IRACING
The most serious racing simulator on the list. No amateurism – only licensed, laser scanned tracks, only real cars, only hardcore gameplay and only the view from behind the wheel (with VR device support).
iRacing is an expensive, but high-quality pleasure. The game can rather be called a closed club of racers, where gamers compete with each other, share experiences and help in setting up virtual cars. There are even regular championships with cash prizes of ten thousand dollars. If you not only like, but live for racing, then iRacing is just what you need.
RFACTOR DILOGY
Simulators on which work is in full swing: gamemakers and modders alike sweat over new content and realistic gameplay mechanics. The level of performance is so high that the games series rFactor even trained real racers.
What is so attractive for professionals franchise? For example, a credible simulation of the thermal conductivity of tires: rubber overheats, sticks to the asphalt, forming bumps on the track, loses traction with the road. And this is just one example of the game’s realism. Also, don’t forget about the large number of tracks and cars, of which there are more and more thanks to the creativity of enthusiasts.
ASSETTO CORSA
The office of the developers’ studio of this game is located not far from the Italian Valelunga racetrack. This gave the authors an opportunity not only to regularly enjoy the beautiful cars and watch the exciting races, but also to test the cars and copy all the irregularities of the track as precisely as possible (laser scanning technology was used for that).
In Assetto Corsa the characteristics of race cars are perfectly transferred and the driving is realistic – up to the possibility to burn the clutch and brakes from sloppy behavior on the road. However, it is not without its shortcomings: for example, the career is a poorly connected set of races, and the basic version of the game contains very little content. But here the disadvantages of the project are balanced by the aforementioned pluses.
FORZA MOTORSPORT 7
Forza Motorsport 7 is the debut of Forza Motorsport series (not counting Forza Motorsport: Apex) on personal computers: before that these car simulators were released only on Xbox-family consoles. And it must be said that the PC-version of the game was developed with all the features of the platform: the developers have implemented a fairly comfortable keyboard control (although who plays sims on the keyboard?), as well as achieving a great optimization for, without exaggeration, a gorgeous graphics.
Gameplay project also does not disappoint: cars roaring engines, rushing along the tracks, plummeting into the skid and beautifully crumpled in collisions – with the appropriate consequences for the components. The difference in control when choosing different cars is felt instantly, the same applies to different weather conditions. Add to this a massive fleet of 700 vehicles, a plethora of modes, and engrossing multiplayer, and you have one of the best racing games of recent years.
LIVE FOR SPEED
A racing simulator that has been in development for more than a decade and a half and stands out for its trustworthy physics and meticulous simulation of car behavior on the road, including the realistic work of the suspension, tire heating, the calculation of damage to various parts of the car and so on. Over the years the project has gathered an impressive community that contributes to its development.
Live for Speed can be downloaded absolutely free from the official site. Of course, the base part of the game contains only a small fraction of the available content, and to unlock all the cars and tracks, you have to shell out some money.
F1 SERIES
A franchise dedicated exclusively to Formula One racing. But do not think that it will disappoint you with a small amount of content: there are more than enough different modes, tracks, cars and interesting gameplay mechanics. Career allows you to develop your own team, and additional modes provide an opportunity to conquer the legendary “Royal Race” cars.
As for gameplay, it’s also all right. Codemasters improves the series from year to year, so each F1 series release pleases gamers with realistic driving model, clever opponents and significant differences between the cars.
DIRT RALLY
A hardcore rally simulator that stands out among other “pop” games of the DiRT series. Here gamers will have to fight two challenges: tracks and time. The first are very narrow and often contain different types of coatings: asphalt is replaced by gravel, then off-road, and it is even good if you have left on the road not in the rain or ice. The second forces the rider to constantly rush, to drive with the highest possible speed to show the best result.