Best Racing Games On PS Plus Extra & Premium

Sony’s

PlayStation Plus

Extra

and Premium

try to cover most genres, and racing games are naturally not an exception. Compared to some other categories like RPGs, racers are not as plentiful nor are new games added as frequently; however, the service still has a respectable selection of projects that cover a few different styles. There are both arcade and sim racers, along with a few niche titles that focus on other aspects of driving.

Arguably, PS Plus does not have enough racing games to justify a yearly subscription solely for them. Therefore, if the genre’s availability plays a part in somebody’s decision to invest, they should mostly regard them as one part of the overall puzzle. Still, the

best PS Plus racing games

are pretty great.

Each entry states whether the highlighted game is accessible using a PS Plus Extra subscription. If a game has an Amazon listing, a link will be provided just in case somebody prefers to pick up a physical copy.

Redout 2

Metascore: 66

Those craving absolute speed, above all else, should check out

Redout 2

. The sequel to the original

Redout

, this game prides itself on being one of the fastest racers currently on the market. Inspired by retro releases like F-Zero,

Redout 2

will have players racing across futuristic tracks at blazing speeds.

The cars themselves are quite the spectacle, thanks to their futuristic designs, and there are some seriously cool (and striking) visuals.

Redout 2

features a single-player campaign for those looking to get their feet wet and also contains a multiplayer mode for those itching to get a bit more competitive against other players.

Ridge Racer 2

Metascore: N/A

Up until the PS3 era,

Ridge Racer

was a staple of Sony’s PlayStation launch lineups. The franchise’s games often acted as showcases of a console’s hardware, all the while being very good arcade racers in their own right. The PSP kept up this trend with

Ridge Racer

, which is still among the highest-rated games on the console. The 2006 sequel is not quite as decorated, but that primarily comes down to a lack of notable additions and improvements rather than a decline in quality.

That’s not to say

Ridge Racer 2

has nothing new to offer, just that the additions come in the form of tracks rather than mechanics. Consequently, this release can feel like a glorified

expansion

rather than a proper sequel. As valid as these criticisms are, they are not that relevant in this day and age, particularly for PS Plus Premium subscribers. If only one of these two titles could be added to the service, the 2006 entry was the right game to highlight.

Ridge Racer Type 4

is also on PS Plus Premium, and an argument could be made that it is the best entry in the

Ridge Racer

franchise.

Assetto Corsa Competizione

Metascore: 80

Like most other categories, racing games cannot be pigeonholed into one bracket. PS Plus is filled with racers that are so far removed from each other that they barely seem like they belong to the same genre.

Assetto Corsa Competizione

is a hard-as-nails racing sim revolving around the Blancpain GT Series.

Realism is the name of the game here, and

Assetto Corsa Competizione

comes as close as any of its contemporaries to capturing the feel of being behind the wheel. Unsurprisingly, this results in a package that is not friendly to beginners, especially those who wish to jump straight into offline or online races. However, if someone puts in the time to master the game’s mechanics, they will find perhaps the

best racing sim on PS Plus

.

Jet Moto

Metascore: N/A

PS Plus Premium is slowly but surely starting to bring over some long-dormant franchises that, once upon a time, were poised as leading properties in Sony’s arsenal. Obviously, the service still has a long way to go before its library can be described as “expansive,” but baby steps are better than nothing.

Jet Moto

was a fairly big deal during the PS1 era, with the series producing three games in half a decade before fizzling out due to diminished sales. Although opinions vary on the top entry in the series, the trilogy is relatively consistent in terms of quality, and the first entry is still fun to play all these years later.

Jet Moto

takes jet skis and gives them a

sci-fi

twist, allowing the hard-to-control vehicles to work on

land

alongside water. This futuristic advancement is utilized to great effect by the racetracks, all of which combine the two terrains to create unique and exciting environments. With a decent range of courses and drivers,

Jet Moto

has a respectable amount of content, especially since the controls come with a somewhat steep learning curve when compared to other arcade racers.

Nostalgia might play a role in determining someone’s enjoyment since there is no escaping

Jet Moto

‘s age; however, the game has enough to offer newcomers to justify a quick download.

Hotshot Racing

Metascore: 77

A throwback to classic arcade racers like

Virtua Racing

and

Daytona USA

,

Hotshot Racing

wears its inspiration proudly on its hood. Utilizing a vibrant, blocky art style that just screams ’90s arcades, this charming racer features eight drivers and more than 30 unlicensed vehicles that pay (obvious) homage to recognizable cars.

In terms of its actual racing mechanics,

Hotshot Racing

drives like a dream. The cars are responsive and weighty, and their stats do impact the way they feel. Similar to its inspirations,

Hotshot Racing

is not particularly overflowing with content, and players can experience almost everything the game has to offer within a few hours.

Wipeout Omega Collection

Metascore: 85

Wipeout Omega Collection

contains remasters of the PS3’s

Wipeout HD

and the PS Vita’s

Wipeout 2048

, both of which are great futuristic racers. Over the last decade, Studio Liverpool’s franchise has been mainly dormant, and that does not appear set to change soon. In the meantime, PS Plus Premium subscribers can at least experience two of the license’s highest points.

Offering a stylish presentation and challenging gameplay,

Wipeout Omega Collection

is the perfect game to throw on for a few quick races. Although it has an arcade feel, the package is not lacking in depth and offers a decent challenge. The collection is also not lacking in content.

Riders Republic

Metascore: 77

Ubisoft’s

Riders Republic

is an extreme sports game set in a beautiful and diverse open-world. An online-focused experience, the title launched with a few extreme sports for players to specialize in, and Ubisoft has continued to add activities

post

-launch. Be it snowboarding, bikes, or wingsuits, the sports control fairly differently from each other, which extends the game’s replayability.

Riders Republic

did not get too much attention at launch, and it has faded from the public’s consciousness over the last year. Nevertheless, the game’s fundamentals are strong, and they are backed by a good range of content.

Jak X: Combat Racing

Metascore: 76

Naughty Dog’s

Jak X: Combat Racing

tends to be overshadowed by the studio’s other kart racer, which is a shame as the PS2 title is nearly as great as

Crash Team Racing

. Along with exhibition and multiplayer modes,

Jak X

has a single-player campaign that casts players as the franchise’s heroes in a competition consisting of four cups.

While a kart racer,

Jak X

places a heavier emphasis on vehicular combat than most of the sub-genre’s representatives, and Naughty Dog even goes as far as to give health bars to cars. The adventure mode is a blast and consistently rewards players with new unlockables.

Trials Rising

Metascore: 79

Ubisoft’s

Trials

series has been going on for a while, and the 2019 entry is among the franchise’s best.

Trials Rising

challenges players to complete absurd courses filled with physics-defying stunts. While the game loves to inject a dash of silliness into proceedings, its wacky presentation is combined with precise and satisfying gameplay that comes with a reasonably steep learning curve.

Trials Rising

is a creative racer that goes out of its way to surprise players. Newcomers to the franchise might initially struggle to come to grips with the game’s controls, but when things finally click, RedLynx’s title starts to shine.

Split/Second

Metascore: 84

As can be said for several Black Rock Studio games,

Split/Second

is awesome and underrated. This arcade racer casts players as stunt drivers in a reality TV show, and the goal is to blow up everything while dashing toward the finish line. Unapologetically ludicrous, the game embraces its absurd premise with vigor and style.

As fun as the over-the-top shenanigans are,

Split/Second

also does not ignore its fundamentals. At its core, this arcade racer controls very well, delivering an accessible experience filled with mayhem and excitement. While racing games are and will likely always be fairly common,

Split/Second

is a one-of-a-kind.

Wreckfest

Metascore: 79

Destruction derby and vehicular combat games have fallen to the wayside ever since the tragic cessation of licenses like

FlatOut

and

Twisted Metal

. The former is particularly important in this discussion as that series’ decline started once it was no longer in the hands of Bugbear; thankfully, the latter returned to the genre with

Wreckfest

. Existing largely unopposed for the last few years, the game is a throwback to the destruction derbies of yesteryear, and it is a respectful one at that.

Along with a few online modes that are not dead but neither brimming with life,

Wreckfest

offers a surprisingly substantial single-player package. Players will get to work their way through a plethora of events that can range from fairly standard to unapologetically quirky. Either way, the result will be tracks filled with the corpses of cars.

MotorStorm: Apocalypse

Metascore: 77

From 2006 to 2012, Sony published five

Motorstorm

games, seemingly setting the license up to be a PlayStation cornerstone moving forward. Then, the franchise just died. Though never reaching the heights of

Need for Speed

or

Forza

,

Motorstorm

is relatively consistent, with each game building on the one that came before it.

Motorstorm: Apocalypse

drops players in a world that is falling apart around them, setting races amidst decrepit and crumbling buildings. Even if it is not the most precise or complex

racing game on PS Plus

,

Apocalypse

is quite the spectacle.

Metascore: N/A

Even though a few PS Plus racing games takes ideas from the vehicular combat genre, they are ultimately different beasts; however, they overlap quite a bit. Many kart racers incorporate arena battle modes that basically offer the same thrills as vehicular combat games, so fans of one genre will likely get some enjoyment out of the other. When it comes to these sorts of releases, few brands are as decorated as

Twisted Metal

, even if Sony has spent the last decade ignoring the franchise’s existence. With Peacock’s live-action series debuting in July 2023, Sony opted to add the first two

Twisted Metal

games to PS Plus Premium, shining a light on an IP that has been starving for love.

The original game is a classic, but the sequel arguably improves on the formula in most ways. The arenas/maps are bigger and more interesting, while the roster of characters is also improved. The gameplay, while undoubtedly dated and clunky, is serviceable, although someone’s mileage may depend on whether they have nostalgia for the PS1

Twisted Metal

games. Hopefully, these additions open the floodgates for Sony to introduce more entries to the subscription service as

Black

and the PS3

Twisted Metal

should be on PS Plus.

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