# Best PS1 Racing Games You Should Play – Gran Turismo 2, Crash Team Racing, NASCAR Rumble and more.
NASCAR 2001
Its gameplay is accessible to racing fans of all ages and backgrounds, while its statistics and options provide a lot of replay value. Sure, it’s not Gran Turismo, but NASCAR 2001’s diverse variety enables it to appeal to a wider audience, whether you’re a veteran of the series, a simulation fan, or a newcomer to the genre.
F1 2000
Overall, EA Sports’ F1 2000 is a solid title. While it isn’t the definitive F1 racing game we were hoping for, it certainly plays well, looks decent, and offers more than enough options and racing mods to keep fans of the virtual F1 racing circuit happy for quite some time.
Rollcage Stage 2
The game may not have the lasting appeal of Wipeout or Ridge Racer, but it has enough gameplay, eye candy, and bonus secrets to put it near the top of what the PlayStation has to offer. If anything, it certainly delivers on the premise of 360-degree racing better than its predecessor.
Speed Punks
Speed Punks is a quality go-kart racing game that offers more than enough variety to warrant yet another kart racing game purchase. If you’re a fan of Crash Team Racing and have been looking for another fun four-player racer, or if you have wondered if any of these kart games are any fun, Speed Punks won’t disappoint.
Moto Racer
Essentially two racing games in one, Moto Racer features both dirt and street bikes, with tracks that suit each bike’s respective racing style. Sure, any racing game has the tendency to grow old eventually, but Moto Racer gets extra replay points for including a multiplayer option and a thumbs up for being a racing title worth checking out.
NASCAR Rumble
Playing NASCAR Rumble, you get the impression that the developers set out to make a fast and simple racing game with a lot of replay value, and they very much succeeded. But the thing is, it ends up a little too simple to deliver the magically addictive experience provided by similar unrealistic racers.
Need for Speed Rally 2
Rally 2 truly has something for everyone, with another kit mode for casual rally fans, a downright hardcore mode for the true rally fans, and everything in between. Rally 2 is the premier PlayStation rally game, loaded with exceptional features, play modes, great graphics, and sound. Rally 2 is a complete rally racing package.
NASCAR 98
If you’re sick of the unrealistic playstyle of games like Grand Tour Racing and Test Drive 4, NASCAR 98 offers a refreshing break from a normal city racing game. Give or take a few flaws, this might just be one of the best real-life racing games.
Moto Racer 2
EA took what was already a good game and added a bunch of cool new stuff to it. It’s a great formula that works for this great sequel. Moto Racer 2 is definitely a game to pick up for fans of the first game and racing game fans in general.
Colin McRae Rally
Closer to a sim than any other rally racer on the system, Colin McRae Rally is a skill-based game that’s deep, challenging, and varied, but still not as annoying as most sims. It beats GT2’s rally racing in pure depth, with the exception of perhaps not in the amount of cars offered.
Rage Racer
Rage Racer is a very good racing game, and anyone who even remotely enjoyed either of the first two Ridge Racer games will go crazy over it. Overall, it’s got a lot of gameplay spread out over the two different tracks, and there are hours upon hours to be spent attempting to earn every single car.
TOCA Championship Racing
TOCA Championship Racing is one of the better racing games out there. It plays great, it looks great, and most importantly, it’s fun. Not only that, TOCA has cool tracks, and with the car damage mechanics, the game is just fun to play. Any fan of racing games should check out TOCA.
Sled Storm
The challenge might be a little high since you get only three lives to complete a championship. Fortunately, there’s a nifty option to turn off automatic catch-up by computer racers, which evens the odds a bit. For any gamer looking for a uniquely fresh adrenaline rush, Sled Storm makes for one very worthy title.
Need for Speed High Stakes.
All in all, Need for Speed High Stakes is a great driving game, but a few of the game’s smaller problems keep it from being all that it could be. The inability to call for backup in the two-player Hot Pursuit games is unforgivable and keeps the gameplay score from being even higher.
Stock Car Racing
In the end, Jarrett and Labonte’s Stock Car Racing is a solid racing game that’s great fun for anyone who really enjoys spending a great deal of time learning all the ins and outs of a totally in-depth racing game. It’s definitely one of the best PlayStation sim racing games.
Rally Cross
Rally Cross is one of the more unique racing games on the PlayStation. With a little persistence, racing fans and rookie drivers alike can appreciate what this game has to offer and should certainly wrap this title up for a test drive.
Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit.
In the end, NFS 3: Hot Pursuit does what it wanted to do: create a fun arcade racing game that is challenging and offers plenty of modes to race. If you are a fan of arcade racing at all, you’ll love the game.
Wipeout 3
Wipeout 3 should appeal to longtime fans of the series who are looking for a new challenge and perhaps to folks who didn’t find the license tests of Gran Turismo too frustrating. It is, however, sure to turn off many new players because of its high level of difficulty.
Driver
Overall, Driver is a game that might be mediocre in its presentation but more than makes up for it in its gameplay and concept. The best thing about Driver is the feeling you get when you’re speeding away from the fuzz after smashing your way through a roadblock. It’s the feeling of impending doom that
makes playing Driver quite fun.
Ridge Racer Type 4
Above all, R4 is incredibly fun to play. Unlocking the cars quickly becomes an obsession, and the JogCon adds a ton of depth to the game’s control. Sure, you can play with a DualShock or even a standard controller, but the JogCon is definitely the way to play.
Colin McRae Rally 2.0
Codemasters has opted to smooth out numerous rough edges in order to deliver a more polished sophomore effort. As such, diehard fans of the original may feel a twinge of déjà vu when they dig into the update. For everyone else, though, Colin McRae Rally 2.0 represents one of the most solidly addictive racing experiences that money can buy.
Crash Team Racing
Crash Team Racing may seem like just a Mario Kart clone, and with the exception of an additional mode or two and the superior track design, it is. But it’s a great Mario Kart clone, and it succeeds where the likes of Mega Man, Bomberman, Diddy Kong, Chocobo, and even Mario himself have failed.
Gran Turismo 2
Perhaps the worst aspect of Gran Turismo 2, oddly enough, is the existence of Gran Turismo 1. Given the success of the original, the game’s developers probably had no wish to fix anything that wasn’t broken and preferred to build on the successful formula by adding more cars, car makers, and features such as the rallying mode.
Wipeout XL
Wipeout XL is probably the best futuristic racing game you can buy for the PlayStation. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, with some of the best light sourcing and effects ever. The control is smooth, the gameplay is fast, and the music is just awesome. It’s games like this that make you proud to be a PlayStation owner.
Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo is truly the mother of all racing games to date. It has it all: awesome gameplay, brilliant pacing, and a reality factor that will astound even the most hardcore gamers. No matter what flavor of racer you favor, Gran Turismo will take you for a ride you won’t soon forget.