But on the other hand, the worst of the bunch can often be very shallow experiences at best, or unfinished and unpolished games that are just a way to encourage sinking massive amounts of extra cash on necessities for games at worst.
This applies to virtually every genre, from shooters to platformers, to puzzle games.
And, of course, it also applies to many of the free driving and racing games that you can download for free too.
However, amongst the multitude of mediocre media that you can find online, there are still quite a lot of free games, that also prove to be tons of fun, and built with plenty of care, attention to detail, and, perhaps surprisingly, plenty of polish to boot.
So, with that in mind, we are going to show you some of the best racing games that you can download and play for free right now, and what makes them stand out from the many middling games that they manage to rise above.
Inertial Drift: Sunset Prologue
Starting off this list, we have a game that is as fun as it is stylish, Inertial drift: Sunset Prologue!
Set in a beautiful depiction of retro the late 80s/ early 90s aesthetic, this game might not be the full game itself, but is certainly a thoroughly entertaining slice of the full game, with two tracks, two cars, and a time attack to test yourself against!
Plus, as we’ve already mentioned, this game looks great!
While there is often a temptation with video games to go for hyperrealism, there is something to be said about an art direction that knows its limitations and creates an art style out of them.
After all, for a free game, having a distinct art style doesn’t just look great, but also saves animators from needing to worry about rendering every spec and curve of a car or piece of scenery, and can focus on… you know, making your game fun.
This entry does, and very well too!
So, if you want to jump on the fun 90s nostalgia train that has been going around recently, check out this entry!
Copa Petrobras De Marcas
This particular game is for anyone who is a fan of Brazil’s extensive racing scene.
Copa Petrobras De Marcas is a game produced by Reiza Studios for the PC, that allows you to race around numerous racetracks that can be found across Brazil, with fully licensed manufacturers, as well a great emphasis on handling and customization of your vehicles.
For a free racing game, that’s a pretty phenomenal deal!
So, if any of this sounds like something you would be interested in, check this game out on Steam right now!
Electro Drive: Prologue
Okay, time for another snap of a larger game.
Like the last bite-sized entry, this driving game takes on a retro aesthetic for its series, and this free prologue chapter takes you through a training drive through East Berlin.
That’s right, this retro throw-back is going full 80s, and you get to ride through this bite-sized adventure in some of the snappiest to-control cars that you can imagine!
Yes, it might seem a little unfair that we are including what are effectively demo versions of a larger game in this list.
But considering what these demos have to offer, from the access to the early routes of the game to a surprisingly large roster of vehicles for you to drive, this is a game that we think can stand on its own as an entertaining racing game in its own right.
And who knows? Maybe this prologue will leave such an impression on you, that the price tag is worth it!
Victory: The Age Of Racing
There may be a few older racing game connoisseurs reading this name and having doubts about this entry, especially if it is being touted as a great free racing game.
This fear isn’t unfounded, to be fair. Victory: the Age of Racing had a pretty negative reception when it was first released, with an unfinished game being released before it could be polished up.
However, that was back in 2016. How does the game fare 6 years later?
Well, the arcade-style frantic nature of the game has finally come through after a few years of polish being given to it, as well as a pretty impressive range of racing cars throughout the ages.
So, overall, we would say that it’s a pretty good game to try out for yourself. Especially seeing as they made it free-to-play after its lackluster initial release.
Race Room Racing Experience
While a number of the games that we have covered so far have been short (albeit content-packed) demos for larger games, Race Room Racing Experience distinguishes itself by being a complete racing experience that you can
That excellent racing experience does come at a price (so to speak), as it does require a pretty hefty 40 GB of free hard drive space for it to be downloaded.
However, that large amount of storage is worth it for racing fans who want to experience a high-quality racing sim experience for next to nothing.
The game comes standard with 12 cars for you to choose from, as well as 5 tracks, and gives you plenty of stats and factors that racing drivers have to account for in these nail-biting experiences.
Certainly, for hardcore racing fans, this is a game you should check out!
Track Mania: Nations Forever
However, going in the complete opposite direction for the next entry, we have a game that leaves boring old things like gears and throttle management to the wayside, in favor of high-flying stunts and crazy feats!
Track Mania might be a name that people are familiar with, as the game has been around since 2008. Track Mania: Nations Forever was designed as an accessible free-to-play game that prioritizes stunts and insane track designs over hard realism, which makes this an appealing game for pretty much any demographic.
Plus, the ability to download extra cars and tracks helps keep a level of freshness to the game, which has helped the game stay popular for over 14 years.
That’s a very impressive achievement and longevity that few other games have managed to achieve.
Plus, this game runs smoothly on most PC setups, so there’s no excuse to try this mad dash driving game!
Racing Classics: Drag Race Simulator
Many of the games that we have covered so far that use real-world cars have steered a little closer to the modern racing car side of the mix.
And while this is tons of fun in its own right, it does leave fans of classic road and racing cars.
Well, this is where Racing Classics can help scratch that particular itch!
This game lets you take some of the most iconic cars from the 60s through to the 80s, and see just what they are capable of in a no-holds-barred drag race.
With 16 cars to pick from, as well as a story mode with 45 separate stages, this is a simple concept, executed excellently.
This game is an easy recommendation from us!
Asphalt 9: Legends
Ah yes, arguably THE free racing game that everyone reading will have at least heard of. It feels like this game and the series that it is a part of have been around forever.
And with the first game being released in 2004, it kind of has been too!
Known for this frantic arcade-style high-energy races, the latest game in this line of high-quality racing games, Asphalt 9: Legends
If we had to pick the mobile equivalent of the main racing series that console systems have, with Gran Turismo in Playstation’s corner, and Forza in Xbox’s, this would be THE flagship mobile racing game.
That’s how good we think this particular game is when it comes to free racing games that you can download right now!
Engine Evolution
Engine Evolution throws a slight spanner into the works, as this is the first racing game here that doesn’t focus exclusively on cars!
This racing game focuses on motorcycle races instead, giving it a different character in its hectic races.
Starting with a 1906 model motorcycle, you will slowly work your way up to more powerful and impressive models, until you reach the cutting edge of modern-day motorcycles.
Love to live that scrappy underdog story? This is the game for you!
Final Thoughts – Overall Ranking
So, with all of those entries out of the way, we can see that there are plenty of great free-to-download racing games that you can find on the market today.
But which of these games would we say is the best?
Overall Best
Well, if we’re talking single best, that’s a pretty easy answer.
Asphalt has been perfecting its gaming experience for almost 2 decades at this point, and they have honed Asphalt 9 to a razor’s edge in terms of overall quality.
So, if you’re looking for a single winner, we’d probably recommend this high-quality free game.
Runner Ups
But if you’re looking for a selection, have already played Asphalt 9, and want something more, what are the best runner-ups and alternative experiences?
Well, Race Room Racing Experience certainly does have an impressive amount of content for a free game, as well as an arguably unparalleled driving sim experience, coupled with a respectively high level of quality.
So we would certainly recommend checking out this game if you have the storage space available.
If you consider yourself more of a casual enjoyer of racing games, then we recommend Track Mania: Nations Forever.
Despite being one of the oldest games on this list, this is a full game that is still completely free to play, with no paid content, as well as options for single or multiplayer races that can be done on your PC or taken online.
These three games make up the creme de la creme of racing games that you can play right now for no money.
And, of course, we would absolutely recommend taking a look at some for the other games that we’ve selected here. There’s plenty to try, so get started!
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
