Racing games are a great niche of their own, with some people loving the rush of driving cars at high speeds and coming first in races after putting on a valiant performance. The gameplay loop of these titles might seem simple for many, but the truth is that these games need to be absolutely on point when it comes to the feel of each car in the game so that players feel the need to try out different vehicles before choosing a potential favorite.
Of course, some racing games also feature a healthy dose of challenge that makes events far tougher than they have any right to be. The following games are perfect examples of racing games that can be brutally hard at times! Players need to master everything from maintaining speed to taking fast corners if they wish to stand a chance of winning in any race.
7 Assetto Corsa
Another title that deserves a mention on this list is Assetto Corsa. The game saw a lengthy development cycle before finally leaving early access and becoming one of the best racing sims on the market.
Everything from the game's physics to the crash models have been developed and prepared extensively. The end result is a brilliant game that is worthy of any sim racer's time.
6 BeamNG.drive
Speaking of games that are popular for having great damage models and realistic racing, another game that comes to mind is BeamNG.drive. The game's damage models are so accurate that certain studios use this game to test out stunt-driving outcomes before using them for the real deal!
So, it goes without saying that BeamNG.drive is easily one of the most realistic racing games out there. As is the case with most games in the same vein, the learning curve is steep but worth climbing over for the wealth of engaging content that players unlock as a result.
5 F1 2022
The F1 games have served as brilliant simulators that do a great job of emulating how a real F1 car performs on track for the most part. There's no denying that this racing sim won't be 100% accurate when it comes to replicating real life, but the mere fact that real-life athletes spend a lot of time on F1 simulators goes to prove just how great these games are at capturing such an experience.
Codemasters has done a splendid job with this series, letting many players enjoy the life of an F1 driver as they go through the motions in every race. Perfectly timing pitstops, tweaking the car properly, being absolutely brilliant in qualifying, and staying in a fighting position during every race forms a major bulk of F1 2022's engaging and tough gameplay loop, where even the smallest mistakes will be punished by the AI.
4 F-Zero GX
F-Zero GX is the last mainline title in the series, released on the GameCube and wowing playing with its amazing graphics and lightning-fast gameplay. Of course, the F-Zero series is notorious for featuring a high level of difficulty, and F-Zero GX is no exception to this golden rule. A single mistake is punished severely by both the track hazards and other racers.
As a result, it becomes important to learn the layouts of every track in the game and minimize mistakes to end up victorious in a race. The story mode of F-Zero GX is easily the hardest part of the overall experience, with players needing to master all the mechanics of the game to even stand a chance of beating this devilishly hard game.
3 iRacing
Realistic racing simulators are bound to be quite tough in their own right, and there's no denying that iRacing is one of the toughest and most popular racing sims there by a country mile. The fact that players can check a game of such high quality out for free is truly amazing and shows why iRacing has such an active player base.
Of course, players do need to be aware of just how challenging this game really is. Following the racing lines and hitting the apex is downright necessary for pretty much every race early on if players don't want to be stuck dead last. Playing the game for a while might help players learn the ropes, but overcoming this barrier to entry lets players enjoy a great racing sim at virtually no cost!
2 Project CARS 2
The first Project CARS game was already a landmark achievement in its own right, sporting great realistic racing and amazing physics to make each and every part of the racetrack feel dynamic and reactive in its own way. The second game took all the best parts of the first game and made it better while omitting any of the mistakes made early on. The end result is one of the most realistic and challenging racing sims out there.
It's a shame that Project CARS 3 never lived up to the lofty standards of its predecessor. In an aim to appeal to a more casual fanbase, the third game in the series lost pretty much everything that made the franchise so unique in the first place and pretty much left it dead in the water. Hopefully, another game in the series can help bring the franchise back from the depths of obscurity.
1 Dirt Rally 2.0
Codemasters makes another appearance on this list with the advent of Dirt Rally 2.0. Rally racing is a tough sell for many players, especially when the experience is as realistic as Dirt Rally 2.0. The game has a steep learning curve where players need to learn exactly how cars interact with the terrain that is common in rally races, with a single mistake causing vehicles to spin around like no tomorrow.
However, it's when players understand how Dirt Rally 2.0 works that they end up having a great time playing this realistic racing sim. Getting into the flow of a race and nailing every corner is a highly rewarding experience that never ceases to be entertaining for players who have progressed from the beginner stage.