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MetaCritic. The cultural battleground of the terminally online, the unshakeable arbiter by which all visual media is judged. (Although you may prefer Rotten Tomatoes for TV and movies...)
When it comes to video games, MetaCritic (MC) is the go-to for a quick verdict on which game to buy next. So, to help you decide on racing games, we scoured the aggregate site’s entire archive, calculated the averages, and now present to you the top ten car racing video game series of all time.
But, first, we had to establish some parameters in order to not make this whole venture impossibly chaotic.
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We decided there had to be at least three installments for a franchise to be considered (sorry, Rallisport Challenge fans), and that we’d be limiting it to franchises where the racing of cars was the focus, so no F-Zero or Driver, or what have you.
All titles in a franchise which had an aggregate MC score would be included, as would all platform ports of each installment. Did a series see a number of poorly received handheld spinoffs or terrible DLC expansions? They’re counted and will affect the ratings.
Also of course as MetaCritic has only been around since 1999, nothing from the glory days of offline gaming and print magazines would really be included.
With those points in mind, let’s get to it!
10. MotorStorm
Six entries with a combined MC average of 78.6667
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The Mountain Dew Baja Blast of racing games, Sony’s MotorStorm series saw five installments land between 2006 and 2012 to consistently good-not-great reviews.
The fourth in the series, MotorStorm Apocalypse, was the last home console installment and suffered at launch due to an 11th-hour delay in response to sensitivity concerns surrounding the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which occurred during the same month.
Apocalypse’s weaker reception critically and commercially spelled the end of the series as a AAA title, with the smaller-scale MotorStorm RC closing out the series a year later.
9. GRID
18 entries with a combined MC average of 79.3333
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Since its 2008 debut with Race Driver: GRID, the GRID franchise has been a quiet success for racing game titans Codemasters across its five installments.
The most recent entry, 2022’s GRID Legends, saw the series’ story mode presentation shift delightfully to a live-action video style modeled on Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive documentary series.
Legends publisher Electronic Arts made the dubious decision to release the game one week prior to the years-hyped Gran Turismo 7 – a move that we really hope won’t impact the series or its developer.
8. Midnight Club
13 entries with a combined MC average of 79.6923
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Rockstar’s street-racing franchise was a mainstay of the sixth and seventh generation of consoles but went dormant in 2009 following the release of Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition.
It’s hard to imagine we’ll see a revival now that the company is so focused on counting its utterly bananas GTA Online profits, and considering how nasty their recent ‘definitive editions’ of the Grand Theft Auto games from Midnight Club’s same era was, maybe it’s for the best that we don’t see a re-release either.
7. Gran Turismo
11 entries with an MC average of 80
Somehow not the top-ranked series?!
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Arguably the most iconic driving title since games consoles made the jump to 3D, Gran Turismo will celebrate its 25th year this December.
Despite fans being forced to endure painstakingly long periods between installments, (seven core titles in 25 years!), developers Polyphony Digital always manage to push the technical bounds of PlayStation hardware so far above and beyond what anyone would think possible that the wait tends to be worth it.
You’d be forgiven for looking at screenshots of even the PlayStation 3 installments and thinking they’re real-world photographs.
PlayStation 5
With over 420 cars available at Brand Central* and the Used Car Dealership* from day one, Gran Turismo 7 recreates the look and feel of classic motors and bleeding-edge supercars alike in unparalleled detail. Each car handles differently and feels unique as you navigate over 90 track routes in dynamic weather conditions, including classic courses from GT history.
*Internet connection required to download.
6. Burnout
24 entries with a combined MC of average 80.7917
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I miss Crash Mode. I miss it a lot.
Burnout Paradise remains a wonderful game even almost 15 years on, and I’m extremely glad that it’s continually been ported and updated to modern consoles, including just 18 months ago on the Nintendo Switch. Hot damn do I miss Burnout 3: Takedown’s Crash Mode though. IYKYK. 💥
Nintendo Switch
THE DEFINITIVE BURNOUT PARADISE EXPERIENCE Fully remastered and meticulously recreated, Burnout Paradise Remastered delivers the complete original game and all additional main DLC packs ever released, including the Cops and Robbers pack, Legendary Cars, Burnout Bikes, and Big Surf Island, with new locations, challenges, and vehicles to discover
5. Colin McRae Rally / Dirt
34 entries with a combined MC average of 80.9
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Codemasters' venerable rally simulator has been a cornerstone of the racing game genre for five console generations. The UK developers were acquired in 2021 by publisher EA who, based upon changes to the game's official social media accounts, appear to be rebranding the franchise as EA Sports Rally. Let’s just hope the financial demands of their new American parents don’t turn Codemasters' baby into annualized sludge.
4. TOCA Race Driver
5 entries with a combined MC average of 82.8
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Another one from Codemasters! It’s almost like they’re the… masters… of quality racing games. 🥁
The series saw 6 installments between 1997 and 2006 but shed its touring car racing focus with the fourth entry, TOCA Race Driver. In Australia the series even dropped its entire name from this point forward and was fully rebranded as V8 Supercars.
3. Forza Motorsport / Forza Horizon
26 entries with a combined MC average of 83.6154
(Xbox fans cheer, crowd goes wild, etc.)
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Xbox’s flagship racer since 2005, the Forza series has managed to stay fairly fresh for over 15 years through the wise decision to alternate releases between the simulation-focused Forza Motorsport and the more arcadey Forza Horizon.
Impressively, every installment released on both sides of the brand have managed to be both critical darlings and commercial powerhouses, and we absolutely can’t wait for the eighth Motorsport to land next year.
Xbox Series X
Lead breathtaking expeditions across the vibrant and ever-evolving open world landscapes of Mexico with limitless, fun driving action in hundreds of the world’s greatest cars.
2. Real Racing
4 entries with a combined MC average of 85.75
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An icon of Melbourne game development, Firemonkeys’ Real Racing series set a benchmark for smartphone gaming in a time when ‘smartphone gaming’ was barely even a thing.
Real Racing 3 ushered in a controversial pivot for the series, completely redesigning it as a ‘freemium’ experience when its predecessors were lauded for being ‘complete’, feature-rich experiences available for a relatively small one-time purchase price.
Amidst mass layoffs dictated by parent company EA, Real Racing 4 was cancelled in 2019 before even being announced. A new installment titled Real Racing Next was unveiled a year ago to heavy criticism at its further push toward heavy microtransaction and season pass monetisation. It still has yet to be released.
1. Metropolis Street Racer / Project Gotham Racing
5 entries with a combined MC average of 87
Did you see this one coming?
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The flagship racer of the Xbox and Xbox 360, way back in the day, Bizarre Creations’ Project Gotham Racing was a critical and commercial powerhouse during the early 2000s.
Its in-series Dreamcast predecessor Metropolis Street Racer met with a glowing reception too, but suffered under an exclusivity deal for Sega’s dying console.
PGR was lauded in its day for its ‘Kudos’ system, which rewarded and progressed players not just for coming in first place, but for driving with as much flair and skill throughout a race as they could.
The franchise might have even continued beyond PGR4, had Bizarre not been bought by Activision in 2007 and shuttered in 2011.
What do you think of this ranking? Tell us your top 10 in the comments below.
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