8 best racing games for PS5 in 2023: Wreckfest, Gran Turismo & more
If you’re looking for some of the best racing games in 2023 to play on PlayStation 5, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve selected some essential games that you should have on your shelves or in your libraries that will get your heart pumping as you speed down the track.
We’ll be covering some of the best single-player, multiplayer and highly competitive racing titles for you to play on your PS5 in 2023 – so read on.
- If you’re looking for more PS5 titles, check out some of the best PS5 games on sale.
Best PS5 racing games in 2023
Wreckfest
Click to enlargePlatform(s): PlayStation 5
If you're looking for one of the most dynamic racing games out there that pushes the graphical fidelity of the PS5, then Wreckfest is the way to go.
More than just a racing game, it is a veritable demolition derby, as the game uses soft-body damage modelling to accurately depict damage and the very way you drive following an impact. Shards of glass, dents in the metal, popped tyres. You name it, and Wreckfest well and truly has it covered to provide players with the most realistic experience.
These demolition derby aspects of Wreckfest are perhaps the most impressive, as each game not only becomes a standard race to the finish you see in your typical race but also a heart-pounding fight to become the last car standing... or driving in this cast.
- If you're looking for more titles, check out some of the best Nintendo Switch games for adults.
Need for Speed: Unbound
Click to enlargePlatform(s): PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S
Need for Speed is a stalwart of the genre, and has always been a reliable series to turn to if you need a good, albeit safe racer. Need for Speed: Unbound shakes things up quite a bit, especially when it comes to visuals.
Rather than relying solely on realism, the game is attempting to carve out its own identity, particularly with its presentation. Gone are your standard character models, to be replaced with highly graphic cell-shaded characters, each with their own unique personality that makes for a more memorable story experience.
When you’re driving along a road and see a ramp, you’re ultimately going to want to use it to get in the air. The graffiti-style graphics and colourful smoke that appears when you do such tricks feel like a refreshing graphical consideration that the series needed to stand out from a crowded market.
- Be sure to check out our complete car list for Need for Speed: Unbound.
F1 23
Click to enlargePlatform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S
The most recent title on this list, F1 23 is the pinnacle of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". This a sign that, despite being a title that is released every year, it still retains the same degree of purpose and fun as the entries prior.
With every entry of the game, more and more gets polished, and this entry is no exception. With refined driving mechanics and tweaks to already existing circuits. Refined is probably the most accurate way to describe F1 23. This is a series that knows its audience and is always looking to fine-tune itself.
F1 23 also sees the return of the Braking Point story and F1 World mode, making it essential for those who have become invested in the story alongside the racing.
- If you want to know our full thoughts, check out our F1 23 review.
MotoGP 22
Click to enlargePlatform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S
From cars to bikes. Variety is the spice of life when it comes to racing and MotoGP 22 offers just that. The game throws you into the familiar world of MotoGP, with over 20 circuits and 120 recognisable riders for you to choose from.
This is probably the game grounded in realism the most. Not just in visuals, but in the history of the sport, with it placing its champions at the forefront and allowing players to learn as well as play.
- Be sure to check out our picks for the Top 20 games on the PS5 in 2022.
Grid Legends
Click to enlargePlatform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S
If you're looking for an international tour-de-force, then Grid Legends can offer you just that. Featuring iconic speedway tracks in London, Paris, San Francisco and more, the game is willing you to try out every feature imaginable. From the electric cars to the off-road tracks, there is plenty to delve into.
Following in the footsteps of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Grid Legends also features a significant story campaign alongside the freedom to race. While perhaps not as recognisable as F1's Braking Point, Grid Legends' Driven to Glory still provides a fun single-player experience that changes up the pace.
As we put it, Grid Legends feels like one of the final "classic" racing games.
- Be sure to check out our Grid Legends review for our full thoughts.
Redout 2
Click to enlargePlatform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S
Why stay on the track when you can hover slightly above it? If you thought F-Zero was fast, then you clearly need to play Redout 2. Taking place in the distant future of 2560, compete in the Solar Redout Racing League in a series of anti-gravity races.
Redout 2, much like its predecessor, is a neon dream, with gorgeous visuals that almost want you to slow down and appreciate the world you're racing. However, it's the speed that is the most impressive. You'll need to make split-second decisions if you're going to stay on the track.
While we eagerly await anything to do with F-Zero, Redout 2 will certainly keep us going in the meantime.
- If you're racing for a while, check out some of the best PS5 headsets to heighten your experience.
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Click to enlargePlatform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S
When it comes to toys and games, Hot Wheels continues to be a source of enjoyment for the whole family in the form of Hot Wheels Unleashed. Taking the classic toys and placing them in exciting scenarios for all ages to race along the iconic orange track.
What is perhaps most impressive about Hot Wheels Unleashed is that it utilises a highly in-depth track builder, so you can create the designs you could only dream of when playing with the toy cars, and finally realise them in the game.
The tracks can vary in appearance but often replicate the feeling that you have built them yourself, with a cleverly disguised living room, library, garage and more forming the backdrop to the tracks, that dip, twist, wind and turn to your design.
- Be sure to check out Forza's Hot Wheels DLC cars.
Gran Turismo 7
Click to enlargePlatform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR2, PlayStation 5
It might be easy to dismiss Gran Turismo as just PlayStation's Forza equivalent, but it is so much more. PlayStation's flagship racer is the pinnacle of design, with sleek visuals and realistic controls, it's easier to see why players would want to get behind the wheel in VR.
Similarly to F1 23, Gran Turismo is an iconic series at its best and makes the most of the sleek hardware it is playing on. The haptic feedback in the PS5's DualSense controller only adds to the immersion, letting the vibrations of the track reverberate through your hands and into your soul. It is the definition of a current-gen racer and one that belongs on every PS5 player's shelf.
- If you want our full thoughts, be sure to check out our Gran Turismo 7 review.
And that's our picks for the best racing games on the PS5 in 2023. Now you'll be able to race to finish with your friends and experience some gorgeous graphics and solid stories along the way.