The 19 Best Racing Games for Switch

The undisputed king of kart racers and Nintendo's ultimate party game (besides Mario Party, of course) is Mario Kart. The eighth series entry from the Wii U got ported over to the Switch with way more content in the form of slight gameplay alterations and a new & improved Battle Mode. In its current state, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's content slate has ballooned to include even more tracks and characters to take onto each zany track. Getting that essential boost start, launching weapons at the right time to trip up the competition, drifting hard, and using anti-gravity techniques to stay at the front of the pack keeps this kart racer as fun as it was back on the Wii U.

Back on the PS1, the original Crash Team Racing debuted and shockingly measured up with N64's Mario Kart 64 when it comes to overall quality. We're forever grateful that the same studio that remastered the first three Crash Bandicoot platformers went ahead and remastered the best parts of the Crash kart racers. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a content-rich best-of collection that features the most memorable characters and exceptional tracks from the original Crash Team Racing, Crash Nitro Kart, and Crash Tag Team Racing. The game’s Adventure Mode that's patterned after the one seen in Diddy Kong Racing, 56-character roster, and slapstick humor solidify this remastered gen's greatness.

The Cruis'n games should be familiar to old-head gamers that frequented the arcades and tackled the quality ports that came to the N64. For some odd reason, the latest entry in the series could only be seen and played in arcades. But once it finally got ported onto the Nintendo Switch, a whole bunch more people got to bask in all the outlandish arcade racing & stunts Cruis'n Blast brought forth. The super catchy theme song sets the mood just right as you pick your favorite car, monster truck, or unicorn to hit the track. And speaking of tracks, Crusi'n Blast has some truly off-the-wall selections - we tend to get the most fun out of the layouts based in Death Valley, Madagascar, and Rio de Janeiro. And thanks to the Switch version, players were gifted with tons more noteworthy tours and stages to enjoy.

If your memory of unique racers from the 200s still works, then you most likely remember Rollcage. In 2018, a spiritual successor to that cult hit arrived in the form of GRIP: Combat Racing. We've chosen this pick as one of the best racing games for Switch thanks to its arcade action, futuristic themes, and double-sided vehicles that can speed across the top & bottom portions of each track. With a wide variety of modes to tackle and weapons & powerups to employ during your race to first place, GRIP offers a whole lot of worthwhile content to bask in.

Inertial Drift marries the best aspects of arcade racers like Outrun and Ridge Racer to present a riveting experience that everyone will grow enamored with after just one play session. What's so unique about this racer is its twin-stick control scheme, which lets you steer your car with the left analog stick and drift to your heart's content with the right analog stick. The game's gorgeous art style and supremely satisfying tunes that play while you race will also appeal to you with this pick.

On mobile devices, Asphalt 9: Legends stands out as a magnificent racer that wouldn't look out of place on your average home console. Once it finally made its way onto the Switch, we couldn't help but be amazed by how much of a successful transition this port ended up being. The game's "TouchDrive" control scheme appeals to fans of the mobile version, while the traditional controls console players are used to make this game more approachable on the Switch. What we have here is one of the prettiest, most addictive best racing games on the Switch.

The wait for a truly amazing Hot Wheels game certainly hurt, but that pain quickly subsided with this next pick on our list. Hot Wheels Unleashed encapsulates everything we loved about those miniature collectible cars back in the day - this game is jam-packed with signature cars that you'll recognize from the toy line and several media properties and tracks that take place across those recognizable orange lanes within home-based locations. And as expected, each race you'll compete in will push you to the limit as you zoom across each track and do your best to avoid flinging yourself off the side of the road. You can create your own death-defying tracks that evoke that daredevil feeling for other players, by the way!

You have to be an avid follower of the world of offroad rally racing to understand the following terminology - the "golden era of rally" and rally car groups Group 2, Group B, Group A, and Group S. And in Art of Rally, Group B remains intact in the game's alternate realm where it was never discontinued. This wonderfully stylized top-down racer offers tight controls, beautiful locales to race across, and a well-tuned sense of drifting that will offer you a strong sense of racing euphoria.

You can always tap into your inner car-smashing fiend just by wrecking everyone on the track in the fun and chaotic Destruction Derby and FlatOut games. The best and most recent way to get caught up in all that detective automobile action is through our latest list entry, Wreckfest. While the actual races here are a good time, it's this game's bevy of vehicular combat-focused sessions that provide the most fun. The perfect marriage between clearly visible car damage and an excellent physics system is what makes Wreckfest such a must-play for gearheads that adore plentiful levels of vehicular destruction.

There aren't a whole lot of sim racers available on the Switch. But one of the few that is playable comes from one of the masters of the sub-genre of racers, Codemasters. With some assistance from a fellow development studio in Feral Interactive, GRID Autosport is fully compatible with the Switch and it looks & runs great. A true AAA racing experience is in tow for players here - five categories of competition (Touring, Endurance, Open Wheel, Tuner, and Street), famous cars, and recognizable circuits are at your disposal in another one of the best racing games on Switch.

Back in 2008, developer Criterion Games did the unthinkable when it produced one of the greatest open world racing games with a greatly expanded Burnout sequel. That game arrived in the form of Burnout Paradise, which amalgamated the explosive car crashes and breakneck speed of the series with the digital playground called "Paradise City." All sorts of local/online races, a day and night cycle, the inclusion of motorcycles, and the addition of "Big Sur Island" turned this racer into the ultimate package for arcade racing game fans. This remastered re-release comes with every bit of that content and a crispier visual sheen that makes it worth replaying or checking it out for the very first time.

On a list of the best racing games for Switch, one of the most essential ones we saved a spot for is this must-play Need for Speed game. The one that we've chosen is the remastered edition of the ultimate cops and robbers simulator, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. "Seacrest County" contains all the speed-limit-breaking bedlam that regularly breaks out across this game's offering of racing and police chases. Playing as a racer or a police officer means having two equally dope portions of the game's epic single-player campaign to sink one's teeth into. We also gotta give this game major kudos for its "Autolog" system and how it constantly egged us on to beat our online friends' racing completion times.

Hotshot Racing will instantly take you back to back to that wonderful time during the golden age of arcades when Sega's Daytona USA ruled the roost. And that's because of the overall feel for this retro-stylized racer that feels just like that goated arcade great. Throwback visuals, tight drifting, and an exciting soundtrack come together to produce a package that 90s gamer babies will get a ton of mileage out of. Be sure to pick up this game's "Big Boss Bundle" DLC since it comes with more goodies in the form of tense races littered with explosive barrels and even more racetracks.

The Road Rash series seems to have sadly gone by the wayside. But in its wake is a pretty good spiritual successor that evokes the same vehicle mayhem that fans of that aforementioned IP will appreciate. Road Redemption focuses on hitting the track with the motorcycle of your choice and proceeding to use a collection of melee weapons & firearms to knock down your equally savage competition. Fans of arcade racers that give you more to do than just attempt to nab first place should hop into this one.

One of the few redeeming qualities of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is that amazing pod racing sequence. We're glad that LucasArts felt the exact same way and decided to create an entire racing game centered around that iconic scene. Star Wars Episode I: Racer features Anakin Skywalker and a host of other podracers for hyperfast races across Tatooine and several other Star Wars-themed planets. Now that it's available on Switch, you'll be able to take your pod racing on the go and attempt to become the best podracer in the galaxy (just don't boost too much or you'll go up in flames!).

Fast RMX actually arrived at the very same time that the Switch originally launched in 2017. We totally understand if you passed on it to dedicate your time to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But hopefully, now you can spend some time with another one of our fave picks on this list of the best racing games on Switch. This futuristic racer comes with all the content seen in Fast Racing Neo and even some new courses that bring the total tracklist to 36. If the WipEout series appeals to you, so will this one!

Sonic and all his furry friends enjoy the spirit of competition. So it makes sense that they all meet up in Team Sonic Racing to choose sides and hit the track in their signature rides. Sumo Digital, the development studio behind the supremely underrated Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, put their racing game expertise to good use to craft a racer where cooperation with your teammates is essential to victory. Sharing powerups and fighting to make sure you acquire the most team points by the end of each race will get you very far in this Sonic the Hedgehog-themed racer.

For fans of OutRun and Top Gear, Horizon Chase Turbo was specifically made for you. Its simple premise of racing across an open road while straightaway roads segue into tight turns will keep you entertained for hours on end. And just like the previously mentioned Hotshot Racing, Horizon Chase Turbo brings back the best elements of the 80s and 90s golden age arcade racers with a catchy OST and brightly-colored tracks that set the mood just right. The old-school vibes will please you greatly here, trust us on that one!

We never knew we wanted an open world racing game themed after the minifigs and architectural wonders of Lego until this game came along. Development studio Visual Concepts deviated from its usual work on sports simulators and wrestling games to bring Lego 2K Drive to the masses. And to our surprise, it looks and plays a lot better than we originally expected. The well-designed hub worlds you get to explore have tons of races and side missions to enjoy. And the ability to instantly change your vehicle to tackle roads and bodies of water keeps each race fresh. Creating your own hot rod with tons of Lego pieces is also worth the price of admission.