Blur

When we talk about racing games, many names come to mind and will come up later on this list. Sadly, Blur isn’t one of those household names but one of the most underappreciated gems of the 2010s. Scoring a pretty good 82 on Metacritic blur was developed by the ill-fated Bizzare Creations which once existed under the Activision Blizzard umbrella. Combining the realistic tracks and vehicles of games like Forza or Need for Speed with the arcade gameplay of a game like Mario Kart Blur was something new and refreshing to the racing game genre. Today’s date remains one of the most underrated and bold mistakes in the racing genre we’ve seen in a while even though it was sadly discontinued when Activision Blizzard shut down the developing studio.

Need for Speed Heat

This is a franchise that needs no introduction when talking about racing games even though many might not be as familiar with the newest entries if they have not been paying attention to the current state of the Need for Speed franchise. One interesting detail about Need for Speed Heat is that it was developed by Ghost Games which at that point was working on their fourth entry in the Need for Speed franchise. One of the biggest appeals of this entry is of course the walking back of the night and day cycle. This means that you could race around Palm City during the day as long as you wanted and during the night as long as you wanted. The system was replaced with a toggle which allowed you to choose if you wanted to race at night in dealing with police presence or during the day to partake in sanctioned races. While it took almost a year to introduce cross-platform play it was the very first Electronic Arts title to include it and would set the standard for the future.

Burnout Paradise Remastered

If there was an agency dealing with car crashes in Paradise City there would be nothing easier than to get car accident leads from this agency by the dozen to make a lot of money. If you know anything about racing games, you know it and you love it this is the remastered version of the chaotic 2008 classic Burnout Paradise. Burnout Paradise is not only a racing game it is a pure chaos game all about cars. Whether you play cop and robber mode where you have to take down other players or simply enjoy causing chaos in the crash mode burnout paradise is everything for everyone. It’s a brutal racing mode that encourages pushing others into obstacles and playing aggressively as never felt better than in the remaster. While many people cried over the fact that burnout had been in a state of limbo for the past decade the return of this title was a great breath of fresh air in the currently somewhat stagnating industry of the racing genre. We can only hope that this success of the remaster will lead to an eventual new entry into the franchise.

Forza Motorsport 4

To many people, this might be a surprise considering that this is a 2011 title but two all Forza fans this is an expected entry on this list. Forza is by far the most realistic racing game out there that offers a large variety of cars and gorgeous panoramic tracks that allow you to race around the world. When we discuss Forza games though the reasons why Motorsport 4 stands tall above all the others are many. Not only did Forza motorsport introduce incredible drifting physics that today’s other Forza entries have not topped, but it was also the beginning of the rival system. It also had great social features in the form of custom public lobbies and storefronts, allowing players to sell their customizations. While many people mourn the car clubs which were introduced in this entry Forza is still trying to catch up to this 2011 gem.

Mario Kart 8

You know it and you love it this is the great Nintendo racing franchise that unites everyone around the love of competition. For many people, this is a racing game for those who don’t like racing games. While it does allow you to have a competitive racing experience it is morefamily-friendlyy and arcade oriented than the other titles on this list. Still with an extensive library of beloved maps and iconic racers, this recent game is fun for the whole family. Whether you are a Mario fan or a Zelda fan you will find a way to enjoy this game with friends or online.