The genre of racing games has consistently been one of the most diverse ones over the years. In the 8-bit era, titles like Out Run, Pole Position, Super Mario Kart, F-Zero, Road Rash, and more were a must-experience. Then in the 3D age, classics such as Gran Turismo 4, Burnout, Need for Speed, Test Drive Unlimited, Midnight Club, and others became some of the most fun players had in racing games.
Fast forward to 2022, and the video game industry is saturated with realism more than anything. Hence, racing games have been relegated to simulation-based driving than the good-old high-speed dashing. Fortunately, there are some forgotten but new arcade racing games that players can still enough on their consoles.
10 Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a kart racing title from the legendary developer team, Beenox. The game dropped on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in the summer of 2019 and received great scores from major publications such as GamesRadar+, IGN, Nintendo Life, and more.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled features popular characters from the Crash Bandicoot series. These names include Crash Bandicoot, Dr. Neo Cortex, Tiny Tiger, Coco Bandicoot, Penta Penguin, and over fifty others. The Activision arcade racer is a must-play on any console, but players usually forget it exists.
9 Redout
Redout is an underrated hidden gem that does a great job of showing why arcade racing games belong in the modern-day gaming scene. It is a science fiction title by an Italian studio named 34BigThings. The game first came out in 2016 on Microsoft Windows but soon made its way to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One a year later.
Redout features fun and fast-paced dashing gameplay where gravity plays the biggest role. In this game, players must accelerate at top speeds and push through loops, jumps, teleportation-based areas, underwater, and tubular sections.
8 Dangerous Driving
Dangerous Driving is a 2019 arcade racing title by British developer team Three Fields Entertainment. It is a fast-paced game that takes inspiration from classics such as Burnout Dominator, Burnout Revenge, Burnout 3: Takedown, and more. The game offers similar destruction to the classics, expect uses much higher fidelity visuals and gameplay design.
In Dangerous Driving, players get a huge list of drivable vehicles, gameplay that promotes ramming, and a seamless online play that works. Moreover, the game also features the good-old takedown mechanics from the amazing old Burnout series.
7 Wipeout Omega Collection
The Wipeout series is a long-running franchise of some of the best arcade racing games ever made. It’s a science fiction racing game series that features futuristic vehicles, floating tracks, and a neon city with a cyberpunk feel. The latest entry in the franchise, Wipeout Omega Collection, takes the fun experience to another level by offering two games.
First is the Wipeout HD with the Wipeout HD Fury expansion pack, and the next is the Wipeout 2048 with much-needed visual upgrades. Wipeout Omega Collection is a perfect combo of two anti-gravity racing games fans of arcade-style driving must try.
6 Horizon Chase Turbo
The Horizon Chase Turbo isn’t a part of Sony’s post-apocalyptic Horizon games, but it is just as polished for sure. The retro-style arcade racer is a 2018 title with the best elements of casual driving games mixed into sports-oriented high-speed racing. Horizon Chase Turbo is a “super-fun-straight-to-the-point classic” inspired by racing games in the 90s.
It offers a unique visual design, colorful graphics, various tracks, multiple vehicles, and gameplay mechanics that are super addicting. Moreover, the retro racer is one of the highest-rated games on this list and has a 10/10 on Steam.
5 FlatOut 4: Total Insanity
FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is an arcade racing title with some elements of automobile simulation. This high-speed game is part of the long-running FlatOut series that originated in the early 2000s. The fourth game in the series does many things that made the old games good but also adds a layer of modern-day racing gameplay mechanics into the mix.
FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is a decent game that could occasionally be fun. It’s not the best arcade racer on PlayStation 4, but certainly worth trying one, as it’s inexpensive.
4 TrackMania Turbo
TrackMania Turbo is a high-speed arcade racing title that came out in 2016. It is a Ubisoft game and part of the TrackMania series that is mostly exclusive to PC. Fortunately, the fifteenth main game in the series breaks the exclusivity trend by allowing console players to experience what TrackMania is about.
TrackMania Turbo is currently available on Windows, PlayStation 4 & Xbox One. It offers a great single-player with many challenges and an online mode for people who love real competition. The game is free-to-play for people who own PlayStation Plus Extra.
3 Road Redemption
When Road Rash first came in 1991, it featured unique bike-riding gameplay alongside physical combat mechanics. Over the next few years, the game series became one of the most popular arcade-style racing games. Unfortunately, the series suddenly disappeared in the late 90s after EA released the final main game, Road Rash: Jailbreak, on PlayStation 1.
For years, players have longed for a sequel or a remake of the Road Rash series, which never really happened. That was until Road Redemption came out and labeled itself the ultimate spiritual successor to the classics.
2 Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered
The Need for Speed series offers some of the best arcade racing titles on almost every platform. On PlayStation 4, the best NFS games include Need for Speed Rivals, the reboot of Need for Speed, Need for Speed Payback, as well as Need for Speed Heat. Sadly, players usually overlook one game on the platform that came out as a part of EA’s remastered releases.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered is probably the best arcade racing NFS game on PlayStation 4. It offers great visuals, fluid gameplay mechanics, and cop chases unlike any other game on this list.
1 Burnout Paradise Remastered
Burnout Paradise is the best arcade racing game on any platform ever. The Electronic Arts classic first appeared in 2008 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows and was an instant hit among players. The game offered everything from high-speed racing to various gameplay modes, bikes, unique vehicles, and nitrous-filled gameplay mechanics.
Burnout Paradise Remastered takes all the good things about the original and amps it on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms. For the first time, console gamers could experience this classic on up to 4K resolution monitors with 60 frames per second support.