5 most underrated racing games of all time

The racing games genre has seen a major evolution over the years, not only in terms of graphics but also in gameplay. Popular racing franchises like Forza Horizon, Gran Turismo, and Need for Speed, have helped the racing games genre gain global recognition in the community.

Titles from the PlayStation 2 era like the Burnout franchise have also been underrated winners that have contributed to the success of the genre. In this article, we will look at five underrated racing games of all time.

NOTE: This article is subjective, solely reflects the writer's opinions, and is not ranked in any particular order.

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The most underrated racing games of all time

1) Cars 3: Driven to Win

Cras 3: Driven to Win is a movie tie-in game (Image via Avalanche Software)

Cars 3: Driven to Win was released in 2017 as a movie tie-in game for Cars 3. Released for 7th and 8th generation consoles, this title features all the characters from the film as playable racers, which you can use to participate in various events such as normal races, championship events, and lap challenges. There is even a storyline similar to the film where you are required to defeat Storm as Lightning Mcqueen.

The game features a checklist system that tracks your progress during your playthrough as you perform tricks and win races. Completing the checklist and finishing specific races unlock new playable cars and tracks.

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2) Blur

Blur is a game from the 7th generation of consoles (Image via Bizarre Creations)

Blur often falls in the list of racing games that were forgotten after its release, even when the title offered a lot to the players. This game was released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, and blended a realistic racing simulator with an arcade racer similar to Mario Kart. This was also because every game at the time was trying to replicate the success of Mario Kart.

However, Blur added its flavor by blending realistic racing simulation, providing players with a fast-paced racing experience, where you can use power-ups to gain various advantages over opponents. These power-ups gave you speed boosts and disrupted your opponents to add a layer of thrill to the races.

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3) Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Midnight Club was a popular franchise in the world of racing games (Image via Rockstar Games)

Midnight Club is a racing franchise that has been popular since the PlayStation 2 days. However, Los Angeles is the most underrated entry in the series with all the other games in the franchise overshadowing it, But that doesn't take anything away from the title as it features a fully explorable Los Angeles where you can experience fully functional weather effects and day and night cycles.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles was an amazing entry in not just the franchise, but also in the racing genre, as it heavily emphasized street racing. The game features heavy deep customization options for your vehicles that complement the atmosphere of Los Angeles as you drive around the city.

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4) Burnout Dominator

Burnout Dominator differed from the rest of the games in the franchise (Image via Criterion Games)

The Burnout franchise on PlayStation 2 was one of the best racing games of all time, mainly because of their crash modes and graphical fidelity. The series gave us hits like Burnout 3 Takedown and Paradise, which makes it easy to forget entries like Burnout Dominator. This entry featured more straightforward racing instead of the destruction modes seen in the franchise's previous titles.

This game introduced the Burnout Chains mechanic, which would help players get insane boosts during races if they chained their boosts by consistently racing at high speeds. With the crash mode taken out of the game, Burnout Dominator focused on racing. While this received mixed reactions from the fans, many who loved classic racing enjoyed the emphasis on pure racing.

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5) Split/Second

Split/Second was released in the same year as Blur (Image via Black Rock Studio)

Split/Second was released in the same year as Blur, making it another title that was overshadowed by other big releases that year. Despite the good ratings across the board and Disney's backing, the game didn't receive the recognition it deserved. The title included a unique feature called the Power Plays, allowing players to cause mayhem during races by triggering cinematic explosions.

This added a layer of depth to the racing as environments became a dynamic part of the racing, allowing players to manipulate the races to suit their needs. It also featured unique cars and interesting race tracks, but due to the racing games focusing on more standard racing at the time, Split/Second ended up being an underrated gem.