Racing games for PC


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Disclaimer: I've never been that much into racing games, do not follow any race/whatever on TV, have a car that I drive to work and back and that's more or less the only contact I have with cars, although I prefer public transport :p

That being said, back when I was starting uni, a friend lent me an xbox while he was away, and I absolutely LOVED Project Gotham. It was fun, and had a pretty realistic driver-cam. Later that year, when I learnt to drive, I could actually tell whether I was going to hit something or not.

9 years later, today, I thought I should try and see what the racing genre has to offer. I'm a bit sad to see that Project Gotham is still an xbox exclusive title.

What I think I'm looking for in a racing game:

  • City tracks instead of racing circuits.
  • Realistic enough driver cam.
  • Car damage when I hit something, as an incentive to NOT hit anything :p
  • Fun! I enjoyed the kudos system in PG.

I see there has been a lot of racing games released in the past few years; but rather than trying them all one by one, I thought I'd save some money and ask here first :)

Thanks!

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Test Drive Unlimited - You get to drive around one of the Hawaiian islands.

Forza 3 - Most realistic racing game out there atm.

Both only on 360 though.

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haha I'm looking for something like that too.

I'm gonna try GRID.

Edit: Anyone know the specs for GRID?

Minimum Specifications

Windows XP/Vista. (If running Windows Vista, SP1 is recommended)

DirectX 9.0c

Pentium 4 @ 3.0GHz or Athlon 64 3000+

1GB RAM.

Graphics Card: GeForce 6800 / Radeon X1300 or above

DirectX Compatible Sound Card

Dual Layer Compatible DVD-ROM Drive

12.5 GB Hard Drive Space

Recommended Specifications

Windows XP/Vista. (If running Windows Vista, SP1 is recommended)

DirectX 9.0c

Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.66Ghz or Athlon X2 3800+

2GB RAM.

Graphics Card: GeForce 8800 or Radeon X1950

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Card.

Dual Layer Compatible DVD-ROM Drive

12.5 GB Hard Drive Space

Supported Graphics Cards

ATI Radeon X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950, HD2600, HD2900, HD3870

NVIDIA Geforce 6800, 7100, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950, 8600, 8800, 9800

Not compatible with all integrated sound/graphics solutions (inc.Laptops)

TCP/IP mode (2-12 players) Requirements:

Broadband internet connection required - 512kbps + Recommended

TCP/IP Network

Supported Controllers

GRID? can be configured to use almost any PC controller, however we recommend the following controllers for the best game play experience:

Microsoft X360 controller

Logitech G25

Logitech MOMO

Logitech Driving Force Pro

Thrustmaster RGT Force Feedback Pro

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Race Driver: GRID is a good choice, great game :) can't believe nobody mentioned Need for Speed: Shift! fantastic game, best cockpit cam in any car racing game bar none!

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Race Driver: GRID is a good choice, great game :) can't believe nobody mentioned Need for Speed: Shift! fantastic game, best cockpit cam in any car racing game bar none!

I can't stand that game, the visuals,sound and views are fantastic but my god it is no fun at all, although id rather play that than Gran Turismo

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I can't stand that game, the visuals,sound and views are fantastic but my god it is no fun at all, although id rather play that than Gran Turismo

I love it! I have a blast playing it to be honest, I think it might have something to do with how I don't take the game too seriously though :p If I was a hardcore sim fan I'd hate Shift as it's not a very good one with alot of flaws, but since I don't try to over analyze it and just enjoy it for what it is, that just works for me :)

EDIT: What they should of done was bring back the selectable physics* from Need for Speed 2 SE; Simulation (for the sim fans), Arcade (for the NFS fans) and Wild! (over the top and exaggerated).

* = In NFS2SE it was technically gameplay type but for Shift that translates to selectable physics settings.

Edited by Xerxes
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city tracks, cockpit cam-

-> NFS Porsche Unleashed (2000 game :p)

the "Factory Driver" gamemode is really good, you're given some tasks to complete under given time, like some skidpad tests, car delivery...

-> Test Drive Unlimited:

very nice graphics, you have 1000miles to drive around.

or

GTA4 (with cockpit cam mod) :p

the best city, traffic rules obeying AI drivers :D

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I spend quite a bit of time on racing games for PC's. The first question has to be, do you want more driving games or driving sims? Under driving games, I'd put more arcade titles such as:

  • GRID
  • Need for Speed
  • Testdrive Unlimited

Under driving sim I'd include titles such as:

I spend all my time on the latter. I'd say if you want to really get in to the Sim style then you'll want to grab a wheel. You can get a decent wheel for about $35 off ebay 2nd hand or about $70 new. If you were going to get a wheel I'd get something that has a 900 degree rotation as that gives you the real feel of turning circle you get in real cars. I'd go for the Logitech Driving Force GT.

There are loads of other titles that I'd put in to the mixed bag of simulator/arcade such as:

GTR EVO & Race07

Hope that helps a little. Just so you know, iRacing is the most expensive but also has the most realistic tracks too as each track has been laser scanned to be accurate.

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Burnout Paradise is good fun too. Not all that realistic, but fast and enjoyable (though I preferred Burnout Revenge). There's a new game called Split/Second out next month which has a Burnout feel, but with destructible environments that make each lap a new experience. Saw a trailer for it over the weekend and liked what I saw.

Obviously these are more fun and less simulation, otherwise I'd also recommend Grid.

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dont go for need for speed undercover..

its BAD!!!..

I LOVED NFS SHIFT..

go for shift its not the city type racing.. but it is so realistic in terms of physics and graphics damage and all ur gona love it!!.. and the cars to me handle pretty realistic.

that is why i loved it

GRID IS A MUST 2..

do play GRID.. its the perfect game for u.

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Hmm. $12 for GRID on steam. Not bad. I'll grab the demo later tonite soon as i'm back from work.

Thanks for the recommendation guys. I'd also try out a couple more of the stuff on the list when i have the time.

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I LOVED NFS SHIFT..

go for shift its not the city type racing.. but it is so realistic in terms of physics and graphics damage and all ur gona love it!!.. and the cars to me handle pretty realistic.

that is why i loved it

Realistic!? That's way far off the mark. I dislike aspects of NFS Shift because it seems they've *tried* to be realistic, but actually haven't really come close. You've obviously not experienced crashing into the back of a car, and then having it almost 'float' into the air, over your car and then crash down behind. The result of collisions between you and the AI's cars are frankly ridiculous and seem totally random.

Don't get me wrong, it's not too bad a game when you're out in front and leading, it's getting there that can be frustrating, especially when you start so far back with no qualification system. Breaking to the front of the pack is basically a lottery, resulting in countless restarts as your car faces the wrong direction for the umpteenth time, usually through no fault of your own. The cornering and handling also seem very 'slidey', you find yourself having to slide the car round corners to get decent laps. I never feel fully in control of the vehicle.

If they've tried to make a 'real' racing game like Forza on the Xbox 360, I'm afraid they're way off the mark.

Agree with you on GRID though, very good game.

Edited by Guest
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Realistic!? That's way far off the mark. I dislike aspects of NFS Shift because it seems they've *tried* to be realistic, but actually haven't really come close. You've obviously not experienced crashing into the back of a car, and then having it almost 'float' into the air, over your car and then crash down behind. The result of collisions between you and the AI's cars are frankly ridiculous and seem totally random.

Don't get me wrong, it's not too bad a game when you're out in front and leading, it's getting there that can be frustrating, especially when you start so far back with no qualification system. Breaking to the front of the pack is basically a lottery, resulting in countless restarts as your car faces the wrong direction for the umpteenth time, usually through no fault of your own. The cornering and handly also seems very 'slidey', you find yourself having to slide the car round corners to get decent laps. I never feel fully in control of the vehicle.

If they've tried to make a 'real' racing game like Forza on the Xbox 360, I'm afraid they're way off the mark.

Agree with you on GRID though, very good game.

couldnt agree more.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, just an update. I tried both GRID and NFS:S. I kinda liked GRID more; it just felt a bit more 'natural'. I'm not sure I know how to describe it.

Anyway, I got the full game, and loving it!

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Test Drive Unlimited - You get to drive around one of the Hawaiian islands.

Forza 3 - Most realistic racing game out there atm.

Both only on 360 though.

No, Test Drive Unlimited is available on the PC.

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Test Drive Unlimited - You get to drive around one of the Hawaiian islands.

Forza 3 - Most realistic racing game out there atm.

Both only on 360 though.

No, TDU is also PC

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