By Last year, I decided to get into racing sims.
I made a starter build a Logitech G29 wheel, a custom Aliexpress H shifter, and made myself a cheap wooden sim rig by myself.
Since then, I’ve been trying to find the right PC racing and driving simulator games for me. I tried many different games before finally settling down with a couple of games that I enjoy playing daily.
In this list, I’m going to give you a brief summary of my experience with these driving sim games as well as the pros and cons of playing them. Let’s start with the driving sim games.
TIP: For serious racing sim players, I recommend joining Low Fuel Motorsport (LFM). It’s a platform that allows you to join racing leagues in the racing sim of your choice to compete with other players. It’s the best way to experience online racing.
Driving Simulator Games
These are the best driving simulator games that offer experiences similar to real-life driving.
1. Euro Truck Simulator 2
I actually practiced most of my driving skills using this game. It’s that good and that accurate.
Even though Euro Truck Simulator 2 is about truck driving and delivering cargo, it features a highly accurate driving simulation with realistic roads and mechanics.
In this game, you get to drive some of the most popular trucks across many different European countries. The base game features Germany and UK maps, while you can buy other countries as DLCs. The best way to invest in this game is to wait for a sale and grab a bundle that includes multiple maps.
Whether you want to practice driving, experience European roads, or have a relaxing drive while listening to radio, ETS2 is a game that delivers well on all fronts.
2. American Truck Simulator
American Truck Simulator is basically ETS2, but in the US. This game is similar to ETS2 in every way but also offers an entirely different experience.
Since ATS is set in the US, you get to drive iconic big rigs from manufacturers like Kenworth and Freightliner. ATS also features a completely different vibe than ETS2. The roads are much lonelier and wider than the roads in Europe. And the trucks sound much more rugged and badass as well.
Comparing the two games, I prefer ATS. Mainly because the US map in ATS offers a very consistent experience across each state. And I love driving the big rigs while changing 18 gears.
3. BeamNG.Drive
BeamNG.Drive is considered the ultimate driving sim as it offers a sandbox-style environment for all kinds of driving gameplay.
In BeamNG, you can drive cars, trucks, vans, and all kinds of vehicles. It has a sandbox simulation-style system where you can create your own experiences, whether it’s in free-roam, time trials, or scenarios.
BeamNG is also well-known for its highly realistic physics engine. The game has highly accurate vehicle physics that will deliver an immersive experience for all types of players.
4. Assetto Corsa Evo
Assetto Corsa Evo is the first true next-generation driving sim we’ve experienced recently. Even though the game is still in early access, it already shows how it’s ahead of many other titles available today.
Assetto Corsa Evo regularly received updates and features highly realistic graphics, physics, and life-like tracks.
The developers have been releasing massive updates to the game making it even bigger and better with a wide range of cars and more tracks.
Assetto Corsa Evo is still in early access so there’s room to improve. The best part is, you can consider this game either as a driving sim or racing sim, depending on how you play it. So it’s a two-in-one kind of a deal.
5. Forza Horizon
Forza Horizon 5, or Forza Horizon 6, is another great game you can try out. Even though it’s not exactly a racing sim, Forza Horizon games offer a casual and arcade-style approach to driving and racing.
With Forza Horizon, you can jump in for a quick session to roam around the stunning and massive map while driving your favorite cars. With hundreds of cars to choose from, you will always have something new to try out.
The new Japan map in F6 is stunningly beautiful to explore and has some side activities, like doing deliveries, as well.
Forza Horizon also features competitive online races, and finding active lobbies is not as difficult as in most other racing games due to its popularity.
Racing Simulator Games
These are the best racing simulator games available right now with realistic and immersive gameplay and sim wheel support.
1. Automobilista 2
Automobilista 2 is the racing sim that I’ve finally settle down with.
This game features the perfect balance of car physics, great graphics, audio, and a wide selection of tracks and cars to choose from.
What made the game most attractive for me is its AI in single player modes. It’s the best AI I’ve experienced in a racing game that works perfectly for offering a good balance of competitiveness and difficulty.
Another plus side of playing AMS2 is that it offers a variety of vehicles for you to race, including GT cars, F1 machines, Carting, and even truck racing.
Right now, Automobilista 2 has a low player count, so finding online races is a bit difficult. But you can use LFM to join a league and find races more easily.
If you’re looking for a racing rim to jump in after a long day for a quick offline race, this is the best option for you.
2. Assetto Corsa Competizione
Before settling down for AMS2, Assetto Corsa Competizione was the game of my choice for online racing.
ACC only features GT racing and it does its job really well by offering very realistic and immersive experience across all types of GT groups.
Joining an online race in ACC is much easier, thanks to its active player base. However, in-game multiplayer is often gets chaotic thanks to hackers and amateur riders. So it’s best to stick to LFM for online racing.
Offline racing with AI is not bad, but not as great as AMS2. Otherwise, the car physics, sounds, and graphics all offer a decent experience in ACC.
3. Le Mans Ultimate
Le Mans Ultimate is the best competitor to ACC and AMS2 right now.
Le Mans Ultimate has a decent player base, great graphics, and impressive physics that makes it one of the best racing sims on Steam.
Unlike the other two competitors, Le Mans Ultimate gets updated often with improvements and content drops. It offers a good selection of cars and tracks, as well as often crowded multiplayer mode.
Similar to ACC, Le Mans Ultimate also uses a drive rating system to rank and match players in multiplayer racing.
Right now, Le Mans Ultimate has more daily active players than both ACC and AMS2.
4. iRacing
iRacing is the go-to choice among professional sim racers as it’s known to have the best physics in the racing sim genre.
iRacing also has an active player base with regular league races and big championships. Even some of the pro real-life racers, like Max Verstappen, often play iRacing as well.
iRacing has outdated graphics, and it’s a heavily monetized game. You have to purchase a subscription just to play the game. And on top of that, you need to buy car expansions to play in different groups.
For those reasons, I don’t play it, and I don’t recommend iRacing to casual players. There are far better racing sims out there at far cheaper one-time price points.
5. Dirt Rally 2.0
When it comes to rally racing sims, you won’t find a better game than Dirt Rally 2.
Dirt Rally 2 is a slightly old game, but it’s not outdated. This game features one of the best physics systems with great graphics and audio.
The tracks, the cars, the weather effects, and the overall immersive experience this game offers are still unmatched.
Dirt Rally 2 doesn’t have a very active player base, but you can still play online to set new records against other players.
6. Assetto Corsa Rally
Assetto Corsa Rally was a delightful surprise for everyone. Coming from the legendary developers behind the Assetto Corsa franchise, this rally racing game delivers an incredibly realistic experience.
Assetto Corsa Rally is also still in early access and continues to improve with every patch and update. Right now, the game only has a few tracks, cars, and limited race modes available.
However, in terms of graphics and immersiveness, AC Rally delivers beyond expectations.
7. Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport is the first sim racing game I’ve played after buying my racing wheel. I thought it would be the perfect racing rim for me. Boy was I wrong!
Of all the sim racing games, Forza Motorsport offers the best single-player career mode with great progression that takes you from the lowest level car classes to the top.
Apart from that, Forza Motorsport falls behind in almost every other aspect.
The car physics in Forza Motorsport is terrible. It feels very rigid and artificial. And the AI is the worst I’ve seen in any racing game. The AI cars just ram into you while sticking to only the racing line.
Online races, however, are often populated with other players, thanks to cross-play between PC and Xbox. But those are sweaty controller players who would do anything to win races, anything!
8. RaceRoom
RaceRoom Racing Experience is a new racing sim launched on Steam as a free-to-play game. At launch, it was riddled with issues, but after a few updates, it’s now in a decent state.
RaceRoom is free-to-play, but with car packs and expansions that you need to buy in order to experience the full game.
The game features ranked multiplayer modes as well as offline racing modes.
Many players have shared their frustrations with this game on Steam reviews, especially with empty race lobbies due to low player counts and constant server issues.
9. JDM: Japanese Drift Master
This one is for the drift racing fans. I personally haven’t tried this game but it’s one of the highest-rated drift racing games on Steam.
Inspired by the Japanese JDM car culture, this game delivers a very Tokyo Drift-esque experience where you get to buy, build, and customize your own drift cars to race against other players.
The game has its issues but at its affordable price point, you can give it a try without breaking the bank.
10. F1 25
If you’re a fan of F1 games, you should go for any title between F1 21 and F1 23. Those offer the best AI and overall experience.
Unfortunately, those titles are no longer available to purchase. So you’ll have to settle for F1 25, if you don’t want to sail the high seas.
Personally, I play F1 21 because F1 24 and 25 did not work for me. It has issues with the G29 wheel, and there’s no fix for it. Many other players have also reported this issue. If you also have a G29, don’t get this game.
