Most Popular Driving Games In The UK

Aside from the towering spires of skyscrapers and imposing facades of buildings in cities like London, the UK is home to vast landscapes of rolling greenery and incredible scenery. Cutting across these views are tarmacs calling for road trips.

Home to some of the best driving roads, such as the North Coast 500 and Snake Pass, the UK is also where you will find many car enthusiasts. And because life doesn’t allow constant road-tripping, these enthusiasts have to satiate their need to drive in another way.

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Thankfully, numerous driving games are available that allow just this to happen. Featuring the latest cars, gorgeous landscapes, and immersive graphics that make it feel real, these games can make any petrolhead feel like they’re getting the complete driving experience.

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Read on as we look at the most popular driving games among UK players. These stand out from the rest and are ones you must play if you love racing or just cruising around. 

Gran Turismo Sport

Released in 2017 by Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo Sport is the 13^th iteration of the popular racing franchise. It was released on PlayStation 4 and offers incredibly realistic graphics, landscapes, and physics.

One of the things that Gran Turismo games have always been famous for is their career modes. Here, you don’t just get into a car and start driving—as is the case with many other games. Instead, you complete driving tests to receive your license and then work your way up.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll have access to a slew of cars modelled to look identical to their real-life counterparts. You can cruise around racetracks based on some of the best racing arenas in the world. 

Another feature contributing to the game’s popularity is the online play against other racers worldwide. This includes two annual tournaments in partnership with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile—the international motorsport governing body.

Forza Horizon 4

Despite Forza Horizon 5 being released in 2021, Forza Horizon 4 remains one of Britain’s most popular racing games. It was developed by Playground Games and released on Windows and Xbox in 2018.

As the 11^th instalment in the popular Forza series, the game takes players into areas modelled after Great Britain regions. Among these are the Lake District, the Cotswolds, Ambleside, and Bamburgh. Each of these is so meticulously rendered that you might think you’re looking at real-life footage of the areas.

If these stunning backdrops excite you, the cars will make you jump for joy. The game features an array of stunningly detailed vehicles brought to digital life.

The game’s physics, which helped the game win the Racing Game of the Year award in 2019, are also worth noting. Also adding to the fun are multiple updates that have added numerous content packs and changing seasons—a first for a racing game.

DiRT Rally 2.0

Driving smoothly across a tarmac isn’t necessarily every player’s cup of tea. Thankfully, games like DiRT Rally 2.0 have catered to those who prefer shooting mud from under their tires as they speed off into the distance. 

Developed by Codemasters, this game is the successor to the original DiRT Rally, released in 2015. The new version, released in 2019 on Windows, PlayStation, and Xbox, lets players experience the thrill of barrelling around corners at high speed.

Nominated for eight awards, the game is particularly known for its realistic physics, showcased best when flying over bumps in the track or drifting on loose sand. There is also the changing weather, which actively affects the handling of cars and a hyper-realistic damage engine that makes staying on the road vitally important.

As such, driving the correct type of car is crucial. Thankfully, there are over 50 cars ranging from 1960s’ classics to more modern beasts that look so great you’ll feel bad each time you scratch the paint.

iRacing

Available exclusively on Windows, iRacing was initially released in 2008, with the latest update available in June 2023. The game is developed by iRacing.com and claims to be one of the most realistic driving games in the world.

While it has yet to beat out other racing games or even games in different categories for any prestigious awards, it features a plethora of customisation options that make it a must-play for any racing or driving enthusiast. 

From brake bias to suspension adjustments based on tires, the game allows you to select almost every aspect of your car’s setup. This, alongside the incredible racetracks, provides a truly immersive experience of what driving in that scenario would be like.

The game is also partnered with several incredible racing organisations and bodies, including NASCAR, Porsche, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, IndyCar, World of Outlaws, and the International Motor Sports Association. As a result, races in the game feature strict rules based on real-life racing events. 

F1 23

For many racing fans, F1 (or Formula One) is the pinnacle of motorsport. It is no surprise that F1 23 is one of the best games for those looking for the thrill of speed and precision engineering. 

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Developed by Codemasters but published by EA Sports, the game was released in June 2023 to almost instant acclaim. The game features a story mode—called Braking Point, first introduced in F1 2021—that lets you work your way up among the greats to claim the top spot. 

With the online mode, you can also race against players worldwide and (hopefully) rank among the best. All online activities occur in the game’s F1 World feature, making playing more enjoyable.

Of course, no F1 game would be complete without the supercars used to hurtle around racecourses. Thankfully, F1 23 has all the latest automobiles you can race around the greatest tracks internationally, such as the Losail International Circuit, Circuit Paul Richard, and even the new Las Vegas Strip Circuit.