Top Ten Best PS2 Racing Games

Stuck on what to play or what to buy? Join TVGS as they list and discuss ten of the greatest Playstation 2 racing games the system ever received. Many great racers released for the PS2 so let us know your top 10 best PS2 racing games down below!
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[@orchidafebriafirdausi2852]

1. Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast 0:13 2. Motorstorm Arctic Edge 1:26 3. Crash Tag Team Racing 2:30 4. Tokyo Xtreme Racer - Drift 2 3:31 5. Ridge Racer V 4:39 6. Auto Modellista 5:40 7. Midnight Club 3 6:48 8. Burnout 3 Takedown 7:46 9. Need for Speed Underground 2 8:52 10. Gran Turismo 4 9:47

[@bees7798]

Ty

[@ShiShawPocketSand]

Wow okay, so rather than putting some absolute b a n g e r s of racing games like ATV Offroad Fury 2 or Mx vs. ATV Untamed or Unleashed (I forget which one's good) we have.... Outrun 2006...Coast to Coast...yikes, dude!

[@moes95]

​​@@ShiShawPocketSand ive just started outrun its great man, i just keep playing and saying 1more 1more crash tag team shouldnt be on the list tho, its racing is very lacklustre nitro kart is better

[@Spitboy01-yt6od]

Honorable mention: tourist trophy, jak x combat racing

[@ogroto]

Imo the ps2 hosted the racing games golden era. Great video as always.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Completely agree some great classic in the system when it comes to racing. Thanks for watching Ogroto!

[@beauford9226]

instablaster

[@Omega-X]

@@thatvideogamesshow bro i feel sad where is tdu 1

[@kikoelargento9905]

PS2 IS the golden era of gaming, after that, its just not the same, i have PS4 and i recently found an PS2, is the only one i use

[@ogroto]

@@kikoelargento9905 más vale papurriii

[@JorgeAraujo97]

It's amazing how all these games still hold up very nicely in the visuals and gameplay. Heck, some are even better than current gen stuff.

[@coathanging]

COUGH COUGH fast and furious: Crossroads COUGH COUGH

[@ib2849]

Super Street: The Game, NFS Payback... Jesus

[@LZYDOG]

Yeah man just started emulated UG2 on my PC and having so much more fun than anything released lately like forza horizon and racers with crazy money sunk into them. Greeeat games and some here I'm so keen to try. Looking forward to carx street end of this year though that could be a new legendary racer

[@studiomadeinnature]

i would add not “some” but “many current gen games”!

[@Matt_STS]

@@LZYDOG did you fix the "color filters" on the screen?

[@RedzaMalaysianCrossover]

I'm glad someone mention Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2 / Kaido Racer 2 / Kaido Battle 3 Touge No Densetsu. That game deserve more attention as well.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Totally agree! One of the best on the system.

[@shujikotaro]

The quality of your videos and the sharpness of your gaming critique is always spot on. Keep up the great work yall

[@OuterHeaven210]

3:31 txrd2 is probably my favorite racing game on the ps2. Incredible physics. The variety of cars, customization of everything, even the license plate. The tuning mechanics alone in txrd2 stands in a league of its own. Fun story too! Txrd2 taught me how to be a better driver. Pretty sure I am alive today because of what I learned in txrd2

[@LZYDOG]

Looks awesome, going ti give it a go this week.

[@moes95]

​@@LZYDOGdid you become the kaido master?

[@ShadowOfCicero]

In terms of "skills carried over to other racing games", that game was Enthusia. First time I became truly conscious of the power of a correct racing line.

[@dustystorm6610]

I went out and found all these last year you really do know what you are talking about. Best racing gen was gen 6. Ps2 had so many good ones. Now where does one find the time for them..

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Completely agree, was the golden years for racing games!

[@SamTheReapere]

And there was Forza, Project Gotham Racing, Rallysport Challenge, SEGA GT and F-Zero GX on the other platforms. It was really a great time. I still play a some of them!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Maaaan F-Zero GX!

[@cycofoo]

That Video Games Show the arcade version of the games goes so hard, if you ever visit one just remember to bring your GameCube memory card!

[@MikeRox83]

Definitely, the sheer variety of ideas. Sadly racers started to get too bloated IMO after the 6th gen.

[@cloudstrife1983]

Burnout and Midnight Club. I miss those games

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Some of the greats!

[@_mrk347_]

I miss the times when I do an endo on a sport bike

[@tonymontana3873]

And nfs most wanted too

[@jaygarcia6388]

Rip....

[@Godeias]

Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero will always be my favorite ps2 racing game ever. The drift games are ok, but Zero feels like real street racing, and the amount of cars is insane!

[@zachrosaaen6394]

by far my favorite racing game on ps2. hell it’s probably my favorite for any console

[@Deep4kinThoughts]

I agree , imagine they brought the exact game back and let us play each other online 💯

[@marianvat]

the best txr imo, the fact that most cars can be tuned for over 600hp and some even going near 300mph in top speeds,really gives a kick,and also the absolute destruction you get from the bosses when they smoke you

[@ShadowOfCicero]

When I think of term "Racing in its purest form", two games come to mind: WRC: World Rally Championship and Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero. The former is just you and the track, the latter is just you and your opponent.

[@timelessvickdamone]

That and txr 3 are the best period!

[@stashmerkin9576]

Split Second is another fun racing game where the track changes from lap to lap. Also released on the PSP.

[@jamstheshapeshifter]

Great game, but this is for ps2

[@EmpireZzzz]

Crash team racing will always have a special place in my heart my best PS2 game ever alongside with Simpson's hit and run

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Great choices there AJ!

[@Idfkwhyy]

Outrun 2006 c2c is my favorite racing game ever, I think I have it on every one of my systems:pc, ps2, Xbox, psp. It's just so fun to play!

[@HALFSQUASHED]

Can you get a steering wheel to work with the game? On console in particular

[@Idfkwhyy]

@@HALFSQUASHED I've seen a video of someone playing on the PS2 using a steering wheel, but I don't know about other consoles or even the compatibility with different models or brands

[@lurkerrekrul]

I've now played Motorstorm: Arctic Edge a little and the most difficult thing about it is the timed challenge where you have to drive through checkpoints. Every race up to that point has been a piece of cake. In fact, I can stop right before the finish line and sit there watching my rear view and it usually takes close to a minute for any other racers to appear.

[@GRIMEYtheFATMAN]

The difficulty (rubber-banding) WILL ramp up as you progress...

[@AmazinglyAwkward]

Was trying to remember why I love racing games and while I vaguely remember watching my dad play a PS1 F1 game that I also tried out a few times, Midnight Club, Need for Speed and Crash Tag Team Racing just came over me with a massive wave of nostalgia. TTR will always have a place in my heart though as Midnight Club and NFS were the games my cousin owned while I owned TTR so I obviously played it more. Good times. I might have to look into buying a PS2 and getting back into these classics, Auto Modellista is one I've never heard of that looks and sounds awesome

[@TheFormActually]

Looks like everyone slept on Juiced 2, one of the most fun racing game on Ps2 / PSP. best in the class of underground racing games.

[@dayquantalbert6812]

Juiced 2 Is the most fun racing game I played the driving Is fun as heck

[@studiomadeinnature]

So happy to see your channel audience is getting bigger and bigger! Love the games you recommend! Good luck my man!

[@pianovoss2400]

Have you ever played v8 Supercars 3 or toca 3 or dtm 3? They’re all the same game just different names for different countries, but it is an amazing game that allows you to drive so many different varieties of cars on so many circuits and has amazing crash physics and damage and definitely deserves a play and a mention on that list

[@Cyclon32289]

I would add L.A Rush for the car list, map and realistic car crashes.

[@GRIMEYtheFATMAN]

But it's let down by the physics/handling and utter lack of car customization, which was particularly egregious when the game was marketed as a collaboration with the 'legendary' West Coast Customs - taking away player choice in how the cars would look and perform was an absolute slap in the face in an age where TXR, SRS, Juiced, MC3:DE:R, Forza Motorsport (the original), Auto Modelista, and even GTA:SA gave you more control over how your car looked and performed. And then there's the elephant in the room - this was also during the truly legendary BlackBox era of Need for Speed, in particular UG1+2, MW(the real one), and Carbon. As y'all can probably tell, L.A. Rush is a sore spot for me...

[@donnylee9897]

ever since ive got free mcboot, im discovering so many good games

[@leosvec7537]

In combo with mx4sio mc ❤

[@RigbyIsTheMan]

How does it work?

[@lukegamer5328]

These are great racing games: Atv offroad fury 1,2,4 Jak x combat Midnight club 3 Need for speed hot pursuit 2 Gran turismo concept Splashdown Splashdown rides gone wild Wrc evolved

[@dbnpoldermans4120]

For real racing fans, check these out battle gear 2 battle gear 3 (best ps2 racing game by far) All of the highway battle games Initial d outrun 2sp (outrunC2C deserved to be on this list, so you got that one right) Wangan Midnight

[@tokiomiller9896]

I've seen these and own the BG and Initial D games excluding the PS1 release. Wangan Midnight on PS3.

[@AuntieAliasing]

BTW the music at 10:50 is the credits theme from Auto Modellista

[@naliboi93]

(both) Wipeout games, enthusia and R:racing would be ones I'd add to the list

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Good choices! R:racing was made by the ridge racer team wasn’t it?

[@naliboi93]

@@thatvideogamesshow It was indeed (made by members from the Ridge Racer and MotoGP dev teams at Namco). Its handling is more racing sim and offered a lot of control scheme customisability. Its a very fun game with a cheesey story mode. Odd as it sounds, I think its also meant to be set in the same "universe" as Ridge Racer - which means there's a universe with both licensed cars and the Ridge Racer cars. There were initially plans to bring R:Racing (Evolution)'s characters to other Namco games. In fact, they even used the in-game rival Gina for the cover art of the Ridge Racer 64 remake on the Nintendo DS a year later.

[@francescostiore]

The first game looks BEAUTIFULL! Retains all of the charm of arcades imo!

[@spamflip]

damn it... ps2 was my first gen 6 console, but 20 years later, its graphics hurt my eyes compared to the other 3 consoles

[@LightGesture]

You missed Juiced. That game was amazing.

[@ThePRGomes]

@German Retro Guy And F1 2006 too.

[@Nokia2k03]

@German Retro Guy all those games are amazing

[@DrunkieCat]

WOW, solid list of racing games here. Defo will trying out the new ones that I haven't play before. Didn't know ps 2 has great variety of semi realistic/realistic racing games.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Have fun!

[@xXAnDr3ZXx]

PS2 Online mode for Midnight Club 3 still works, compadres. 👍🏼

[@meyers0781]

Didn't expect Motorstorm to be actually released on PS2 since as far as i can remember the last non annual sports game (sports game not including racing) to ever released to PS2 was Persona 4.

[@TechWithSean]

I played so much GT3 😂

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Same here man, those endurance races were killer!

[@cilldaracyclist2822]

Still playing it to this day man classic game

[@archie7288]

@@thatvideogamesshow why you put gt4 man, your horrible, if your real gamer you should play in 2000s early that feels when you got trophy entrance after 100 laps, and you got a fucking ferarri, its was the most exciting moments, and all the sfx sound from menus, clickable sound etc were memorable unlike gt4 its just flat/more versatile but boring

[@bit-ef9ct]

Cane here for PS2 racing games, hears that wonderful intro music you used from R4 and all of a sudden I have my answer

[@leonardodepinto7912]

for me the graphics in the games is not everything but model car has stolen my heart with its anime-style graphics I think when this corona virus thing is over in Italy I will buy it EDIT: you should add the game list in the description because if any One Want buy a game from the video but dont Remember the name can Simply look at the list

[@jesusiskingofkingss]

racing games and open world games peaked with ps2 they never been surpassed. what a great time

[@apophisstr6719]

One of the must have PS2 racing game imo is Racing Battle C1 Grand Prix. It was made by the same dev who made the Shutokou & Kaido series, and it is the most complete title they've made along with their final installment of Kaido Battle.

[@GRIMEYtheFATMAN]

Did it perhaps go by a different name in other regions...?

[@kayunderground3902]

Sagas: - Need for Speed - Tokio Xtreme Racer - Burnout - Wipeout - Gran Turismo - Colin McRae - Atv Offroad Fury - Flatout - Nascar Juegos Sueltos: - Juiced - Shox - Outrun 2006 - Midnight Club Dub Edition - Corvette - Toca Race Driver 3 - Road Rage 3 - Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge - Motorstorm - Stock Car Speedway - Crash n Burn Etc... El orden no tiene relevancia.

[@diegodias1998]

The sheer amount of quantity AND variety of racing games on the PS2 is absolutely insane

[@stonerdemon]

Extreme G 3 and Rumble Racing deserve a honorable mention at the very least. Otherwise, great list.

[@HaloDJumper]

I ended up getting MC3 Dub Remix solely because i can't seem to get my hands on another copy of MCLA and I'm somehow enjoying it more because it almost feels like there's more to it despite not having as many vehicles to collect.

[@bmdproductions7578]

World of outlaws, nascar thunder 2004, short track racing trading paint, sprint cars road to Knoxville.

[@ShinyArjunSingh]

wow man, made my life... nice one, subscribed...keep'em comin...

[@JakeMR2]

For Drift 2, think of it as a Rally Game of sorts, it was released in 2005, while the other versions have been released in 2006/2007 respectively. Other than that despite having Drift in the name you don't always have to drift, you can also grip.

[@naikjoy]

The thing with NFSU2 on the PS2 is the little dead zone they put in for the analog steering. Out of all the Need for Speeds released on PlayStation 2, Hot Pursuit 2 and Underground 1 were the most adequate ones. For those that don't know, Hot Pursuit 2 is a different game on PS2 than is on PC. For NFSU2 and Most Wanted I think its best if its played on PC. Man the nostalgia.

[@reagandow850]

Another great video my friend!!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks Reagan! Glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂

[@reagandow850]

That Video Games Show - as always!!

[@_mrk347_]

It's good that there are still people who plays and appreciate midnight club 3 dub edition Give a like if you play it

[@libertyfighter346]

Midnight club 3 dub edition remix is one of my all time favs

[@Anmolol]

@@libertyfighter346 Same, mine as well. Loved that game

[@chefmacedo]

Need for Speed and Burnout are amazing! I didn't play the rest but most of them luck really interesting and fun to play today

[@dylanhoneyfield568]

Another awesome racing game I'd like to put out there is V8 Supercars 3, aka Toca driver 3

[@pianovoss2400]

Dude I was waiting the entire time for that game to be mentioned! Such a phenomenal game and it deserved to be on this list! Top 5!

[@adlibbed2138]

3:33 i used to adore this game as a kid, even if i sucked at it (not even bothering with car tuning and hoping to get away with it ala NFSU2 kinda didn't do me any favors either)

[@Funbia]

Hi, these are images are from an emulator or the actual PS2 console? Thanks!

[@lurkerrekrul]

Auto Modelistia - I don't actually drive in real life, but I've played a ton of racing games going all the way back to the mid 70s and I have to say that I find the cars in Auto Modelista completely uncontrollable. It's like you're driving on ice. I can't even get the car to go straight on straight-aways, it's always drifting to one side or the other. The minute I try to go into a turn, I spin out and end up facing the wrong way on the track. Forget about winning races, I can't even FINISH a race!

[@olevet75]

you played us ver called, jp and eur had different handling

[@fernfernacelli]

@@olevet75 "Plus 1" to your comment... I'd gotten the US and Japanese versions to see for myself (I hadn't please the PAL version), and I was skeptical about any real differences... but holy SMOKES, what a difference... there is a really distinct difference in handling for each version... Confirmed: The Japanese version is (far) superior, and actually quite enjoyable. Huge bonus if you're able to play it with a wheel.

[@krorook9221]

Honorable Mention: Enthusia professional racing

[@vanyavanya9220]

Can't wait for ps1 and xbox original racing games

[@Nokia2k03]

Yo ridge racer 4 soundtrack intro 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@lymphetyche8686]

cough* cough* : initial d special stage...! cough.. cough*

[@flazuki5288]

Burnout 3 is the one banger game that I never had as a kid, gotta look for a used copy and have some fun with it. Better late than never right? :D

[@kennyhankins8850]

Gran Turismo 3 gran Turismo 4 need for speed hot pursuit 2 need for speed underground 2 crash nitro kart are my favorite racing games on ps2

[@AstralStriderZ]

From this list, I only have yet to own a copy of Outrun 2006 (have PSP version already), but that's gonna change soon...

[@sensiblegear6049]

Most wanted and carbon were amazing games :)

[@dand7422]

The only thing I have the most popular game is NFS Most Wanted and Burnout 3, but I played WRC Rally Evolved a lot

[@forrestmiller4581]

i would add Street Racing Syndicate extremely underrated

[@timelessvickdamone]

I can’t believe Tokyo xtreme racer 3 isn’t on here that was the greatest street racing game of all time period!

[@chefjoelcarpenter3204]

I cant remember which game it was but there was a racer on ps1 or ps2 that you drove around a city and pulled up on cars and asked them to race

[@kftbskljar7089]

8:17 if you pause the video, then you can see a hunch from EA on a billboard with the name of the game Nfs Underground 2. =]

[@kenway346]

Nice list but test drive unlimited should've been there

[@vlay4274]

motor storm arctic edge is my favourite racing game of all time we need a new one with different phisics in acceleration and cornering but same in the air and similar maps to arctic edge (best maps ever)

[@TheDPC4life]

FlatOut 2 is easily top 5, let alone top 10. Good list nonetheless, but I'd probably put Most Wanted and Carbon over Underground 2.

[@pablieto-veganson]

Burnout 3, on the steam deck. Crisp upscaled visuals. 60 fps. Save mid race if you want to save scum for extra takedowns.

[@fernfernacelli]

My humble opinion, *Enthusia is incredibly awesome*. Also, many have already mentioned Midnight Club 3. Bonus note: it's a real shame how different the handling is for Auto Modellista. It's really not good for the US version, and it's actually excellent for the Japanese version. It makes the game feel far less like a gimmick. If you're able to play the Japanese version with a Steering Wheel, that's a massive bonus. Only just now seeing this video 4 years later, but it's a great video...thanks, and cheers! \m/, (*o*) ,\m/

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching! 🙂

[@returnedtheslab2126]

Can you please tell me the intro song?

[@segasaturn6800]

Outrun2 so cool !

[@hugo-garcia]

Crash nitro Kart is much better than team racing. Almost everyone agree with it.

[@rotarydude9737]

Don't forget about Enthusia!

[@PaulRockey]

My favorite racing game on ps2 was need for speed hot pursuit 2. Why was that game not mentioned?

[@amit_patel654]

Nah man, you gotta put Kinetica in there somewhere! There’s nothing else like it! :)

[@derechtepumuckl316]

U have forgot Crash 'n' Burn that Game was fantastic

[@moes95]

outrun2sp is the definitive version of outrun, there is a semi translation for it and runs better than outrnc2c and has no content limitations like c2c like the psp stuff

[@umbrollo]

How do your PS2 graphics look so good ?

[@archie7288]

Its emulator man, its got upscaled to 4k, and texture also used antialiasing so its much sharper and cleaners.

[@1406-u7q]

Is there a racing/vehicle combat game where we must cross the path using hologram wing and follow the wind. Also the game had some sexy character in it, i remember the name is "haneska". I forgot what the name of the game

[@thomashoekstra2933]

My favorite racing game on ps2 is stil need for speed carbon but need for speed underground 2 is stil the second best racing game for me third is jak x

[@Early2000sPs2games]

What was that ps2 game where you could drive tanks, buses, cars, i dont remeber what it was called (not gta)

[@RisingDeath]

Im looking for a racing game that i used to play in the computer shop back in my days

[@thatvideogamesshow]

On PS2? Can you remember anything specific about it?

[@segipc5633]

pleasee do you know any good racing game but with split screen? me and my cousin trying to find good split screen racing game!

[@NateTheBlueAlicorn]

The Immortal Grand Prix should've been number one.

[@osicco_moretimus]

0:00 R4(MUSIC)

[@thatvideogamesshow]

You got it!

[@LordSiah]

Song? 1:22 and 7:22

[@abraham2699]

Need for speed hot pursuit 2? I prefer GT3 over GT4.

[@davideblonda6159]

"Enthusia" deserve to be on this list dude =(

[@MikeRox83]

Tbf, there's about 30+ games that deserve to be in the PS2's top 10 lol.

[@archie7288]

Enthusia is a ripoff grand turismo 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Volition_To_The_Max]

@@archie7288 no

[@spvwh1te06]

Intro?

[@williamwoods8182]

Dirt to Daytona wasn't featured. Best game ever!

[@Intentionally_Irrelevant]

You got about three sentences in and I tabbed out and grabbed Auto Modelista off ebay

[@Intentionally_Irrelevant]

Update: It arrived today. It is Tremendous

[@kenesufernandez1281]

❣️

[@asmrjayc6899]

Buying ps2 soon

[@judemarquez1552]

Drifts in breakneck speed Laugh in initial d

[@megapet777]

motorstorm, burnout 3 and needforspeed most wanted were the best imo

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Great choices!

[@megapet777]

@@thatvideogamesshow Thanks. Those were my childhood games when it came to racing games :)

[@The.dog.warrior]

Jak x combat racing. One of the best mario kart clones

[@Eirik_Bloodaxe]

I’m really interested in that cel shaded one.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Such a great racer! Well worth giving a go 🙂

[@jordandupuis1249]

Just got ridge racer five yesterday but I can’t play it yet because my ps2 is in storage because we are planing on moving back to the old house

[@thatvideogamesshow]

All about some Ridge Racer!

[@jordandupuis1249]

Wow you replied back awesome

[@alessandropontes330]

GT4 Best race PS2 game ever

[@archie7288]

Gt4 lol you must be born in late 2000s. Real gamer would put gt3.

[@jahglizzy9218]

Nfs most wanted was definitely number 1

[@janschwarzwald7855]

All i need just GT4. Like real driving simulator. 🚗

[@HakurieReimu34]

5:20 Ace combat 3 GRL??