Today we’re taking you for a ride on memory lane! Nostalgia hit us hard while putting together this list of the best PS2 racing games.
The PS2 brought us a great collection of racing games
For many of us, the PlayStation 2 period was the pinnacle of gaming. With one of the largest game libraries ever, the PS2 went above and beyond with some of the most amazing racing games ever.
Today, we’re here to share with you some of the best racing games on the PlayStation 2. But keep in mind that there was a lot of competition because there were so many excellent candidates and we did our best to select the greatest ps2 racing games. However, if you don’t feel nostalgic, check our list containing the best PS5 racing games and take your driving to the next level!
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
The sixth game in the Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit series is an arcade racing game that serves as a direct prequel to Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit. Similar to its predecessor, the player races through a series of events throughout many course tracks with the aim of winning against your opponents and dodging police pursuits.
There are two major game modes: Hot Pursuit, which adds a police pursuit to the race, and World Racing Championship, which pits the player against Computer opponents in a series of traditional racing events. The game has a sizable collection of officially licenced vehicles, including models from Ferrari, Chevrolet, Ford, Jaguar, Lamborghini, and many others. Even though the console has a vast library of Need For Speed games, Hot Pursuit 2 remains one of the best PS2 racing games ever made.
Nascar Thunder 2004
Image source: youtube.co
The last NASCAR Thunder season, 2004, is considered as the greatest in the series. This was seen as the series’ zenith in a run that ultimately concluded with its 2009 edition. Its greatest and most in-depth elements are thought to be the Career mode and the opportunity to customize the vehicle. If you enjoy significant crashes and vindictive AI that remembers your transgressions, this game is on of the best PS2 racing games.
Midnight Club trilogy
The Midnight Club trilogy on the PlayStation 2 was fantastic thanks to the incredible development and is still one of the best racing games on PS2 to date. While the original game had some weak edges, the two successors nailed it with fantastic gameplay and settings.
In every game, the player begins with a simple, basic car and progresses via winning street racing challenges. The main objective is to overcome a number of street racers, including local and international champions, in order to replace the current Midnight Club ruler. A sizable map that covers areas of London and New York City may be found in MD: Street Racing. An open-world environment with a map that encompasses Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo is also a feature of Midnight Club II. San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit are all playable open-world settings in the trilogy’s final game.
Auto Modellista
Capcom made the proper decision in picking cel-shaded graphics for Auto Modellista, featuring an outrageously over-the-top arcade racing concept. With a few simple adjustments, such as switching from arcade to simulation controls, the game is comparable to many closed-circuit sim racers.
Burnout 3: Takedown
Burnout 3: Takedown is the third game in the popular Burnout franchise and is an action arcade racing game. The quality of this game is actually beyond words; some fans even go so far as to say that Burnout 3 is the finest arcade racing game available today. As the two previous games from Criterion Games included elements of arcade racing, aggressive play, and quick gameplay, that statement is not far from reality.
Burnout 3 is a fast-paced racing game that draws heavily from its predecessor and offers great incentives for playing recklessly and aggressively. The game’s incredible aesthetics, flawless 60 fps frame rate, and crash mechanics that are still relevant today make it unbeatable in terms of graphics. Burnout 3 is generally regarded as one of the finest arcade racing games to date, surpassing the popularity of its predecessor with an astonishing range of features, fantastic physics, and exceptional gameplay.
Need for Speed: Underground 2
The goal of Need for Speed Underground 2 is to immerse players in the tuner culture while they explore a large, free-roaming metropolis separated into five distinctive districts. Players come across competitor racers who start events, inform them of the hottest racing locations, and direct them to the best places to get the most sought-after licenced aftermarket improvements.
The game offers a variety of racing modes, extensive new performance tweaking, and more than 30 officially licenced vehicles. In addition, the game offers twice as many aesthetic customization improvements as the previous game, offering a huge variety of conceivable automobile combinations for complete automotive individuality.
Downhill Domination
Exclusive to the PlayStation 2, Downhill Domination is a mountain bike racing arcade game. DD is built around the downhill mountain bike racing extreme sport, in which the player races down a mountain from a cliff’s top to its base.
Gran Turismo 4
The sixth entry of the well-known hardcore simulation racing game is Gran Turismo 4. The game, like the others in the series, is geared towards simulation lovers and features closed-circuit racing as well as incredibly realistic physics and gameplay. In A-spec mode, the player participates in a number of racing competitions to earn A-spec points. In the brand-new B-spec mode, the player assumes the role of a racing crew chief, controlling the team and issuing orders to the driver while also keeping an eye on the stats of the car.
The game has incredible visuals that can compete even with the early PS3 graphics, making it one of, if not the best-looking games on the system in terms of aesthetics. Up to 721 certified vehicles may be obtained during the course of the game, and each one can be completely customised. The material did not fall short either. On the PlayStation 2, Gran Turismo 4 can be considered the apex of simulation racing games.
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is a hoverboard racer video game that features Sonic franchise characters and settings. A hoverboard known as Extreme Gears is used by the protagonists to engage in a variety of racing events. The objective of each race is to cross the finish line first utilizing a mix of tricks and boosts.
Twisted Metal: Black
Twisted Metal: Black is located in a town called MidTown. There are single-player and multiplayer options for this vehicle combat game. You must engage other racers with combination attacks while using the vast arsenal of weapons at your disposal to get to victory.
This combat racing game gives you an authentic sense of the game with traffic, genuine weather, and pedestrians on the road. This game is frenetic and exciting with two four-player deathmatch modes and the two-player co-op option. One of the best racing games with guns on the PS2, Twisted Metal: Black also allows 1-4 players to play together online.
That being said, we hope you enjoyed our PS2 racing games list! I got really nostalgic while writing this, to be honest! Now, that you have some of the best PS2 racing games together, how does it sound to enjoy these tiles on some best gaming TV? Happy racing in the city of good memories!
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