Best Racing Games On PS Plus

Sony's PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium try to cover most genres, and racing games are naturally not an exception. Compared to some other categories like RPGs, racers are not as plentiful nor are new games added as frequently; however, the service still has a respectable selection of projects that cover a few different styles. There are both arcade and sim racers, along with a few niche titles that focus on other aspects of driving.

Arguably, PS Plus does not have enough racing games to justify a yearly subscription solely for them. Therefore, if the genre's availability plays a part in somebody's decision to invest, they should mostly regard them as one part of the overall puzzle. Still, the best PS Plus racing games are pretty great.

Updated October 8, 2024 by Mark Sammut:PS Plus has not received many racing games in recent months, but subscribers do have more than a few options to keep them busy. Two recommendations have been added at the end of the article.

Wipeout Omega Collection

Awesome Fast-Paced Futuristic Racing Games

Wipeout Omega Collectioncontains remasters of the PS3's Wipeout HDand the PS Vita's Wipeout 2048, both of which are great futuristic racers. Over the last decade, Studio Liverpool's franchise has been mainly dormant, and that does not appear set to change soon. In the meantime, PS Plus Premium subscribers can at least experience two of the license's highest points.

Offering a stylish presentation and challenging gameplay, Wipeout Omega Collectionis the perfect game to throw on for a few quick races. Although it has an arcade feel, the package is not lacking in depth and offers a decent challenge. The collection is also not lacking in content, with all three including projects containing plenty of tracks and cars. Wipeout used to be a staple of the PlayStation brand, and while it has seemingly fallen out of favor with Sony, this compilation at least keeps it alive on PS Plus.

MotorStorm: Apocalypse

Over-The-Top Arcade Racer Set Within A Crumbling World

From 2006 to 2012, Sony published five Motorstormgames, seemingly setting the license up to be a PlayStation cornerstone moving forward. Then, the franchise just died. Though never reaching the heights of Need for Speedor Forza, Motorstormis relatively consistent, with each game building on the one that came before it.

Motorstorm: Apocalypsedrops players in a world that is falling apart around them, setting races amid decrepit and crumbling buildings. Even if it is not the most precise or complex racing game on PS Plus, Apocalypse is quite the spectacle, making for a thrilling ride with very few dull moments. Beyond that, the controls are accessible, responsive, and just plain fun, at least for players craving an arcade title.

Split/Second

PS3 Arcade Racer That Has Aged Well

As can be said for several Black Rock Studio games, Split/Secondis awesome and underrated. This arcade racer casts players as stunt drivers in a reality TV show, and the goal is to blow up everything while dashing toward the finish line. Unapologetically ludicrous, the game embraces its absurd premise with vigor and style.

As fun as the over-the-top shenanigans are, Split/Secondalso does not ignore its fundamentals. At its core, this arcade racer controls very well, delivering an accessible experience filled with mayhem and excitement. While racing games are and will likely always be fairly common, Split/Second is a one-of-a-kind.

Trials Rising

Less About Speed, More About Control

Ubisoft's Trials series has been going on for a while, and the 2019 entry is among the franchise's best. Trials Rising challenges players to complete absurd courses filled with physics-defying stunts. While the game loves to inject a dash of silliness into proceedings, its wacky presentation is combined with precise and satisfying gameplay that comes with a reasonably steep learning curve.

Trials Rising is a creative racer that goes out of its way to surprise players. Newcomers to the franchise might initially struggle to come to grips with the game's controls, but when things finally click, RedLynx's title starts to shine.

Jak X: Combat Racing

Naughty Dog's Underappreciated Vehicular Combat Game

Naughty Dog's Jak X: Combat Racingtends to be overshadowed by the studio's other kart racer, which is a shame as the PS2 title is nearly as great as Crash Team Racing. Along with exhibition and multiplayer modes, Jak Xhas a single-player campaign that casts players as the franchise's heroes in a competition consisting of four cups.

While a kart racer, Jak Xplaces a heavier emphasis on vehicular combat than most of the sub-genre's representatives, and Naughty Dog even goes as far as to give health bars to cars. The adventure mode is a blast and consistently rewards players with new unlockables, even if it only features a single character. Like CTR, Jak X shines the brightest in multiplayer; however, also like CTR, the PS2 title is also a great pick for solo play, which will probably be most people's experience in this day and age.

Riders Republic

Master Multiple Extreme Sports In A Gorgeous Open-World

Ubisoft's Riders Republic is an extreme sports game set in a beautiful and diverse open-world. An online-focused experience, the title launched with a few extreme sports for players to specialize in, and Ubisoft has continued to add activities post-launch. Be it snowboarding, bikes, or wingsuits, the sports control fairly differently from each other, which extends the game's replayability.

Riders Republic did not get too much attention at launch, and it has faded from the public's consciousness over the last year. Nevertheless, the game's fundamentals are strong, and they are backed by a good range of content. Ubisoft has kept the project alive too, releasing seasons and even new sports to keep players engaged. While the multiplayer portion will likely be the main attraction for most people, Riders Republic's single-player is pretty good, offering a lot of events that highlight each of the included sports. Even though players can just focus on their preferred activity, they will need to engage in all of them to unlock the full map.

Hotshot Racing

Short But Sweet Indie Racer

A throwback to classic arcade racers like Virtua Racing and Daytona USA, Hotshot Racing wears its inspiration proudly on its hood. Utilizing a vibrant, blocky art style that just screams '90s arcades, this charming racer features eight drivers and more than 30 unlicensed vehicles that pay (obvious) homage to recognizable cars.

In terms of its actual racing mechanics, Hotshot Racing drives like a dream. The cars are responsive and weighty, and their stats do impact the way they feel. Similar to its inspirations, Hotshot Racing is not particularly overflowing with content, and players can experience almost everything the game has to offer within a few hours.

Ridge Racer 2

PSP Representative Of An Iconic PlayStation Franchise

Up until the PS3 era, Ridge Racer was a staple of Sony's PlayStation launch lineups. The franchise's games often acted as showcases of a console's hardware, all the while being very good arcade racers in their own right. The PSP kept up this trend with Ridge Racer, which is still among the highest-rated games on the console. The 2006 sequel is not quite as decorated, but that primarily comes down to a lack of notable additions and improvements rather than a decline in quality.

That's not to say Ridge Racer 2 has nothing new to offer, just that the additions come in the form of tracks rather than mechanics. Consequently, this release can feel like a glorified expansion rather than a proper sequel. As valid as these criticisms are, they are not that relevant in this day and age, particularly for PS Plus Premium subscribers. If only one of these two titles could be added to the service, the 2006 entry was the right game to highlight.

Assetto Corsa Competizione

Challenging & Deep Racing Sim

Like most other categories, racing games cannot be pigeonholed into one bracket. PS Plus is filled with racing games that are so far removed from each other that they barely seem like they belong to the same genre. Assetto Corsa Competizione is a hard-as-nails racing sim revolving around the Blancpain GT Series.

Realism is the name of the game here, and Assetto Corsa Competizionecomes as close as any of its contemporaries to capturing the feel of being behind the wheel. Unsurprisingly, this results in a package that is not friendly to beginners, especially those who wish to jump straight into offline or online races. However, if someone puts in the time to master the game's mechanics, they will find perhaps the best racing sim on PS Plus.

Monster Energy Supercross The Official Videogame 6

Just For Fans Of Bike Racing, But Decent Official Release

If PS Plus racing games are an acquired taste, then the motorbike subgenre takes things a few steps further. While occasionally included as a vehicle type, bikes are rarely granted a solo spotlight, at least when compared to their 4-wheel siblings. Over the last few years, Monster Energy Supercross has become one of the "main" motorbike gaming franchises, producing annual releases that are, typically, decent but lack much in the way of innovation or new features. The sixth entry does not buck that trend, launching with very few improvements over its predecessor. However, as Monster Energy Supercross 5 is not on PS Plus, this criticism does not mean much in this situation. If a subscriber is specifically craving a bike-themed racer that follows a more conventional structure, they cannot do better than this June 2024 arrival, even if complete newcomers should prepare themselves for a somewhat steep learning curve.

Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 6 provides a traditional but enjoyable career that follows the typical trajectory for a licensed racing game. Start from nothing and work your way up; a derivative but successful formula. Although its online multiplayer is not particularly active, the game has more than enough solo content to keep someone busy for quite a while. The visuals do a great job of replicating the looks of real-world bikes and tracks, along with adding flourishes that echo the sport's larger-than-life presentation. The controls can take a while to get used to since they are fairly punishing, but they are not bad either. Players new to the franchise will just need a few practice runs to learn how to manage corners.

Jet Moto (& Jet Moto 2)

Have Aged Shockingly Well

PS Plus Premium is slowly but surely starting to bring over some long-dormant franchises that, once upon a time, were poised as leading properties in Sony's arsenal. Obviously, the service still has a long way to go before its library can be described as "expansive," but baby steps are better than nothing. Jet Moto was a fairly big deal during the PS1 era, with the series producing three games in half a decade before fizzling out due to diminished sales. Although opinions vary on the top entry in the series, the trilogy is relatively consistent in terms of quality, and the first entry is still fun to play all these years later.

Jet Moto takes jet skis and gives them a sci-fi twist, allowing the hard-to-control vehicles to work on land alongside water. This futuristic advancement is utilized to great effect by the racetracks, all of which combine the two terrains to create unique and exciting environments. With a decent range of courses and drivers, Jet Moto has a respectable amount of content, especially since the controls come with a somewhat steep learning curve when compared to other arcade racers.

Nostalgia might play a role in determining someone's enjoyment since there is no escaping Jet Moto's age; however, the game has enough to offer newcomers to justify a quick download.

Rally Cross

PS1 Arcade Racer That Is Still Fun To Play

A PS1 classic that has gotten a second run in the sun through PS Plus Premium, Rally Cross is certainly a product of its time, which is not a negative statement. The series only produced two games, with the first entry being developed internally by Sony. Although fairly rudimentary by today's standards, they offered a fun alternative to Sega racers of their era by incorporating a learning curve without raising the bar of entry too steeply. Rally fans who are mostly accustomed to modern projects like the Dirt series may appreciate a trip through memory lane to see one of the earliest attempts to adapt this side of racing into video game form, even if Rally Cross tends to be overshadowed by Sega Rally Championship and Colin McRae Rally.

The game comes with a few options. Players can engage in standard single-races across a few tracks which come with different versions (and many courses need to be unlocked). Rally Cross also has a respectable selection of cars that do feel different from each other, at least to the extent that this decision has some weight to it. The main mode is "Season," which largely allows players to run through an array of courses after each other. The unlockables are tied to this mode too.

Rally Cross controls pretty well for its era, and it toes the line between sim and arcade action. The former element largely comes from figuring out the ideal route to take in each track rather than the actual feel of the cars, although drivers do need to be careful of over or under-stirring.

The Crew 2

Race Across The States With Your Crew

At the end of March 2024, Ubisoft shut down servers for The Crew, sunsetting the open-world racer. This move, naturally, garnered quite a bit of criticism. While not a "new" project, The Crew still had a relatively active community that enjoyed its multiplayer-driven gameplay loop; due to its online nature, the game is effectively done at this point. This development has highlighted the risk that comes with always-online releases: they have an expiration date. As such, fear has started to rise that other Ubisoft projects might follow suit sooner or later. The Crew 2 is an obvious candidate since it functions almost exactly like its predecessor.

Just a few weeks after putting The Crew out to pasture, its sequel was added to PS Plus Extra and Premium. Although hardly one of the most decorated racers on the market, The Crew 2's massive open-world and co-op focus set it apart from most of the genre's offerings on Sony's service. The game is overflowing with activities, be it races, events, or cars that need to be unlocked. While multiplayer is a big focus, The Crew 2 can easily be played solo as well, with most of the content being single-player.

Ride 5

A Challenging But Rewarding Motorcycle Sim

Milestone's Ride has mostly established itself as one of the definitive motorcycle racing franchises, with nearly every entry improving on the last to provide a fairly well-rounded sim experience. Rather than focus on pumping annual offerings, the developer tends to take its time, so new games usually show decent improvements over their predecessors. Ride 5 is overall the strongest release in the series, although whether it is a great entry point for newcomers is another matter entirely.

Now, Ride 5 is a proper sim, in the sense that the gameplay is strict and maintains high expectations from racers. The game is not particularly accessible nor does it go out of its way to try and guide beginners. While that can be frustrating initially, Ride 5 makes up for it with generally solid controls, good visuals, and a deep campaign.

Redout 2

Redout 2 is a mixed bag that can be infuriating, even for those who enjoyed the first game. As obvious from a glance, this racer takes inspiration from WipeOut and, more specifically, F-Zero. There is a heavy focus on speed and boosting, two concepts the game nails on occasion but not consistently.

Still, Redout 2 excels in a few key areas. The campaign is lengthy and relatively well-structured, with most types of ships being highlighted. The visuals are consistently spectacular too. When everything clicks, Redout 2 can be magic.

Special Mention: Twisted Metal & Twisted Metal 2

Vehicular Combat Classics

Even though a few PS Plus racing games take ideas from the vehicular combat genre, they are ultimately different beasts; however, they overlap quite a bit. Many kart racers incorporate arena battle modes that basically offer the same thrills as vehicular combat games, so fans of one genre will likely get some enjoyment out of the other. When it comes to these sorts of releases, few brands are as decorated as Twisted Metal, even if Sony has spent the last decade ignoring the franchise's existence. With Peacock's live-action series debuting in July 2023, Sony opted to add the first two Twisted Metal games to PS Plus Premium, shining a light on an IP that has been starving for love.

The original game is a classic, but the sequel arguably improves on the formula in most ways. The arenas/maps are bigger and more interesting, while the roster of characters is also improved. The gameplay, while undoubtedly dated and clunky, is serviceable, although someone's mileage may depend on whether they have nostalgia for the PS1 Twisted Metal games. Hopefully, these additions open the floodgates for Sony to introduce more entries to the subscription service as Black and the PS3 Twisted Metal should be on PS Plus.