Racing Games With The Best Graphics

Racing games have always been at the forefront of gaming graphics, consistently offering some of the most visually stunning experiences available. Game developers are continually striving to improve realism, creating incredibly detailed car models, lifelike lighting effects, and faithfully reproduced racing circuits. They aim to recreate every aspect with exceptional detail.

Racing games have traditionally required powerful computers, but even around ten years ago, some achieved graphics that looked incredibly realistic. Over time, each new release in well-known series like Need for Speed, Forza, F1, and Gran Turismo continues to push the boundaries of how good racing games can look, setting a new standard for visual quality.

There are plenty of beautiful racing games available today, ranging from expansive, action-packed open-world experiences to realistic, track-based simulations. Considering both classic titles that have been consistently improved and newer, less popular games created using Unreal Engine 5, here’s a list of the racing games with the best graphics as of 2025.

Only the visuals of the games below are considered, not their overall quality as racing titles.

Honorable Mentions: Need For Speed (2015) & DriveClub

Even though they came out over ten years ago, Need for Speed (2015) and DriveClub (2014) are still worth highlighting in 2025 just for how good they look. Considering their age, both games have remarkably detailed graphics. They use features like realistic lighting and glare, beautifully crafted cars, and convincing weather to create visuals that can sometimes even surpass newer racing games. This is a clear demonstration of the artistic talent and clever optimization by the development teams, especially given the limitations of the hardware (PS4) available at the time.

Forza Horizon 5

Stunning & Diverse Open World

Forza Horizon 5 is nearing the end of its run as the top racing game, with Forza Horizon 6 – taking place in Japan – already confirmed as its successor. Even though it came out four years ago, very few racing games can still compete with the stunning graphics of Forza Horizon 5. This is particularly noteworthy because it’s an open-world game featuring a huge, freely explorable map, and is powered by the ForzaTech engine.

With a huge selection of incredible cars (there are hundreds to choose from!) and the lively, diverse landscapes of Mexico – complete with changing seasons and weather – Forza Horizon 5 continues to be the best open-world racing game available. This year, the game is also launching on PlayStation consoles for the very first time.

Gran Turismo 7

More Than Just A Driving Simulator

As a racing game fan, I think Gran Turismo 7 is seriously the best PlayStation has to offer when it comes to realistic driving. It’s a huge, constantly improving racing world – and honestly, it gets better with every update! You can tell Polyphony Digital, led by Kazunori Yamauchi, really strives for perfection in capturing everything about motorsports and car culture. They’re dedicated to making it feel real.

Honestly, when it comes to how a game looks and sounds, and just how many cars are available, it’s super hard to beat Gran Turismo 7. The developers really go all out – they use some amazing new methods for sound, making the physics feel real, and perfectly recreating both the cars and the tracks. They’ve been doing this for years, and they work directly with car manufacturers and different racing groups all over the world, which really shows in the final product.

F1 25

Culmination Of Codemasters’ Racing Technologies

Representing a significant technological improvement over the previous game, F1 25 boasts incredibly impressive graphics, powered by Codemasters’ latest version of the continually updated EGO Engine. With this new release, the developers have moved past older console generations – a limitation they’ve dealt with since F1 2014 – allowing for a more advanced gaming experience.

After this choice was made, F1 25 quickly became known as one of the most visually stunning modern racing games. It’s impressive in every way – from the detailed cars and environments to the lifelike lighting. If you’re a Formula One fan, this game is definitely worth checking out, thanks to its powerful technology and updated driving experience.

Forza Motorsport

A Racing Reboot With Ever-Evolving Visuals

Forza Motorsport is a fresh start for the famous racing series. Although it had some issues when it first came out, Turn 10 Studios has consistently released updates – more than twenty in the past two years – and the game is now close to achieving its ambition of being the best place for motorsport fans, potentially surpassing even previous games in the series.

Furthermore, the developers are constantly enhancing the game’s visuals, particularly the lighting and weather effects. That’s why, two years after its release, Forza Motorsport looks and plays significantly better than when it first came out. When you combine its realistic handling, extensive accessibility features, and a wealth of content, Forza Motorsport is easily one of the best racing games available right now.

Need For Speed Unbound

Style Above All

Perhaps the most talked-about game because of its art style, racing fans either strongly like or dislike the look of Need for Speed Unbound – but it’s definitely unique. Built with the Frostbite engine, NFS Unbound combines lifelike cars and cities with effects and characters inspired by anime and street art, offering something different from the many realistic racing games currently available.

Even so, many players actually enjoy the game more when it’s less flashy, and popular PC mods often remove these effects. Still, it’s great to see racing games trying new things with their graphics now and then, and we hope Unbound isn’t the last one to take such a creative risk and stand out from the crowd.

The Crew Motorfest

A Virtual Vacation In A Tropical Paradise

Similar to Forza Horizon 5, The Crew Motorfest tries to create the same fun, festival atmosphere, but this time on a tropical island instead of the continental United States featured in the earlier games. While The Crew Motorfest can also be played on older consoles, it’s a significant improvement over the previous titles and is one of the most visually impressive open-world arcade racing games available.

Visually, The Crew Motorfest is stunning. It’s made beautiful by the diverse range of locations, featuring two expansive maps you can explore, changing weather conditions, and the freedom to take to the skies in a plane or cruise the waves on a speedboat. The game is so picturesque that it often makes you want to jump into photo mode and capture breathtaking sunsets over the Hawaiian islands.

Assetto Corsa EVO

Already Surpassing Its Legendary Predecessors

Following the success of previous titles, Assetto Corsa EVO is the latest, constantly updated, and highly realistic racing simulator with a bright future. Although it’s still under development, having launched in early access this year, it’s already a significant technological improvement over Assetto Corsa Competizione. KUNOS Simulazioni has created something genuinely impressive with this new installment.

As a big racing game fan, I’ve been following Assetto Corsa EVO closely, and it reminds me a lot of Forza Motorsport. It had a bit of a shaky start, but honestly, with every update, it’s getting *so* much better – the graphics are improving, and the way the cars handle feels more and more realistic. In less than a year, EVO has become a seriously impressive game. If the developers keep supporting it as well as they did with Competizione, I really believe Assetto Corsa EVO has the potential to be even better than that legendary title in every way!

Wreckfest 2

Physics-Based Havoc Like Nothing Else

Thanks to its realistic crashes and the chance to cause complete chaos during races, Wreckfest 2 is a really enjoyable racing game. Even though it’s still in early access and only came out a few months ago, the graphics are surprisingly good. The original game was already a visually impressive racing title, but this sequel, designed specifically for newer systems, takes things to the next level.

Wreckfest 2 consistently looks fantastic, featuring detailed cars and tracks. However, the standout feature is its incredibly realistic car destruction, made possible by a powerful physics engine. Wreckfest 2 takes car damage to a new level with even more realistic crashes and detailed component damage, creating a unique experience and a visually impressive game for today’s players.

Rennsport

A Promising Step For Unreal Engine 5-Powered Racing

Rennsport isn’t officially released until November, but players have been testing it on PC for nearly a year through early access. This racing simulator is remarkably ambitious, featuring incredibly realistic graphics thanks to Unreal Engine 5, tracks created using laser scanning technology, and top-quality sound. Rennsport strives to deliver the highest level of realism found in today’s racing simulations and establish itself as a leading title in the genre.

The developers work closely with car companies, everyday drivers, and racing enthusiasts to make sure the driving feels real. The team is particularly pleased with how each car handles in Rennsport. Every vehicle is uniquely designed and carefully adjusted for racing, offering a realistic driving experience that matches its detailed visuals.

Torque Drift 2

A Graphical Punch Above Its Weight

Genre: Racing
Developer: Grease Monkey Games
Released: November 28, 2024

Despite being a relatively unknown early access racing game, Torque Drift 2 is quickly gaining attention thanks to its stunning visuals. Similar to Rennsport, it’s an upcoming game built on Unreal Engine 5, set in a fictional, modern Japanese city. This combination of advanced graphics and a unique city setting gives Torque Drift 2 a remarkably impressive and polished look.

As a gamer, I’m seriously impressed with how good this game looks! The cars are incredibly detailed – you can really tweak them to your liking – and the lighting feels super realistic. The cities they’ve built are gorgeous too. Honestly, some of the photos I’ve taken in photomode look almost like the real thing! Now, Torque Drift 2 still has a ways to go before it’s a massive hit, but I’m really hoping Grease Monkey Games keeps working on it. This game has so much potential, and I’d love to see them bring it to its full glory with future updates.

2025-10-05 02:09