[Updated to include the latest releases and hits of 2025]
The adrenaline of racing to the finish line is a feeling not many video game genres can mimic. The best racing games on PS5 keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting you to rush to your much-deserved glory. On the contrary, there are racing games that test your patience, muscle memory, and aptitude for everything that makes your vehicle worthy of the front seat.
Whether it’s drifting through cleverly designed tracks, raging against mean machines through dangerous landscapes, or tuning your engines to their finest potential, we’ve got a list for some of the best racing games you can play on your PS5 right now. Furthermore, the console’s beast-like performance ensures that your engines roar at their highest frame rates and loading times are a thing of the past.
GRID Legends (2022)
GRID is a franchise that finds its balance between arcade-like racing and realism. With its wide range of maps and cars, GRID Legends ensures that every player who tests their mettle on the racetrack has access to a car suiting their playstyle. It has more than 100 vehicles to try out and enough content to keep you engaged for hours. International circuits – both on and off track – make for the versatile racing environments you can race in.
MotoGP 25 (2025)
MotoGP 25 continues to build on the strengths of previous games and also manages to bring enough new things and tweaks to the well-established formula to make it to the list of the best racing games on PS5. The game released in April this year, and the overall consensus is that the graphics, thanks to Unreal Engine 5, and significant improvements in bike sounds and crowds that respond to what’s happening on the race track make this the best game to experience what the franchise has to offer.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
The sequel to the popular Hot Wheels Unleashed, that released back in 2021, this one brings vehicles from the celebrated franchise and gives you the opportunity to go head-to-head against other players in a variety of tracks.
The game also got through a higher number of vehicles and vehicle types, each fitted into one of the 6 categories, like Swift, Drifter, and so on. Each category, as is easy to imagine, comes with a set of advantages and disadvantages, and it is best to pick one that fits with the track on which the race is being held. This is a safe and fun bet if you are looking for the best racing games on PS5.
Destruction AllStars (2020)
Destruction Allstars has a witty way of combining destruction, kart racing, and competitiveness. It emphasizes wild gameplay, excitement, and multiplayer mayhem. With its clear and clean aesthetics, it appeals to the modern gamer who is a fan of simple-yet-challenging design. It’s one of the best racing games on PS5 if you’re craving a speed-carnage combo.
The idea is straightforward: You choose a racer, get inside a big stadium, and bash against the closest racer in your view. The objective here is to destroy everyone who drives in your path while utilizing special abilities and eccentric vehicles.
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Dirt 5 (2021)
The Dirt series quite often accelerated to the top as one of the best off-road rally experiences you can have in a virtual world. Dirt 5 is the strongest game to date, harnessing the console’s powerful system in every way possible. Dirt has never looked or performed better because of its numerous graphics settings and features, including Ray Tracing and a 120 frames-per-second performance mode. Dirt 5’s transition to a more arcade-esque gameplay may not appeal to everyone, but it certainly keeps the franchise’s charm alive and roaring.
Wreckfest (2014)
Wreckfest is the ultimate destruction power trip for anyone looking to drive their car’s wheel into the most dangerous conditions. The PS4’s version of the game had its own set of issues, but this rendition of Wreckfest brings out the game’s potential on PS5. Driving unsafe cars and ramming drivers feels way more fun with upgraded graphics and better framerates. Wreckfest is a terrific experience, ramming AI against obstacles, playing co-op, or competing against strangers online. Despite being the oldest game on this list, it deservedly shines as one of the best racing games on PS5 right now.
F1 2025
F1 25 brings the most polished version of the long-running franchise for gamers, what with this being the eighteenth entry. The fact that this also stands among the most well-received ones tells you something of the expertise that EA Sports & Codemasters have achieved in this space. The good thing about this iteration is also the active incorporation of player feedback on F1 24. With better AI, game controls and the return of the popular ‘Braking Point’ from F1 23, this game is an easy recommendation to players looking to either enter the racing sub-genre in the gaming space, or looking for a different but good racing game on PS5.
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Gran Turismo (2022)
Gran Turismo is the poster child of racing games throughout different PlayStation eras. When it comes to racing simulation games, Gran Turismo paved its path as an authentic racer that feels special to PlayStation fans. As always, the truly outstanding visuals are what gives out the initial ‘woah!’ factor to Gran Turismo 7. This game’s solid vehicle mechanics and smooth performance might just confuse screenshots for genuine photos taken in real life. There are the best racing games on PS5, and then there’s GT7, the greatest.
Redout 2 (2022)
Redout 2 is all about speed. It’s the ‘fastest’ racing game you’ll ever play, with vehicles that break the sound barrier and play with gravity. The sci-fi racer puts you in the seat of a breathtaking anti-gravity experience that feels like a spiritual successor of Wipeout. Even on the easiest settings, Redout 2 can feel daunting. You’ll need to maneuver and time your reflexes correctly to make the best of the track.
Need For Speed: Unbound (2022)
Unbound is easily a contender for the most stylish game in the series yet. Similar to previous games, NFS Unbound features campaign racing followed by hardcore police pursuits. The game shuffles between day and night cycles, which shift your gameplay. During the day, earn credits by participating in events and challenges. During the night, drift around the city while escaping all the ‘heat’ you’ve gained throughout the day.
The cop chase sequences during the night feel dangerous and brim with the classic Need for Speed charm. Thanks to the DualSense, you can feel gear changes and road imperfections as if you were actually inside the car. This gives drifting a new weight. Plus, it’s a sight to behold with its vibrant cel-shaded graphics and Lakeshore’s realistic metropolis.
These were our picks for the best racing games on PS5. While the DualSense is a wonderful controller that does justice to the genre, you can always shift gears up a notch by trying out a Racing Wheel for your console. There are many to choose from, and some games (like F1) are built for realistic simulation for you to dive deeper into.
