Top 150 best Steam games released in 2014, according to gamer reviews. Despite representing a historical segment, this ranking is subject to change as votes change and old games. Oct 28, 2014  Traditionally, the Mac platform hasn’t been the best for gamers. There were relatively few titles out there developed for it directly, and the.

Jul 16, 2017 In this video we will show you our list of top Top 10 BEST Racing GAMES for MAC. We hope that all of u will enjoy watching our video and help support us by Like & Comment & Subscribe.

The Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 35 (as of 2011) major North American media outlets.^[1] The awards are given independently of the Expo's organizers.^[2]

Award winners[edit]

Note on 'all systems' as platform: Because games shown at E3 are still in development, the platforms for which the game is published might still be in question.

Best of Show[edit]

2019: Final Fantasy VII Remake (for PlayStation 4)

2018: Resident Evil 2 (for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

2017: Super Mario Odyssey (for Switch)

2016: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (for Wii U and Switch)

2015: Fallout 4 (for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

2014: Evolve (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2013: Titanfall (for PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One)

2012: The Last of Us (for PlayStation 3)

2011: BioShock Infinite (for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

2010: Nintendo 3DS

2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (for PlayStation 3)

2008: Fallout 3 (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2007: Rock Band (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2006: Wii

2005: Spore (for PC and Mac)

2004: PlayStation Portable

2003: Half-Life 2 (for PC)

2002: Doom 3 (for PC)

2001: GameCube

2000: Black & White (for PC)

1999: Freelancer (for PC)

Best Original Game[edit]

2019: The Outer Worlds (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2018: Dreams (for PlayStation 4)

2017: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (for Switch)

2016: Horizon Zero Dawn (for PlayStation 4)

2015: Horizon Zero Dawn (for PlayStation 4)

2014: No Man's Sky (for PlayStation 4)

2013: Titanfall (for PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One)

2012: The Last of Us (for PlayStation 3)

2011: BioShock Infinite (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2010: Dance Central (for Xbox 360)

2009: Scribblenauts (for Nintendo DS)

2008: Mirror's Edge (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2007: LittleBigPlanet (for PlayStation 3)

2006: Spore (for PC)

2005: Spore (for PC)

2004: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (for GameCube)

2003: Full Spectrum Warrior (for PC and Xbox)

2002: Psychonauts (for Xbox)^[3]

2001: Majestic (for PC)

2000: Black & White (for PC)

1999: Black & White (for PC)

Best Console Game[edit]

2019: Final Fantasy VII Remake (for PlayStation 4)

2018: Spider-Man (for PlayStation 4)

2017: Super Mario Odyssey (for Switch)

2016: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (for Wii U and Switch)

2015: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (for PlayStation 4)

2014: Evolve (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2013: Titanfall (for Xbox 360 and Xbox One)

2012: The Last of Us (for PlayStation 3)

2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC)

2010: Rage (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (for PlayStation 3)

2008: LittleBigPlanet (for PlayStation 3)

2007: Mass Effect (for Xbox 360)

2006: Gears of War (for Xbox 360)

2005: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (for GameCube)

2004: Halo 2 (for Xbox)

2003: Halo 2 (for Xbox)

2002: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (for GameCube)

2001: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (for PlayStation 2)

2000: Jet Grind Radio (for Dreamcast)

1999: Perfect Dark (for Nintendo 64)

1998: Metal Gear Solid (for PlayStation)

Best PC Game[edit]

2019: Doom Eternal

2018: Anthem

2017: Destiny 2

2016: Civilization VI

2015: Fallout 4

2014: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

2013: Titanfall

2012: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

2011: BioShock Infinite

2010: Portal 2

2009: Star Wars: The Old Republic

2008: Spore

2007: Crysis

2006: Spore

2005: Spore

2004: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

2003: Half-Life 2

2002: Doom 3

2001: Star Wars Galaxies

2000: Black & White

1999: Freelancer

1998: Half-Life

Best Handheld Game[edit]

2017: Metroid: Samus Returns (for Nintendo 3DS)

2015: The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (for Nintendo 3DS)

2014: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (for Nintendo 3DS)

2013: Tearaway (for PlayStation Vita)

2012: Sound Shapes (for PlayStation Vita)

2011: Sound Shapes (for PlayStation Vita)

2010: God of War: Ghost of Sparta (for PlayStation Portable)

2009: Scribblenauts (for Nintendo DS)

2008: Resistance: Retribution (for PlayStation Portable)

2007: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (for Nintendo DS)

2006: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (for Nintendo DS)

2005: Nintendogs (for Nintendo DS)

Best Peripheral/Hardware[edit]

2019: Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2

2018: Xbox Adaptive Controller

2017: Xbox One X

2016: PlayStation VR

2015: Oculus Touch

2014: Oculus Rift

2013: Oculus Rift

2012: Wii U

2011: PlayStation Vita

2010: Nintendo 3DS

2009: Project Natal (for Xbox 360)

2008: Rock Band 2 Ion 'Drum Rocker' Set

2007: Rock Band instruments

2006: Wii

2005: PlayStation 3

2004: PlayStation Portable

2003: EyeToy (for PlayStation 2)

2002: WaveBird Wireless Controller (for GameCube)

2001: (PC) NvidiaGeForce 3

2001: (Console) GameCube

2000: (PC) nVidia GeForce 2

2000: (Console) Xbox

1999: (PC) Nvidia RIVA TNT2

1999: (Console) Dreamcast

1998: Microsoft SideWinder Freestyle Pro

Best Action Game[edit]

2019: Doom Eternal (for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One)

2018: Anthem (for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

2017: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2016: Battlefield 1 (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2015: Star Wars Battlefront (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2014: Evolve (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2013: Titanfall (for PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One)

2012: Halo 4 (for Xbox 360)

2011: Battlefield 3 (for PC)

2010: Rage (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2009: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2008: Gears of War 2 (for Xbox 360)

2007: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2006: Gears of War (for Xbox 360)

2005: F.E.A.R. (for PC)

2004: Halo 2 (for Xbox)

2003: Half-Life 2 (for PC)

2002: Doom 3 (for PC)

2001: Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (for GameCube)

2000: Halo: Combat Evolved (for PC)

1999: Team Fortress (for PC)

1998: Half-Life (for PC)

Best Action/Adventure Game[edit]

2019: Watch Dogs: Legion (for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One)

2018: Spider-Man (for PlayStation 4)

2017: Super Mario Odyssey (for Switch)

2016: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (for Wii U and Switch)

2015: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (for PlayStation 4)

2014: Batman: Arkham Knight (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2013: Watch Dogs (for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U)

2012: The Last of Us (for PlayStation 3)

2011: BioShock Infinite (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2010: Portal 2 (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (for PlayStation 3)

2008: Dead Space (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2007: BioShock (for Xbox 360)

2006: Assassin’s Creed (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2005: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (for GameCube)

2004: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (for PC)

2003: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (for multiple systems)

2002: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (for multiple systems)

2001: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (for PlayStation 2)

2000: Escape from Monkey Island (for PC)

1999: Oni (for PC)

1998: Grim Fandango (for PC)

Best Role Playing Game[edit]

2019: Final Fantasy VII Remake (for PlayStation 4)

2018: Kingdom Hearts III (for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

2017: Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (for PC and PlayStation 4)

2016: Final Fantasy XV (for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

2015: Fallout 4 (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2014: Dragon Age: Inquisition (for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One)

2013: The Elder Scrolls Online (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2012: South Park: The Stick of Truth (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2010: Star Wars: The Old Republic (for PC)

2009: Mass Effect 2 (for PC and Xbox 360)

2008: Fallout 3 (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2007: Mass Effect (for Xbox 360)

2006: Mass Effect (for Xbox 360)

2005: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (for PC and Xbox 360)

2004: Jade Empire (for Xbox)

2003: Fable (for Xbox)

2002: Neverwinter Nights (for PC)

2001: Neverwinter Nights (for PC)

2000: Neverwinter Nights (for PC)

1999: Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption (for PC)

1998: Baldur's Gate (for PC)

Best Racing Game[edit]

2019: Crash Team Racing (for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One)

2018: Forza Horizon 4 (for PC and Xbox One)

2017: Forza Motorsport 7 (for PC and Xbox One)

2016: Forza Horizon 3 (for PC and Xbox One)

2015: Need for Speed (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2014: The Crew (for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360)

2013: Need for Speed Rivals (for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox )

2012: Need for Speed: Most Wanted (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2011: Forza Motorsport 4 (for Xbox 360)

2010: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2009: Split/Second (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2008: Pure (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2007: Burnout Paradise (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2006: Excite Truck (for Wii)

2005: Burnout Revenge (for PlayStation 2 and Xbox)

2004: Burnout 3: Takedown (for PlayStation 2 and Xbox)

2003: Gran Turismo 4 (for PlayStation 2)

2002: Auto Modellista (for PlayStation 2)

2001: Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (for PlayStation 2)

2000: Need For Speed: Motor City (for PC)

1999: Driver (for PC and PlayStation)

1998: Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (for PC and PlayStation)

Best Sports Game[edit]

2019: eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 (for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

2018: FIFA 19 (for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

2017: FIFA 18 (for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One)

2016: Steep (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2015: FIFA 16 (for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, iOS, and Android)

2014: NHL 15 (for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One)

2013: NHL 14(for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2012: FIFA Soccer 13 (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2011: FIFA Soccer 12 (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2010: NBA Jam (for Wii)

2009: Fight Night Round 4 (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2008: Madden NFL 09 (for multiple systems)

2007: Madden NFL 08 (for multiple systems)

2006: Wii Sports (for Wii)

2005: Madden NFL 06 (for multiple systems)

2004: Madden NFL 2005 (for multiple systems)

2003: Tony Hawk's Underground (for multiple systems)

2002: NFL 2K3 (for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox)

2001: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (for PlayStation 2)

2000: Madden NFL 2001 (for PlayStation 2)

1999: NFL 2K (for Dreamcast)

1998: Madden NFL 99 (for PC, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation)

Best Fighting Game[edit]

2018: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (for Switch)

2017: Dragon Ball FighterZ (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2016: Injustice 2 (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2014: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (for Wii U)

2012: Injustice: Gods Among Us (for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U)

2011: Street Fighter X Tekken (for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Vita)

2010: Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2009: Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (for Wii)

2008: Street Fighter IV (for Arcade)

2007: Virtua Fighter 5 (for PlayStation 3)

2006: Heavenly Sword (for PlayStation 3)

2005: Soulcalibur III (for PlayStation 2)

2004: Def Jam: Fight for NY (for multiple systems)

2003: Soulcalibur II (for multiple systems)

2002: Tekken 4 (for PlayStation 2)

2001: Super Smash Bros. Melee (for GameCube)

2000: Ultimate Fighting Championship (for Dreamcast)

1999: Soulcalibur (for Dreamcast)

1998: Tekken 3

Best Strategy Game[edit]

(Real-Time or Turn-Based)

2019: John Wick Hex (for Mac and PC)

2018: Total War: Three Kingdoms (for PC)

2017: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (for Switch)

2016: Civilization VI (for PC)

2014: Civilization: Beyond Earth (for PC)

2013: Total War: Rome II (for PC)

2012: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2011: From Dust (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2010: Civilization V (for PC)

2009: Supreme Commander 2 (for PC and Xbox 360)

2008: Tom Clancy's EndWar (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2007: World in Conflict (for PC)

2006: Supreme Commander (for PC)

2005: Company of Heroes (for PC)

2004: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth (for PC)

2003: Command & Conquer: Generals (for PC)

2002: Rome: Total War (for PC)

2001: Age of Mythology (for PC)

2000: Black & White (for PC)

1999: Homeworld (for PC)

1998: (RTS) Homeworld

1998: (turn-based) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle/Family Game[edit]

2019: Luigi's Mansion 3 (for Switch)

2018: Overcooked 2 (for PlayStation 4, Switch and Xbox One)

2017: Hidden Agenda (for PlayStation 4)

2016: Skylanders: Imaginators (for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U)

2015: Super Mario Maker (for Wii U)

2014: Mario Maker (for Wii U)

2013: Fantasia: Music Evolved (for Xbox 360 and Xbox One)

2012: Dance Central 3 (for Xbox 360)

2011: Sound Shapes (for PlayStation Vita)

2010: Rock Band 3 (for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii)

2009: DJ Hero (for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii)

2008: LittleBigPlanet (for PlayStation 3)

2007: Rock Band (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2006: Guitar Hero II (for PlayStation 2)

2005: We Love Katamari (for PlayStation 2)

2004: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (for GameCube)

2003: The EyeToy Games (for PlayStation 2)

2002: Super Monkey Ball 2 (for GameCube)

2001: Pikmin (for GameCube)

2000: Samba de Amigo (for Dreamcast)

1999: Um Jammer Lammy (for PlayStation)

1998: Sentinel Returns

Best Online Multiplayer[edit]

2019: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2018: Battlefield V (for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

2017: Star Wars Battlefront II (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2016: Titanfall 2 (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2015: Star Wars Battlefront (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2014: Evolve (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2013: Titanfall (for PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One)

2012: Halo 4 (for Xbox 360)

2011: Battlefield 3 (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2010: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2009: Left 4 Dead 2 (for PC and Xbox 360)

2008: Left 4 Dead (for PC and Xbox 360)

2007: Halo 3 (for Xbox 360)

2006: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (for PC)

2005: Battlefield 2 (for PC)

2004: Halo 2 (for Xbox)

2003: City of Heroes (for PC)

2002: Star Wars Galaxies (for PC) [2]

2001: Star Wars Galaxies (for PC) [1]

2000: Neverwinter Nights (for PC)

1999: Team Fortress (for PC)

1998: EverQuest

Best Independent Game[edit]

2019: 12 Minutes (for PC and Xbox One)

2018: Ori and the Will of the Wisps (for PC and Xbox One)

2017: The Artful Escape (for PC and Xbox One)

2016: Inside (for PC and Xbox One)

2015: No Man's Sky (for PlayStation 4)

2014: No Man's Sky (for PlayStation 4)

Best VR/AR Game[edit]

2019: Phantom: Covert Ops (for Oculus Quest and PC)

2018: Tetris Effect (for PlayStation 4)

2017: Lone Echo (for PC)

2016: Batman: Arkham VR (for PlayStation 4)

Best Ongoing Game[edit]

2019: Destiny 2 (for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One)

2018: Fortnite (for iOS, Mac, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch and Xbox One)

Special Commendation for Graphics, Sound or Innovation[edit]

2019: (G) Cyberpunk 2077 (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2018: (G) Cyberpunk 2077 (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2018: (G) The Last of Us Part II (for PlayStation 4)

2018: (G) Ghost of Tsushima (for PlayStation 4)

2018: (S) The Last of Us Part II (for PlayStation 4)

2018: (I) Cyberpunk 2077 (for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One)

2016: (G) God of War (for PlayStation 4)

2015: (G) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (for PlayStation 4)

2014: (I) No Man's Sky (for PlayStation 4)

2012: (G) Star Wars 1313 (for TBA)

2012: (G) Watch Dogs (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2012: (S) The Last of Us (for PlayStation 3)

2012: (I) Watch Dogs (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2010: (G) Rage (for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360)

2007: (G) Killzone 2 (for PlayStation 3)

2005: (G) Killzone (for PlayStation 3)

2004: (G) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (for PC)

2003: (G) Half-Life 2 (for PC)

2002: (S) Doom 3 (for PC)

2001: (S) Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (for PC)

2000: (G) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (for PlayStation and GameCube)

1999: (G) Freelancer (for PC)

1999: (+S) Outcast (for PC)

1999: (+S) Um Jammer Lammy (for PlayStation)

Winners of older awards[edit]

Best Downloadable Game[edit]

2013: Transistor (for PC and PlayStation 4)

2012: The Unfinished Swan (for PlayStation 3)

2011: Bastion (for PC and Xbox 360)

Best Motion Simulation Game[edit]

2012: Dance Central 3 (for Xbox 360)

2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (for Wii)

2010: Dance Central (for Xbox 360)

Best Simulation Game[edit]

(Combat, Flight, Non-Combat)

2008: Tom Clancy's EndWar (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

2006: Spore (for PC)

2005: Spore (for PC)

2004: The Sims 2 (for PC)

2003: Full Spectrum Warrior (for PC and Xbox)

2002: The Sims Online (for PC)

2001: The Sims Online (for PC)

2000: MechWarrior 4: Vengeance (for PC)

1999: (|F) Jane's USAF (for PC)

1999: (|N) Freelancer (for PC)

1998: (|C) Fighter Legends (for PC)

1998: (|N) Railroad Tycoon II (for PC)

Best Platformer[edit]

1999: Donkey Kong 64 (for Nintendo 64)

Most Promising New Game[edit]

1998: Homeworld

Best Booth[edit]

1999: Electronic Arts

Best Party[edit]

1998 : Babylon 5

References[edit]

1. ^Tor Thorsen (22 June 2011). 'E3 2011: BioShock Infinite, Uncharted 3 lead Game Critics Awards nominations'. GameSpot. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
2. ^'Game Critics Awards'. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
3. ^2002 winners

External links[edit]

What are the best racing games on PC? Whether mastering muddy tracks in Dirt Rally or embracing Forza Horizon 4’s brilliant Britain, here are the best racers around.

Picking the very best racing games on PC is no easy task. So many elements contribute: the genre’s not only about graphical fidelity and hair-raising sound design – though both certainly help – it’s also about pulling you into the action as if you’re there in the driver’s seat, eyes strained as the asphalt whips past at 240kph. From honing your timing for a perfect gear shift to kicking out the back-end for a sublime drift, a quality racing game just feels right.

Don’t go asking, “How could you forget about Grand Prix Legends! Where’s Geoff Crammond?!” When versions of those games surface on Steam or GOG, we’ll be the first in line to play them again… and inevitably find they haven’t aged as well as we hoped. So for those of you who are just looking to hop in and fire up the engine of a superb racer, whether that’s an intricate sim or an arcade thriller, we’ve got some breakneck PC racers for you.

The best racing games are:

Forza Horizon 4

Playground Games’s latest racing title has left the Aussie Outback for the British Isles in Forza Horizon 4. Forza’s ten-hour campaign has you race through the Scottish Highlands, coast around the Lake District, and drive through quaint British villages.

As the seasons change between spring, summer, autumn, and winter, so do the landscapes. You’ll have to adapt your driving to suit each season, you can feel your car react to subtle changes like wet leaves and icy roads making you more aware of the terrain and forcing you to skillfully master it if you want to record the best track times. If you need any help getting started, just read our Forza Horizon 4 beginner’s guide.

You can take part in traditional races, seasonal championships, co-op campaigns, stunt jumps, and endurance tests in a variety of speedy and stylish vehicles ranging from modified transit vans to one-off hypercars. Coast around the British countryside and get your hands on classic cars, and yes, there’s a James Bond Car pack that gives you a choice of iconic Aston Martins. As you’ll find in our Forza Horizon 4 PC review is quite the road trip.

Dirt Rally 2

If you don’t know your pacenotes from your driveshaft, Dirty Rally 2.0 is not the racing game for you. If you’re looking for a casual driving experience, just getting from A to B a bit faster than you would normally be able to on your daily commute, try Dirt 4, instead. In Rally 2.0 your co-driver will launch instructions, numbers, and directions at you thick and fast and, if you can’t handle the varied terrains and hairpin bends then you’ll be smashing into a tree before you know it.

As you’ll find in our Dirt Rally 2.0 PC review, is unapologetic in its hardcore sensibilities. Unlike more casual racing games, failure here is regular, and the slightest error will be ruthlessly punished. Heavy crashes overwhelm the senses like a flashbang has exploded on your bonnet. And, if you’re caught behind the pack, the introduction of surface degradation will make even driving in a straight line a struggle. But, if you know what you’re doing, there are few better approximations of this demanding discipline among the best PC games than Dirt Rally 2.0.

Just as we did in our Dirt Rally 2.0 impressions, you’ll be doing a lot of crashing: Codemasters’ driving game doesn’t come with a tutorial this time – you’ll only learn from successive trips to the hospital. Also failing to make the drive from previous games is the procedural track-generating system, Your Stage. Instead, each race is meticulously hand-crafted, inviting devoted fans to commit every nefarious twist and turn to memory. That’s the only way to master Dirt Rally 2.0 and, if you don’t embrace its obsessively singular vision, you’re finishing last.

Shift 2

Shift 2 might be the best compromise between realism and accessibility of any game on this list. It’s not just the ways the car handle – menacing, but capable – but the way it consistently thinks about what players need to perform at a high level. Rather than lock your view gazing out over the hood, or ask you to spring for TrackIR to let you turn your head, Shift 2 has a dynamic view that subtly changes based on context.

Coming up on a gentle right-hand corner, your view shifts a bit as your driver avatar looks right into the apex. For a sharper corner, your view swings a bit more so you have a sense of what you’re driving into, yet it doesn’t feel disorienting at all. It feels natural.

Read more: Here are the best management games on PC

The thoughtfulness even extends to depth-of-field. This is a wildly overused visual effect but Shift 2 uses it to highlight where your attention should be. When someone is coming up fast on your tail, objects farther away get a bit fuzzier while your mirrors sharpen to razor clarity. As you move around in dense traffic, your cockpit gets indistinct while the cars around you come into focus. It sounds gimmicky, but it all feels as natural as driving a car in real life. Shift 2 is really dedicated to communicating the fun and accomplishment of performance driving, and it succeeds admirably.

Project Cars 2

Real cars, you might have noticed, rarely cartwheel into the verge the moment you dare to mix steering and acceleration inputs. In fact, they’re quite good at going round corners – it is almost like an engineer has given the problem some thought during the design process. Performance cars in Project Cars 2, while certainly more liable to bite back, are even better at the whole turning thing. Throw a Ferrari or Lamborghini around the track (as we have done on a number of occasions) and you’ll probably spend more time having fun than fretting about the absence of a rewind button in real life.

Slightly Mad know this. They are, it seems, just as frustrated by the driving sim genre’s propensity to equate challenge with the sensation of driving on treadless tires on a slab of melting ice set at an angle of 45 degrees. So here, cars actually go around the corners, even when you give the throttle some beans. Don’t get us wrong, this is no virtual Scallextric set – you can still make mistakes, and traction is far from absolute. But, crucially, you aren’t punished for these mistakes with a rapid trip into the nearest trackside barrier (at least, if you play with a wheel – pad control is still a little oversensitive). The result is a game that feels much more like real driving, and as you’ll read about in our Project Cars 2 PC review, it is wonderful.

The studio has made plenty of other changes in this sequel too, shoring up the car selection with a greater variety of vehicles, and creating a career mode that feels less wayward without sacrificing the appealing freedom of choice pioneered by the previous game’s. There’s even half-decent AI to race against if you don’t fancy the cut and thrust of online play. But the most spectacular update is the game’s astonishing weather system, one that calculates a dizzying number of factors about the physical properties of materials and surfaces, water pooling and run-off, in order to spit out the best set of weather effects – and wet weather driving – we’ve ever experienced in a racing game. A rather successful sequel, then, and better yet the developers are working on a Fast & Furious game.

TrackMania 2: Canyon

Any genre veteran will tell you that good track design is an essential part of any quality racing title. And that’s an area where TrackMania 2: Canyon really has a winning, unique selling point. While in most games a hairpin bend, g-force-laden camber, or high-speed straight might suffice, tracks in TrackMania 2: Canyon take on a terrifying, Hot Wheels-inspired new meaning. Sweeping barrel-rolls, nigh-impossible jumps, and floating platforms that stick up two fingers to physics are what set the TrackMania series apart from other arcade racers.

The real heart of TrackMania 2 can be found online, where the ingenious, convoluted creations of others take centre stage. The competition is fierce and frantic. A race can quickly devolve into a hilarious highlight reel of missed jumps and unforeseen corners. The racing mechanics make for an ideal pick-up-and-play multiplayer game that you can lose hours to without noticing. That’s largely because of how easy the cars are to drive, and yet, once you hit the (often ludicrous) tracks, it’s anyone’s bet who’ll take first place.

Driver: San Francisco

Every arcade racer should be as cool as this game. If Steve McQueen were digitised and turned into a videogame, he would be Driver: San Francisco.

While Driver: SF features cars and influences from a variety of eras, it approaches everything with a ’70s style. It loves American muscle, roaring engines, squealing tyres, and the impossibly steep hills and twisting roads of San Francisco. It may have the single greatest soundtrack of any racing game, and some of the best event variety, too.

It also has one of the most novel conceits in the genre. Rather than be bound to one vehicle, you can freely swap your car for any other on the road at the push of a button. So, in many races, the car you finish in might not be the one you started with, and in-car chases, you’ll quickly learn to teleport through traffic to engineer a variety of automotive catastrophes just to screw with opponents. It’s bizarre, original, and perpetually delightful. As we’ve said in the past, there’s a lot modern racers could learn from Driver: San Francisco. They really don’t make ’em like this anymore.

F1 2019

It might not be the revolution we got in 2016, but this is undoubtedly the best F1 game you can play. It’s a moderate update on last year’s effort, but this is a racing game where you’ll spot more changes off the track than on it. As was widely praised in the glowing F1 2019 review scores, the series’ AI continues to be uncannily realistic, retaining the steep challenge if you don’t fancy the more arcade-like experience posed by the game’s myriad driving aides.

But, it’s away from the overbearing heat of the track that this simulation game really shines. The solo missions that serve as a precursor to your ascent to the big leagues are a detailed, story-focused kick start into the world of Formula 1 but, even though it fizzles out into a more traditional ten-season campaign, it’s still a nice touch. Not only is F1 2019 the best of its kind, Codemasters has also recognised the vibrancy of its esports scene and put it to the forefront of it multiplayer offering. It looks like we may be waiting to hear about the F1 2020 release date for some time now, so it’s a bless that the most recent version of the series is so good.

Race: Injection

You can’t put together a list of great simulation racing games without having something from SimBin. While the studio appears to have lost its way a bit with the dubious free-to-play RaceRoom Racing Experience, SimBin were sim racing royalty during the mid-2000s. Race: Injection is their capstone game, the package that combines just about everything they accomplished with the GTR series and Race 07.

These are hard games, but the race-modified sedans of the World Touring Car Cup should ease your transition into serious racing. Even a racing Honda Accord is still a Honda Accord, and the slightly more manageable speed and difficulty of the WTCC is a great place to learn the tracks and SimBin’s superb physics.

But there are muscle cars, endurance cars, and open-wheel racers to choose from in this package, all of them brilliantly recreated and offering unique driving challenges. For the money, you probably can’t do better than Race: Injection for sim racing.

Keeping it classic: Check out the best old games on PC

Unfortunately, the Race series was also long in the tooth even as Injection was released, and there’s no concealing the old tech it’s built on. Don’t let the flat lighting and dull graphics throw you off, though. A few minutes with these cars, especially if you have a quality force feedback wheel, and you won’t even notice the aged appearance.

Assetto Corsa Competizione

This racing sim will appeal to dedicated fans of the genre while also outdoing the original Assetto Corsa in practically every department – and doing that means clearing a very high bar indeed. It’s taken a while for Competizione to work through the turmoil of Early Access, but with it’s 1.0 release there are only a few bugs left to crush.

We’re quite taken with it, too. In our Assetto Corsa Competizione review, Phil Iwaniuk highlights how it evolves from its predecessor. “There’s more than just an endurance racing licence to distinguish Assetto Corsa Competizione from its predecessor,” he says. “It’s more polished, more precise, and offers more scope for long-term single-player satisfaction.”

iRacing

Welp, here we go. The Grand Poobah of simulation racing. iRacing blurs the line between play and work. Its cars and tracks are recreated with a fanatical attention to detail, and its league racing rules are about as serious as you’ll find in any racing club or at any track event in the world. This is a racing game for people who want the real thing and are willing to spend hours training for it. It is perhaps the pinnacle of Papyrus legend David Kaemmer’s career. For those of us who cut our teeth on the IndyCar and Grand Prix Legends game, that name alone is recommendation enough.

iRacing is not cheap – though, at $50 a year, it’s better value than many an MMO – also, you should check out the best MMOs on PC. Nor is its emphasis on graphics. But its rewards are aimed at a specific and demanding group of players. When you’ve outgrown the Codemasters games, and even stuff like Race: Injection is wearing a little thin, this is where you go. Also, iRacing in VR is quite the experience, too.

There you have it, the best racing games on PC. If all this speedster action has gotten you restless and impatient, why not double down on those feelings by checking up on the best upcoming PC games. Perhaps you’d like to slow things down, and focus on more cerebral pursuits? In which case, read about the best strategy games on PC.

Read more: There’s plenty more vehicular mayhem in our list of the best police games on PC

In the meantime, get fired into the speedy sensations above. Turns out, virtual driving is way more exciting than trying to parallel park a second-hand Skoda. Who knew?