The Best Racing Games on PS5 in 2026
From Gran Turismo 7's PSVR2 sim laps to arcade blasts like The Crew Motorfest — the racing games worth your PS5 garage in 2026, sorted by how you like to drive.
The PS5 has quietly become one of the strongest platforms for driving games, and the best racing games on PS5 in 2026 span a huge range — from painstaking simulators you steer with a force-feedback wheel to breezy open-world arcade racers you can pick up with the DualSense for ten minutes. This guide sorts the platform's real, well-established racing titles into practical categories so you can match a game to how you actually like to drive, and it flags the two things that trip people up most: whether a game supports a racing wheel, and whether you need PlayStation Plus to race online. Every game named here genuinely exists on PS5 today; where something is still upcoming, it's clearly labelled.
The one rule to remember: online multiplayer in these games — ranked lobbies, live events, competitive seasons — needs an active PS Plus subscription (Essential tier or higher). Single-player campaigns, career modes, and time trials do not. Confirm any game's current features on its PlayStation Store page before buying, since content and modes change with updates.
How to choose the best racing game on PS5 for you
Racing is a broad genre, and the best pick depends entirely on the experience you want. Roughly, PS5 racers fall into three camps. Sims prioritise physics, tyre wear, and setup depth, and reward practice — often with a wheel. Licensed motorsport games put you in real championships — Formula 1, rally, GT racing — with official teams, cars, and tracks. Arcade racers throw realism aside for speed, drifting, and instant fun, usually with a controller. Decide which of those you're in the mood for and the shortlist gets a lot shorter. Each section below covers the strongest options in that lane.
Serious sim racing: physics first
If you want a driving game that treats a corner like a physics problem, these are the deep ends of the pool.
- Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital) — The definitive PS5 sim and an easy first recommendation. It blends a huge car list, real and fantasy circuits, licence tests, and the online Sport Mode, and it has kept growing through free updates and paid content — our Gran Turismo 7 DLC breakdown covers what's been added. Crucially for PS5 owners, GT7 offers full PSVR2 support, and driving it in VR is one of the most convincing racing experiences on the console; see our PSVR2 guide if you're weighing the headset. It also has strong wheel support.
- Assetto Corsa (Kunos Simulazioni) — A cult favourite among sim purists for its pure, communicative handling model. It's rougher around the edges than Gran Turismo but delivers a focused, driver's-car feel that many wheel users prefer for hot-lapping and track days.
Gran Turismo 7 is the standout PS5 racer for PSVR2 — the entire game, including career and online modes, is playable in virtual reality, not just a bolted-on demo mode.
Licensed motorsport: real championships
These put you inside the real sport, with official cars, drivers, liveries, and calendars. They're the sim-arcade middle ground — approachable with a pad, deep enough to reward a wheel.
- The F1 series (Codemasters/EA Sports) — The annual official Formula 1 games are the go-to for open-wheel racing. F1 24 and the more recent F1 25 both live on PS5, with a story-driven career, the management-focused My Team mode, and full online racing. New entries typically arrive each year around the start of the F1 season, so expect the range to refresh again in 2026.
- WRC (Codemasters/EA Sports) — The official World Rally Championship game is the pick for point-to-point rally: loose surfaces, pace notes, and stage-by-stage precision. It's a very different discipline from circuit racing and scratches an itch no other PS5 game quite does.
Because these are yearly, licensed releases, it's worth checking which edition is current and whether the season content you care about has been updated before you buy — and, as with any online racing, factor in a PS Plus membership for multiplayer.
Arcade and open-world: speed over simulation
When you'd rather drift through neon streets than manage tyre temperatures, these are the fun-first picks — most play best with the DualSense and are easy to share with friends and family.
| Game | Style | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The Crew Motorfest | Open-world arcade | A big island playground of festivals and car culture |
| Need for Speed (recent entries) | Arcade street racing | Cops, customisation, and cinematic drift battles |
| Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 | Toy-scale arcade | Wild track designs and pick-up-and-play chaos |
| LEGO 2K Drive | Family arcade adventure | Younger players and mixed-skill couch sessions |
The Crew Motorfest is the standout open-world option, dropping you onto a festival-themed island packed with playlists spanning street cars, off-roaders, and classics. Need for Speed's recent entries deliver the series' trademark night-time street racing, heavy customisation, and police chases. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 and LEGO 2K Drive are the lighter, more family-friendly choices — genuinely great with kids or a partner on the sofa, and a natural fit alongside our best PS5 co-op games roundup.
Wheels, online play, and what's coming
Two practical notes to round out your buying decision.
Racing wheels. A force-feedback wheel transforms sims like Gran Turismo 7 and the licensed motorsport games, adding a physical connection to the car you simply can't get from thumbsticks. Support varies by title and by wheel model, so check that your specific wheel is listed as PS5-compatible for the game you want before buying — arcade racers are generally designed around the controller and don't need one. For controllers, headsets, and other gear, our PS5 hardware and accessories guide is the place to start.
Online. Ranked lobbies, live seasonal events, and competitive multiplayer across all of these games require an active PS Plus subscription; single-player content does not. If you're deciding how much to spend, our PS Plus tiers explainer breaks down what each level includes.
On the horizon: the arcade-racing landscape is set to shift, with Forza Horizon 6 coming to PS5 — a first for the series, which has historically been exclusive to Xbox and PC. The Xbox and PC version launched earlier in 2026, with the PS5 edition expected later in the year; the exact PS5 date and feature parity are still to be confirmed. Our Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 update tracks what's confirmed versus expected, so treat it as one to watch rather than a current pick.
The bottom line
For most PS5 owners, Gran Turismo 7 is the default — the deepest, best-supported racer on the platform, and the only one that turns your PSVR2 into a race seat. If you follow real motorsport, add the current F1 game or WRC for authentic championship racing, and reach for Assetto Corsa if you want a purer sim feel with a wheel. And when you just want to switch off and drive fast, The Crew Motorfest, Need for Speed, and the toy-scale Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 and LEGO 2K Drive deliver instant fun with none of the setup. Sort out which lane you're in — sim, licensed, or arcade — remember that only online play needs PS Plus, and you've got the best racing games on PS5 in 2026 covered, with Forza Horizon 6 waiting in the wings.
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