
5 – F1 2019
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 8,7/10 | 8 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 5,5/10 | 3 |
| Content | 7,5/10 | 6 |
| Graphics | 8/10 | 8 |
| Total Score | 25 |
A lot of what was said for F1 2018 can also be said for F1 2019. It is basically the same game with some upgrades.
First, the 2019 version has better graphics. Not by far, as the games were released only a year apart. Secondly, it has a bit more content. F1 2019 has an F2 career mode which is fun to play. It also has some upgrades to the career mode.
The only drawback is that in my opinion, the driving experience might feel a little less realistic than what you can get with F1 2018. In any case, these F1 games were not made to be sim racing games per se but have a more casual approach to sim racing.
Let’s roll to number 4.
4 – iRacing
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 7,6/10 | 4 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 7,5/10 | 9 |
| Content | 8/10 | 9 |
| Graphics | 7/10 | 5 |
| Total Score | 27 |
iRacing is one of the references on the market. What is great about it is that it is really a game made for racing competitions online. You race online all the time and improve and get a better ranking that allows you to get on more difficult races.
The game is very well suited for online usage. They have features such as safety ranks for drivers to avoid a guy running in others and creating an accident on purpose. If you want to play online it is great and has a lot of content, modes, cars, tracks, etc.
A big drawback is that it can start to cost some money to buy additional cars and tracks, the additional content is not free and each car costs money. Initially, you get 15 cars and 23 tracks. You can increase to 103 and 108 tracks but it costs quite some money. The game is also expensive. Contrary to tother sim racing games, you need to subscribe and pay each month to play.
Although it first came out in 2008, the graphics have been updated and the game looks nice. The game has great driving physics and is a reference in online racing.
iRacing will offer the best online sim racing experience but be prepared for the cost. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Let’s go to number 3.
3 – F1 2020
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 8,8/10 | 9 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 7/10 | 6 |
| Content | 7,5/10 | 6 |
| Graphics | 8/10 | 8 |
| Total Score | 29 |
I know, that’s a lot of F1 games. I happen to be a big fan.
The game is the F1 2018 and F1 2019 but with upgrade making it much better. For starters, the driving experience is much better than what you can find on F1 2019. The F2 season is also much better as the handling of the cars has been dramatically improved.
There are big improvements to career modes also. Before you could only manage your R&D now you can manage your whole team. You can choose your engine supplier, manage your teammate, etc. The options are way widened.
You also have 2 new circuits: Hanoi & Zandvoort.
Graphics are also better. The game features all the previous content, cars, tracks, and historic F1 cars. To be honest, it has no real week spots. You should run and go buy it.
It is time for number 2.
2 – Ascetto Corsa Competizione
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 7,5/10 | 3 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 7,5/10 | 9 |
| Content | 8/10 | 9 |
| Graphics | 9/10 | 10 |
| Total Score | 31 |
In one sentence, it takes everything Ascetto Corsa and makes it better.
It has an incredible array of options for customization and sim racing setup. It has great graphics and the cars and their interior are rendered perfectly. The sound is also rendered perfectly and takes into account the gravels, the movement of the suspensions, etc. Pretty incredible.
The AI is also very impressive. It is programmed to be difficult and able to make mistakes, it is realistic. The game has very good physics and very nice graphics.
For the content, it is pretty much the same as the first AC. There is free content but a lot has to be downloaded and you need to be able to install the content and mods.
It can be considered to be the best sim on the market as the next game is more a simcad than a sim sim.
Let’s discover our number 1.
1 – Forza Horizon 4
| Metrics | Value | Rank |
| Average reviews | 9/10 | 10 |
| Realism & Driving experience | 4/10 | 2 |
| Content | 8,5/10 | 10 |
| Graphics | 8,5/10 | 9 |
| Total Score | 31 |
What is incredible about this game is that it proposes an open world that you explore and race in. That is an amazing feature. It rated really high because it has everything: it excels with its graphics, its original content.
As it is more a simcad that a real sim racing game the realism of the driving experience is not on point. The game offers many modes and things to do in a vast open world. From races with other players online to stunts, to races with hoverboards (yes hoverboards).
It is a must-have. The map is huge and it has a way of managing the seasons that is something. Again the only bad point that we can find is the realism of the driving experience. If you are a casual player, there is no game better than this one. Otherwise, go for AC Competizione.
