5 open-world racing games as good as the Forza Horizon Series

The Forza Horizon series has the most diverse catalog of cars compared to any other open-world racing game. The racing series offers every class of four-wheelers ranging from modern-day supercars and vintage cars of the mid-90s to some retro classics, which also includes the recreation of rare standalone models.

By the time the Forza Horizon series released its fourth rendition in 2018, the racing franchise had reached the pinnacle of its in-depth driving controls. Gamers can experience a different weight distribution in every car brand in Forza Horizon 4.

Driving in the open worlds of Forza Horizon is an absolute pleasure to immerse in its vibrant and photo-realistic landscape, jam-packed with racing events, PR stunts, and challenges.

It's tough to match the rich open world of Forza Horizon games. While Forza Horizon 6 is still under development, here are a few open-world racing games that can be tried in the meantime while waiting for the next Forza Horizon edition:

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Explore these titles if you love the Forza Horizon 6

1) Project Cars 2 (2017)

Created by Slightly Mad Studios, Project Cars 2 is the closest competitor to the Forza Horizon series regarding driving mechanics and overall gameplay. The game offers a similar array of cars as the Horizon series and provides a dynamic weather system like Horizon series.

Project Cars 2 delivers more racing events and authentic country circuits than its counterpart Forza Horizon 4. The game also features stunningly beautiful landscapes. It’s a racing title worth giving a try.

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2) The Crew 2 (2018)

Published by Ubisoft, Crew 2 is a massive open-world racing title with a scaled-down version of five districts in the United States. Like the Forza Horizon games, players can cruise around the five regions of the country and tackle events at their discretion.

The game is fun to roam around and compete across various events, solo or online, with a crew of friends. From cruising around the Grand Canyon to ripping through the streets of New York, Crew 2 has plenty to offer for racing enthusiasts.

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3) Burnout Paradise (2008)

Although released a decade and a half ago, Burnout Paradise remains one of the best open-world racing titles ever. The Burnout series dominated the open-world racing genre back in the 2000s decade.

The series was well known back then for its action-packed, car-smashing races. Burnout Paradise is one of the racing franchise’s best creations to date.

Burnout Paradise is set in a fictional world called Paradise City. The game offers many different types of races, and just like the Forza series, this particular racing game delivers in-depth driving controls. Unlike the Forza series, the game doesn’t have any rewind feature, thus bringing in more realistic elements to its gameplay.

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4) Gran Turismo Sport (2017)

Available exclusively for PlayStation players, Gran Turismo Sport is a highly revered online racing game title due to the realistic driving experience it provides to users. Although the racing game does feature an arcade mode, Gran Turismo Sport mainly focuses on competitive online racing.

It’s the official racing game of the international governing body of motorsport, the FIA, and serves as the platform for the FIA-Certified Gran Turismo Championships. Gran Turismo Sport offers gamers a huge rooster of 338 cars to try out across 32 unique race locations.

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5) Dakar18 (2018)

Created by Portuguese developer Bigmoon Entertainment, Dakar 18 is an officially licensed Dakar Rally game. The open-world title is a whooping 18000 km in size, making it the largest open-world racing game ever.

Set in South America, the open world of Dakar18 encompasses the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. It gives the player complete freedom to explore the open world built from satellite images. Beyond the professional circuit scene, the game has many fantastic, explorable elements, such as collecting artifacts and treasure hunting.

Dakar18 offers some of the longest cross-country races in any other racing title. This also includes the 9000km long route of the 10th Dakar Rally held in 2018. The game offers both offline and online modes.

Dakar18 is a dream come true for off-road racing fanatics. The game also lets players control the careers of some of the most well-known official rally drivers, such as Sam Sunderland and Sebastian Loeb. Dakar 18 can easily give Forza's open-world a run for its money through its beautiful recreation of the South American countryside.

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Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.