This article is part of a directory: Complete guide to the Xbox Series X
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A good racing game offers something that no other genre can match - a sense of true speed, and the urgency of knowing that the slightest twitch of your steering, or a dab on the brake pedal - could spell the difference between first and second place.

The Xbox Series X and S have a huge library of racing games you can pick from, thanks to their stellar backwards-compatibility options. So we've gathered some of the very best options for you below. If you want a different gaming genre, do check out our other Xbox lists below.

Best racing games on Xbox Series X and S 2022: Amazing driving titles photo 1
Forza Horizon 5
1. Best overall

Stunning racer

$44 $60 Save $16

A gorgeous open world to explore and countless cars to do it in.

Pros
  • Beautiful world
  • So many races
  • Amazing cars
Cons
  • Not that inventive
  • Not that inventive

The Xbox's foremost driving game series is back, and the Horizon festival it offers up is as entertaining as anything you could want. This time the action has moved to Mexico, and where other games have you slowly earning better cars you'll be showered with them in Horizon 5.

Whether it's in a high-powered jeep or a genuine supercar, the open world is so fun to explore and there are crazy numbers of races and activities to take part in - that's before you hop online, where there are loads of events to sink your teeth into.

Everything we know about Need for Speed Unbound: Trailers, release date and more photo 5
Need for Speed Unbound
2. Best style

Street racing

A great street racer that makes it really easy to create incredible-looking rides.

Pros
  • Fun racing
  • Incredible customisation
  • Looks great
Cons
  • Cop chases can overstay welcome

Need for Speed returns to its street racing roots, giving you a huge amount of customisation options and loads of challenging races to take part in.

The risk and reward mechanics that worked well in Heat are back and make for a thrilling time if you're racing away from cops or trying to get to a safehouse without being spotted. Unbound is a racing treat.

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DIRT 5
3. Best off-road

Great handling

An off-road racer that has a super fun handling system.

Pros
  • Great blend of sim and arcade
  • Looks fab
  • Handles so well
Cons
  • Could have more tracks

If you're a particular fan of taking your vehicles off the road and onto other surfaces then the Dirt series has been a great choice for a good number of years now. Its fifth iteration looks great on Microsoft's latest consoles with great lighting and a fun variety of tracks.

The real star, though, is its arcadey handling engine, which makes sliding around on mud, gravel and everything in between super fun, with the best tracks transitioning between different surfaces on the fly as you race.

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F1 2022
4. Best speed

High-speed

A racer so fast you'll have to relearn some of what you know about driving.

Pros
  • Fully licensed
  • Sense of speed
  • Looks great
Cons
  • Obviously limited modes

Getting back to the tarmac, though, is F1 2021, which offers up a hugely detailed recreation of what it would be like to actually race through a Formula 1 season, with all the teams and cars represented in amazing levels of fidelity.

The sense of speed you get throwing one of these precision-engineered cars down a straight as you fight to take the top spot on a podium is pretty much second to none, and the practise it takes to get really good at controlling one is its own reward.

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Wreckfest
5. Best crashes

Total carnage

The best destruction engine a racing game's ever featured leads to crazy fun.

Pros
  • Peerless crashes
  • Great multiplayer
  • Looks ace
Cons
  • Can be hard to actually race

There was a golden heyday when driving games all had great damage engines to accurately reflect any bumps and crashes you got into. That's now rare once again, but Wreckfest is basically a whole game built around a truly amazing damage system.

It lets you absolutely destroy your vehicles, which come in all shapes and sizes, and its online races are some of the most insanely chaotic fun you can possibly have, therefore. Winning is nice, but taking out other racers in showers of sparks and debris is also pure fun.

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WRC Generations
6. Best car roster

Top rallying

A great rally game that lets you rip on long and winding stages.

Pros
  • Great stages
  • Good roster of cars
  • Takes real mastery
Cons
  • Unforgiving

Finally, no list of great racing games is complete without at least one title that presents the joy of rally, a discipline that pushes cars to their very limits on trails that might be considered barely a track if you were in a road car.

WRC Generations is the latest in a long series that's gone from strength to strength, and there's nothing else out there to compete if you're looking for long stages that are full of complex turns and formations to ensure your reactions have to be right up to speed.

How to choose a racing game for your Xbox Series X or S

Picking a racing game for your Xbox can be a challenge, but these quick questions might help you narrow things down.

Have you checked Game Pass?

As with every type of game on Xbox, before you buy a new one check Xbox Game Pass to see if it's included as one of the free titles for the subscription service. If so, you'll save money by being able to try it for a lower monthly cost (although you won't own the game). It's a great way to try out a racer without having to commit to a purchase.

What disciplines attract you?

If you know you like off-roading or Formula 1 in particular, that should obviously help steer you toward the right type of racer, but if you're pretty agnostic and just want to go fast, then something more generalist like Forza Horizon 5 might be more suitable.

Do you want splitscreen?

Something that's sadly not as common as it used to be in racers is splitscreen racing on the couch - we love racing friends in person, but if you're the same as us you may need to double-check before you choose your game whether it's supported at all.