Best Xbox Racing Games

Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Series X|S)

The Forza Horizon series has been the premiere racing franchise on Xbox for years at this point, consistently delivering a masterclass in open world arcade racing action. 2021's Forza Horizon 5 is the team's first Xbox Series X|S outing, and it's an absolute feast for the eyes and ears.

While we reckon 2018's Forza Horizon 4 may be the best in the series — especially with its game-changing weather systems — Forza Horizon 5 is right in its rear-view mirror. The team's latest effort took us all on an open world cruise to Mexico, with vast deserts, jungles and ocean views forming a super engaging open world experience. You can't really mention Xbox racers without talking about Forza Horizon, and FH5 is one of the series' most dynamic offerings.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

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The Crew Motorfest (Xbox Series X|S)

The Crew Motorfest was one of our biggest surprises of 2023. If we're totally honest, we've never been huge fans of Ubisoft's The Crew series, but Motorfest combined the brilliance of the old Test Drive Unlimited games with Xbox's very own Forza Horizon series - delivering some fantastic results.

Admittedly Motorfest probably doesn't quite hit the the heights of those two titles, but it combines them in a cohesive way, and this latest The Crew title has now firmly established itself as one of our favourite open world racers on modern Xbox systems. You can play this one via Ubisoft Plus, but it's not available on Xbox Game Pass at the time of writing. We think it's worth an outright purchase anyway, especially on discount!

• Xbox Game Pass? No

Slipstream (Xbox Series X|S)

This a bit more of a niche entry here, but we've had a great time with Slipstream since first trying it a few months ago. Inspired by retro greats like Outrun, Slipstream is a colourful track racer with 8 and 16-bit visuals spread across a vast array of fun courses.

You get into a bit of a trance playing Slipstream, and that gives it a unique spin compared to other, similar titles. As the name suggests, this one is all about staying in unison with your opponents until the moment presents itself and you pass your closest competitor - and it all feels so smooth and slick to actually pull off. If this all sounds great to you then it's absolutely worth the price of admission on Xbox.

• Xbox Game Pass? No

Burnout Paradise Remastered (Xbox One)

We don't know about you, but we'd probably rather have seen Burnout 3: Takedown or Burnout Revenge get the remastered treatment over Paradise. Still, this is the only open-world Burnout game to have been released to date, giving it a unique charm. This is a great remaster too, enhancing the visuals of the original while retaining its addictive brand of fast-paced gameplay. It's also available on EA Access and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which is great if you subscribe to either service.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

F1 24 (Xbox Series X|S)

Codemasters' Formula 1 series has proven popular for well over a decade at this point and has been on something of a roll in more recent years with a procession of truly top-notch efforts. F1 24 continues that trend with an improved handling system and an excellent new Challenge Career mode that provides endless thrills. This is as good as F1 sims get on consoles right now.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (Xbox One)

Following the outstanding success of the Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy remaster, it was inevitable that a new version of PS1 classic Crash Team Racing would surface sooner or later. It eventually arrived in the form of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled - a faithful remake of the original with stunning graphics and authentic gameplay. Additionally, Nitro-Fueled includes a wide variety of tracks from the Crash Nitro Kart game on the original Xbox.

• Xbox Game Pass? No

Art of Rally (Xbox Series X|S)

It may seem like a little bit of a change of pace, a soft and gentle arcade take on rallying action with a wonderfully relaxing visual style, but Funselektor Labs' Art of Rally is, in fact, a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing. This is a delightful rally offering with surprisingly sim-minded handling in its generous array of new and classic cars. There's a brilliant career campaign here that takes you on a journey right from the '60s to present day race action, as well a secret-strewn free roam mode and a ton of cool vehicles - all with impressively unique handling models - and liveries to unlock as you go. If you're looking for some super slick arcade rally action, you'd do well not to miss out of what this little cracker's got to offer.

• Xbox Game Pass? No

DIRT 5 (Xbox Series X|S)

An action-packed arcade entry in the venerable DIRT franchise, DIRT 5 is one racer you're definitely gonna wanna grab if you've indulged in a next-gen console. This is hands down one of the most spectacular looking racers available right now and those good looks are backed up by some top-notch action once you hit the muddy tracks here. Some series fans may decry the shift from sim to full-on arcade racer, but we reckon this is one fast and frantic effort that's well worth jumping into, especially since it's now available with Game Pass!

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Wreckfest (Xbox One)

Did you like FlatOut or Destruction Derby back in the day? Then you're going to love Wreckfest. This racer is all about breaking rules and causing as much destruction as possible, and features incredible physics designed by developer Bugbear, which previously worked on FlatOut and FlatOut 2. The fun multiplayer, combined with the hilarious variety of vehicles including lawn mowers and three-wheelers, makes this a great game to play with friends. Wreckfest has also now been treated to a delicious next-gen update, so playing on Xbox Series X|S delivers 4K visuals, slick 60FPS action and improved graphical fidelity.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes