From the time of 8-bit video gaming, we have always loved to play racing games. Smartphone gaming is no exception, and we love to play racing game that comes with motion gestures and beautiful touch 3D graphics. So here is my list of top 5 Android racing games:
5. Final Freeway 2R
The original Outrun was a revolutionary arcade racer when Sega released it in the mid to late 1980s. It combined stunning scaling-based graphics with powersliding and one of the best soundtracks ever in a racing game to that point. Clones were inevitable, and one came from Squaresoft in the form of Rad Racer, while sequels followed until the series reached another dormant stage after Outrun Arcade on digital marketplaces. With the fall of Outrun rose the mobile clone, and the best of the bunch of Final Freeway 2R.
FF 2R takes the Outrun formula and mixes it up by actually giving you rivals to race. It also features easier powersliding than the original game, and includes full controller support. It doesn’t have as good a soundtrack as the Outrun games, but it’s serviceable and the graphics are excellent. Instead of pixel art, we get hand-drawn art for the cars, environments, and character profiles and it’s a very pleasing experience overall.
4. GT Racing 2
The GT Racing games clearly evoke a bit of Gran Turismo with their naming scheme. It evokes that franchise, while offering up a far more casual-friendly racing experience. A driving line is offered up, but unlike most sim-based racers, you can veer from it a bit and not suffer too much. It’s a generous free to play racer as well, offering up just some ads and time restrictions for certain things.
The time restrictions aren’t a game-breaker, but do hurt things a bit. You’re limited in just how far you can progress as a quick rate without paying, and that holds true for upgrading your car. Without pumping money into the game, you can only do one upgrade at a time – so even if you have a whole fleet of vehicles at your disposal, you’re locked into upgrading just one of them per play session. Fortunately, this annoying setup is made tolerable by a fantastic racing engine that works well with both gyroscopic controls and controller support.
3. Crazy Taxi
Crazy Taxi went from being an arcade hit to a Dreamcast classic, but was greatly hurt by its digital distribution in 2010. Instead of a licensed soundtrack from The Offspring and Bad Religion along with real-life storefronts, everything licensed was stripped out. Generic rock replaced the punk rock, and generic storefronts took the place of places like Pizza Hut and FILA.
Fortunately, the mobile version restores the soundtrack – and brings with it a lot of the original game’s charm. There’s something so perfect about starting this game off to hear The Offspring’s “ya ya ya ya ya!” begin the insanity. The goal is simply to drive people around in as exciting a manner as possible, with high jumps, spins, and near-misses adding to your fare. It’s a fantastic game on mobile devices, and includes controller support as well to deliver the best modern re-release of the game available.
2. Real Racing 3
EA’s Real Racing games carved a niche out for themselves as some of the best-looking and best-playing mobile racers on the market. The third installment brought with it a much bigger car roster alongside controller support and a very user-friendly free to play setup. The first two games cost $10 apiece, but this one delivers a lot of thrills for free.
This sim-centric game holds players to a higher standard than GT Racing 2 does. It’s not nearly as forgiving and requires you to stick to the racing line and avoid contact. You can still get into a few skirmishes, but can’t treat each race as if it’s an excuse to trade paint with your rivals like you can there. It’s a more satisfying driving experience – even though you can’t go wrong with either free to play offering.
1. Asphalt 8
Gameloft built its empire on delivering high quality games, and the Asphalt series has built a large part of that. It has blended a bit of Burnout with a slew of licensed cars. It’s an action-heavy racer with stunts that go far beyond most console games. It controls smoothly and you won’t be able to blame the controls for a non-podium finish. It also has a ton of modes, and is yet another free to play offering that gives you a lot without spending anything.
Pay gates are used for premium events, and most of those can be played once for free. Upgrades also get better and faster if you spend money – as do faster cars. Luckily, all of the game’s core content can be obtained for free through grinding. It might take time, but it’s time you’ll enjoy spending because of the rock-solid controls with either your mobile device or a controller. With a wide variety of platforms to play it on, Asphalt 8 takes the crown as the best mobile racer out there. You can also check drifted.com for their list of best car racing games as well.
Let us know in comments about your favorite racing games.
1 Comment