The original game offered 25 of the 40 drivers in the circuit for the player’s character and allowed the choice of nine of the tracks on the circuit. The game also introduced the concept of online racing. With drafting incorporated into the mechanics of this game, it opened up the genre and drew in more enthusiasts. At the high end of the limit for PCs at that time, the game was the first to have more realistic looking cars, as opposed to squared off imitations. NASCAR, the first version of which was released in 1994, puts the player behind the wheel of a vehicle similar to those used on the Sprint Cup circuit. The game uses cars seen on daily drives while allowing the driver the option to add performance parts to improve the car’s speed, etc… Driving along city streets and incorporating such factors as pedestrians, police, traffic lights and medians, the games give the driver the ability to experience somewhat typical driving while sitting in the comfort of his or her home. Street racing is a category of the racing game that brings the player closest to reality. Rally car racing games take the player off-road, using specially modified vehicles that include turbos for increased speed and varied terrain settings. In some instances, a joystick is optional. A racing series with many games based on its characteristics is the Formula One World Championship, which has cars racing at high speeds on specially built tracks and sometimes on former streets or roadways that have been closed and transformed into tracks.These games also are played with a controller held in the hand or by using buttons on a keyboard, rather than an actual steering wheel put into use.

This type of game is typically targeted toward people with higher levels of racing skill, as precision and technique are beneficial in simulations.

The typical behavior of a vehicle determines how a game works in simulation racing. Usually, however an arcade style racing game gives the player a steering wheel, a gas pedal and puts them inside the physical box of the game, lending to the impression the player is inside a vehicle. Collisions tend to be more graphic and exaggerated and tend to focus on the racing experience, rather than real life details.

In arcade-style racing, taking turns at high speeds is encouraged, while simulation racing games require the player to slow down for curves and turns, like driving in real life. The game varieties range from cars, trucks and ATVs to boats and even airplanes and include real-looking backgrounds to fantasy settings.There are five common categories to car racing games: arcade style, simulation racing, rally car, street racing and NASCAR.Īrcade style racing games differ from real driving in a few ways. Racing video games give the player an opportunity to compete against other vehicles of the same type in a behind-the-wheel scenario or to compete against themselves and the clock in a timed race.

Car games that you can play online