Racing games are usually always a showcase for the launch of a new console, but each year also brings with it new entries in a genre that has some true die-hard fans. I mean, how many other genres have dedicated peripherals to play them?
2022 was a great year for all types of racers as it saw the return of Gran Turismo and Need for Speed as well as new entries in the F1, WRC, and Horizon Chase series. Racing games are so much more than just cars racing around a track, and these exemplified that.
These are our nominees for the Best Racing Game of 2022... Be sure to check back next week for our winner!
In conjunction with some of the biggest regulation shake-ups in the sport in four decades, Codemasters’ long-running F1 series received its own slightly-overdue facelift this year with some freshened-up presentation shipping alongside this season’s brand-new cars. With its top-notch graphics and handling, class-leading career mode (buoyed by new budget options to suit veteran players who may be a little exhausted clawing their way from the bottom of the grid every year), and its appealing range of difficulty options and assists, F1 22 maintains this series’ position on the podium – even if the new lifestyle-focussed outfit and living space customisation mode is a little naff.
After nearly a decade since the last traditional, numbered GT installment – and arriving just in time for the 25th anniversary of Sony’s biggest first-party series – Gran Turismo 7 is a very welcome return to form. With iconic Gran Turismo tracks reappearing alongside the proper single-player career experience that the PS1 originally pioneered, Gran Turismo 7 is as warmly nostalgic as it is cutting-edge. With gorgeous graphics, a terrific driving feel, and more customisation options than ever before, Gran Turismo 7 is easily the best the series has been since its utter domination of the genre during the PS1 and PS2 generations. It is very disappointing that the full scope of its predatory microtransaction system was obscured until after its release – and an extended and unannounced server outage shortly after its arrival that left us unable to play for over a day didn’t exactly help its always-online case either – but there’s still a damn great racing game beneath those blemishes.
The follow-up to the incredible Horizon Chase Turbo hasn’t yet landed on consoles and PC, but it’s already found plenty of new fans via its exclusive release on Apple Arcade. Created by Brazilian studio Aquiris, Horizon Chase 2 is a love letter to ‘90s 16-bit and arcade racers like Top Gear and OutRun – complete with a kicking new soundtrack by legendary classic games composer Barry Leitch. The predecessor’s addictive mix of arcade racing and fuel/nitro management returns, but with more than four dozen new tracks and extensive co-op and versus multiplayer options (including, finally, online play). We were once again captivated by its charming retro-styled graphics, yelled at the screen when finishing a race on a near empty fuel tank, and went back to get to obsessively chase down all the collectibles we missed the first time around. A great throwback racer that can hold its own even against the big budget competition.
Need for Speed Unbound has turned heads thanks to its injection of wild, anime-inspired animated flourishes – and the effects seem a little divisive overall – but the arcade racing underneath remains robust. Unbound is quite similar to 2019’s Need for Speed Heat despite the series switching garages from now-defunct Ghost Games to arcade racing experts Criterion, but considering Heat was a welcome course-correction for the series that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
With its final dance with the official WRC license before it clatters over to the crew at rival rally experts Codemasters, KT Racing pulled out all the stops with WRC Generations. Crammed with the most generous selection of stages we’ve ever seen in a rally game and a sizable selection of championship-winning cars from the 50-year history of the sport, WRC Generations is a tremendous racing package. Almost every country to host a round of the World Rally Championship over the past decade is here and excellently represented, from the wide-open savannah of Kenya to the icy grooves of Sweden, and the narrow asphalt of Germany to the wet forests of Wales. With a great feeling of weight and a fantastic sensation of speed — plus some welcome adjustments to WRC 10’s customisation tools — WRC Generations is a muddy good effort.
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2022 was a great year for all types of racers as it saw the return of Gran Turismo and Need for Speed as well as new entries in the F1, WRC, and Horizon Chase series. Racing games are so much more than just cars racing around a track, and these exemplified that.
These are our nominees for the Best Racing Game of 2022... Be sure to check back next week for our winner!
F1 22
In conjunction with some of the biggest regulation shake-ups in the sport in four decades, Codemasters’ long-running F1 series received its own slightly-overdue facelift this year with some freshened-up presentation shipping alongside this season’s brand-new cars. With its top-notch graphics and handling, class-leading career mode (buoyed by new budget options to suit veteran players who may be a little exhausted clawing their way from the bottom of the grid every year), and its appealing range of difficulty options and assists, F1 22 maintains this series’ position on the podium – even if the new lifestyle-focussed outfit and living space customisation mode is a little naff.
Gran Turismo 7
After nearly a decade since the last traditional, numbered GT installment – and arriving just in time for the 25th anniversary of Sony’s biggest first-party series – Gran Turismo 7 is a very welcome return to form. With iconic Gran Turismo tracks reappearing alongside the proper single-player career experience that the PS1 originally pioneered, Gran Turismo 7 is as warmly nostalgic as it is cutting-edge. With gorgeous graphics, a terrific driving feel, and more customisation options than ever before, Gran Turismo 7 is easily the best the series has been since its utter domination of the genre during the PS1 and PS2 generations. It is very disappointing that the full scope of its predatory microtransaction system was obscured until after its release – and an extended and unannounced server outage shortly after its arrival that left us unable to play for over a day didn’t exactly help its always-online case either – but there’s still a damn great racing game beneath those blemishes.
Horizon Chase 2
The follow-up to the incredible Horizon Chase Turbo hasn’t yet landed on consoles and PC, but it’s already found plenty of new fans via its exclusive release on Apple Arcade. Created by Brazilian studio Aquiris, Horizon Chase 2 is a love letter to ‘90s 16-bit and arcade racers like Top Gear and OutRun – complete with a kicking new soundtrack by legendary classic games composer Barry Leitch. The predecessor’s addictive mix of arcade racing and fuel/nitro management returns, but with more than four dozen new tracks and extensive co-op and versus multiplayer options (including, finally, online play). We were once again captivated by its charming retro-styled graphics, yelled at the screen when finishing a race on a near empty fuel tank, and went back to get to obsessively chase down all the collectibles we missed the first time around. A great throwback racer that can hold its own even against the big budget competition.
Need for Speed Unbound
Need for Speed Unbound has turned heads thanks to its injection of wild, anime-inspired animated flourishes – and the effects seem a little divisive overall – but the arcade racing underneath remains robust. Unbound is quite similar to 2019’s Need for Speed Heat despite the series switching garages from now-defunct Ghost Games to arcade racing experts Criterion, but considering Heat was a welcome course-correction for the series that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
WRC Generations
With its final dance with the official WRC license before it clatters over to the crew at rival rally experts Codemasters, KT Racing pulled out all the stops with WRC Generations. Crammed with the most generous selection of stages we’ve ever seen in a rally game and a sizable selection of championship-winning cars from the 50-year history of the sport, WRC Generations is a tremendous racing package. Almost every country to host a round of the World Rally Championship over the past decade is here and excellently represented, from the wide-open savannah of Kenya to the icy grooves of Sweden, and the narrow asphalt of Germany to the wet forests of Wales. With a great feeling of weight and a fantastic sensation of speed — plus some welcome adjustments to WRC 10’s customisation tools — WRC Generations is a muddy good effort.
All IGN Best of Games 2022 Categories
- Best Game of 2022
- Best Action Game of 2022
- Best Action-Adventure Game of 2022
- Best Video Game Music of 2022
- Best Video Game Art of 2022
- Best Console Exclusive of 2022
- Best Ongoing Game of 2022
- Best Performance in a Game in 2022
- Best Puzzle Game of 2022
- Best Racing Game of 2022
- Best RPG Game of 2022
- Best Shooter Game of 2022
- Best Game Story of 2022
- Best Strategy Game of 2022
- Noteworthy Advancement in Game Accessibility in 2022
- Best Gaming Hardware of 2022
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