Trackmania

Ahhh friend, that is such a big question. I’m going to narrow down to just 2 games but I could literally sit here all day, fill out an entire chart of games and still not be done. I love racing games.
I’m going to say the best sim overall is Assetto Corsa, the original, because of it’s insane modding community that can make it into any sort of driving experience that you want.
And for best arcade racing game… I am inclined to say Burnout 3:Takedown from back in the PS2 days. The later sequels were also great, but this is the one that perfected the formula of extremely fast and aggressive driving, with blissful brake to drive and crashing physics. They just don’t make games that drive as good as this one in the arcade subgenre anymore.

Actually, I AM going to post a chart too, because I remembered I already have it saved.

Ridge Racer Type 4. Beautiful controls, amazing soundtrack, just an amazing game

My favorite was Racing Destruction Set on C64. 2 player split screen, you could modify your car for the track conditions, the tracks had multiple surfaces (road, dirt , ice, etc), and there was an included track editor.

I had a lot of fun memories with the bright color scheme for Burnout 3: Takedown. Plus the controls felt great, and weren’t compromised simply because I upgraded to a faster car.

Wreckfest (2018) is my most favorite recent game. It had a combination arcade and simulation feel, because the controls were simple and the driving experience felt exactly like driving a rusty old car ready to get crumpled again.

Beetle adventure racing for N64

Mario Kart Wii or BeamNG.drive

Trackmania! Man, the original was a hoot and i spent way too long in Trackmania; Sunrise. The tracks are still second to none, and the track editor; powerful. It allows you to save as many ghosts as you want and then produce a video. This was mind blowing to a younger me; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UcQmJwTnBg

Stunts (1990, DOS) is what has stayed with me the most. Crappy graphics, unrealistic controls even for its time, buggy physics (a wrong move could launch you into the stratosphere) but for some reason we stayed up all night taking turns trying to shave one more second off the lap record on our favorite track.

When my sister and I were kids we would say a number and count cars to that number. Whatever car was our number was the car we’d have as adults. Still waiting for the backhoe but w/e.

I know what you meant but reading the title made me think of this lol.

I enjoy Forza Horizon 4, and also Need For Speed World, which has several revival servers and a new client.

Driver san francisco, then probably burnout paradise.

Arcade would be the Forza series, as for Sim I very much enjoy Assetto Corsa due to how moddable it is, and because driving around in VR is rad.

I’ve not played any car games in years but I have fond memories of Outrun and the 1st Gran Turismo.

Rock N’ Roll Racing on SNES Uniracers is also up there, but it’s less of a racing game imo.