Even with the PS5 out, the is a clutch of high-octane tiles to make the best PS4 games worth considering, especially as they can be played on Sony's latest games consoles.
These range from serious racing simulators to more arcade-focussed games that let you simply get behind the wheel of a fast car and tear around a track or course. This list should have something for everyone, even if they don't know a limited-slip differential from a PDK.
So read on for our selection of the best PS4 racing games to play today, on the latest console or a venerable PS4.
1. Burnout Paradise Remastered
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
If you're looking for a racing game where speculator crashes are just as much fun as crossing the line in the first place then Burnout Paradise Remastered is unmatched. Launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2008, this refreshed edition landed on PS4 and Xbox One a decade later. In this open-world racer, you can complete a wide variety of challenges either offline or in competitive online modes. And while many racing games offer those features, it's Burnout's unique "Crash Mode" where you are encouraged to smash into other racers that sets the series apart from its rivals.
2. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled
Racing games don’t have to be serious business; just ask Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled. In this remaster of Crash Team Racing from way back in 1999, players take control of Sony mascot Crash Bandicoot and his friends and enemies, as they square off against one another on tricky go-kart tracks. If you think this sounds like Mario Kart with a slightly different cast, you’re correct. If you think this sounds like a lot of fun, you’re also correct. Crash Team Racing is one of the more kid-friendly entries on this list, so if you have young racing fans in the house, it’s a solid choice.
3. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered
No list of the best PS4 racing games is complete without an entry from the brash Need for Speed franchise. While NFS: Heat and NFS: Rivals make for solid selections, our choice has to be Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered. This 2020 remaster of the 2010 original is the best way to experience the high-speed thrills of the game's fictional Seacrest County setting. Here you can race to your heart's content in all manner of flashy cars, and you'll also need to avoid the cops in the eponymous Hot Pursuit mode (or you can play as the police chasing down a speeding criminal). Mixing arcade driving, with impressive visuals, Hot Pursuit Remastered is a thrill.
4. F1 2021
F1 2021 is one of those video games that’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s Formula One racing; and it has vehicles and drivers from 2021. You can race high-tech cars in a story mode (cleverly titled “Braking Point”), in freeform single-player races or in multiplayer of both the local and online varieties. There are 21 different racetracks and 10 different cars, which should keep technical racing fans busy for a while. While F1 2021 may not be the most beginner-friendly game on this list, experienced racing gamers will probably like what it has to offer.
5. Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo 7 thoroughly earns its given moniker as “the real driving simulator.” This latest entry in the long-running racing franchise is the most complete to date, and a must-play for petrolheads. Across a variety of modes, you’ll race on iconic real-world tracks in some of the most impressive cars in existence. And if you want to ensure your drive experience is exactly to your liking, you can even fine-tune many of the available vehicles tweaking everything from tire grip to suspension levels.
6. Project Cars 2
One of the more demanding racing sims on this list, Project Cars 2 is all about variety and accuracy. The developers at Slightly Mad Studios put a ton of effort into everything from dynamic tire movements to racetrack temperature. This is not the kind of game you can just pick up and play — but it is the kind of game in which you can lose yourself for hours at a time, particularly if you have a realistic racing wheel peripheral. The game boasts 60 locations, 140 track layouts and almost 200 cars, and even dabbles in some off-road racing.
7. Redout
Much as racing realistic cars can be plenty of fun, sometimes you want a racer that is a little more out-of-this-world, and if that's the case, you could always try Redout. This futuristic arcade racer is a throwback to classics like F-Zero, with the flying cars, psychedelic landscapes, and a catchy soundtrack to prove it. You can level up your ship in a single-player career mode (complete with boss fights), or try your luck against human opponents on 25 tracks across 5 locations. You can even collect power-ups as you go, ensuring that no two races will ever turn out quite the same. If you need a “pick-up-and-play” racer on standby, Redout is the way to go.
8. Trackmania Turbo
Trackmania Turbo is a colorful arcade racer focused on beating your fastest track times instead of finishing on top of the podium. That leads to a compelling loop as you speed over wild obstacles, and then challenge yourself to do it again, but faster.
You'll crash and even fly off the course often, but restarts are instant, and the satisfaction of beating a score you previously thought was insurmountable will keep you playing after dozens of failures. Plus, Trackmania Turbo course features loops, magnetic tracks, air jumps and other tricks that would be “impossible” in a real car.
You can drive on 200 tracks in the game’s single-player mode, or team up with another player as you both control the same car in multiplayer. You can even build your own outlandish tracks to share with friends. While Trackmania Turbo is one of the more nontraditional games on this list, it’s also one of the more memorable.
9. Wipeout Omega Collection
If driving a luxury sportscar around a sun-soaked racetrack isn't adrenaline-pumping enough for you, then why not consider the Wipeout Omega Collection where you can partake in the futuristic sport of hovership racing at impossibly fast speeds.
The Wipeout franchise is practically synonymous with PlayStation, and while it's been dormant on the PS5 to date, the PS4 received this awesome package in 2017. The Omega Collection bundles together Wipeout 2048 and Wipeout HD, boost the visuals so you can enjoy sci-fi racing in 4K resolution, and there's even full PSVR support.
You also got both single-player campaigns to immerse yourself in, as well as multiplayer modes, from split-screen racing to online competitions, so there's plenty of content to keep you racing long into the future.
10. Lego 2K Drive
Another family-friendly pick, Lego 2K Drive packs a massive plastic-brick world to explore, and loads of unlockable vehicle parts. As it's a Lego game customization is a key component, and you can even build your dream brickmobile from scratch.
Lego 2K Drive plays like a mix between Mario Kart and Forza Horizon. Races are madcap events as you attempt to smash up your opponents vehicles, and the large open levels are teeming with events to complete from standard races to stunt challenges. There are even special race types that see your vehicle transform allowing you to race across more just roads. One moment you'll be speeding across tarmac, before switching to a flying car and then crossing the finish line in a boat.
Unfortunately, some of the fun is blunted by 2K Drive's egregious microtransactions. Unlocking new parts and customization options can be quite a grind with the game frequently encouraging you to spend real-world money to speed up the process.
