2022 was a strong year for racing games with high-profile releases like Gran Turismo 7 and Need for Speed Unbound, but what are the best racing games 2023 going to be?
Most anticipated racing games of 2023
With several key titles delayed until next year, 2023 promises to be another great year for our favourite game genre.
Without further ado, these are the best racing games of 2023 we can’t wait to play.
Forza Motorsport
After Gran Turismo made a long-awaited comeback with GT7, Microsoft is looking to reclaim the console sim racing crown with Forza Motorsport.
A reboot of the franchise, Forza Motorsport will fully utilise the power of the Xbox Series X|S and take console sim racing to the next level, with a fully dynamic weather system, ambient temperature affecting tyre grip, and a new damage model.
Microsoft hasn’t shown off Forza Motorsport since the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase back in July, but we should get a fresh glimpse of the Xbox racer early next year ahead of its projected Spring 2023 release date.
By then, it will be the first Forza Motorsport game in six years, so the pressure is on for Turn 10 and Microsoft to deliver the Forza game fans deserve.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown
With Forza Horizon more popular than ever, it’s easy to overlook how ground-breaking Test Drive Unlimited was in 2006. With its massive open world of Hawaii and seamless online multiplayer, TDU was ahead of its time.
With Forza Horizon’s formula getting stale, TDU is making a comeback next year to reinvigorate the open-world driving game once again.
Originally slated for a September 2022 release, the long-delayed Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is set to arrive in 2023. For the sequel, KT Racing has created a 1:1 scale version of Hong Kong Island.
While it’s smaller than previous maps, the French studio promises the new setting will be much denser. With a smaller roster of cars that handle distinctly, limited money, and interactive dealerships, TDUSC will offer a different flavour of driving than Forza Horizon.
We’ve still barely seen any gameplay, but if TDUSC can live up to KT Racing’s ambitious vision it could be one of the best racing games of 2023.
TT Isle of Man - Ride on the Edge 3
For motorcycle fans, there are plenty of bike games to look forward to in 2023. Monster Energy Supercross 6 was recently announced, and we expect Milestone’s annual MotoGP series to continue next year with MotoGP 23.
But TT Isle of Man - Ride on the Edge 3 already looks like a contender for next year’s best bike game.
The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is one of the most challenging and dangerous race events in the world. As you hurtle down narrow country roads at 200 mph, Ride on the Edge 3 aims to capture the intensity of the Tourist Trophy.
With 32 circuits, nearly 40 customisable Superbike and Supersport bikes, improved physics, and a new Open Roads mode with 124 miles of open road to explore, Ride on the Edge 3 is shaping up to be a worthy sequel.
Wreckreation
Wreckreation is probably the closest we’re going to get to a new Burnout game.
Three Fields Entertainment, a studio made up of former Criterion Studios who worked on the original Burnout games, is aiming to recapture the spirit of Burnout while also innovating the arcade racer.
A brand-new IP, Wreckreation mixes the destruction and chaos of Burnout with Trackmania. Players have the freedom to create their own game modes and crazy stunt tracks filled with ramps, loops, and giant rubber ducks in a large open-world sandbox.
Everything from the weather, waypoints and traffic density can be customised and up to eight players can build tracks together in the same space.
Arcade racers have faded in popularity compared to sim racers, so we’re hoping Wreckreation can give this once-popular genre a new lease of life.
WRC 23
With Codemasters taking the reins from KT Racing, 2023 will begin a new era for the WRC game series. Although it hasn’t been officially announced yet at the time of writing, Codemasters’ first official WRC game is expected to arrive next year.
Codemasters is certainly no stranger to making rally games having helmed the original Colin McRae Rally games that evolved into the DIRT games we know today, so the WRC license should be in safe hands.
Rumours suggest you can even build your own rally car from the ground up from choosing the drivetrain to installing engines, gearboxes, brakes, and exhausts. This could be the refresh the WRC game series needs.