Top Ten Best PS1 Racing Games

Stuck on what to play or what to buy? Join TVGS as they list and discuss the top ten of the best Playstation racing games the system ever received. Many great racers released for the PS1 so let us know your 10 greatest PS1 driving games down below!
Join us on Discord - / discord
Support the channel on Patreon - / tvgs
All of our PS1 videos can be found here - tinyurl.com/Playstation-videos
• ⬇ Follow Me Here ⬇ •
All my social links - linktr.ee/thatvgshow
• ⬇ More Episodes ⬇ •
Must Have Games - tinyurl.com/must-have-series
Hidden Gems - tinyurl.com/hidden-gems-series
Underrated Games - tinyurl.com/underrated-games-...
Homebrew Games - tinyurl.com/homebrew-games-se...
Game Collecting - tinyurl.com/game-collecting-s...
Vs Series - tinyurl.com/vs-series
Japanese Only Games - tinyurl.com/japanese-only-gam...
Cancelled Games - tinyurl.com/cancelled-games-s...
Live Streams - tinyurl.com/livestream-series

[@moneymatt536]

Ridge racer type 4 - move me. That was my jam back then thanks for making it the intro. 😎

[@ModeSOLOgaming]

I introduced my step dad to R4 when it came out and we ended up playing it together quite a bit. Some good memories there.

[@sepper100]

Nice man, awesome to hear that you got to bond with your step dad through gaming. I remember playing Crash Bandicoot and later Need for Speed Underground with my dad. Good memories too.

[@MahbubMishima]

Create a culture of continuous learning. Keep updating your knowledge about video production, marketing, and content trends.😊

[@tec5x5]

Rollcage Stage 2, Wipeout 3, Rage Racer all need more love

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Man love me some Rage Racer!

[@TiNRiB]

I loved Rage Racer, but I believe it was only one game per series, and I think Ridge Racer Type 4 just edges it out.

[@kennyhankins8850]

Suggest you should do top 10 favorite ps2 racing games

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Already done, search for it on the channel 🙂

[@kennyhankins8850]

I watched it what about have you ever done top 10 best ps3 racing games?

[@LordTenebrum]

I just love so much Ridge Racer Type 4. I don't know how many hours I spend playing that game. Sometimes I play it just for nostalgia and to enjoy one of the best soundtracks for a racing game.

[@victorarmandosalgadosepulv4366]

The graphics and lighting are stunning for a ps1 but most likely for an arcade genre

[@ModeSOLOgaming]

That soundtrack is still in my top 5 favorites

[@eterenostalgia5088]

I'm Antonio from Italy, the game "Ridge Racer Type 4" is the best game of cars to Playstation, and great musics, the track-music 3 (Lucid ritms) is fantastic.

[@moshimoshi1]

Excellent list as per usual 😊 Side note: Ridge Racer Type 4 FOREVER!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

I’ll second that! My favourite racing game!

[@lurkerrekrul]

One of my favorite racing games on the PS1 is NASCAR Rumble. Despite the name, it really doesn't have anything to do with NASCAR, other than the car liveries. It's pure arcade racing on a large variety of tracks. By default there are Mario Kart style powerups, but these can be turned off if you'd prefer to just race without getting hit by tornadoes and other things every ten seconds. The tracks are quite well done and often have a variety of hidden shortcuts, and you can bash the other cars. It's the closest thing to a Burnout game on the PS1.

[@7DiamondMantis]

Huge fan of Wipeout. The first one had the best framerate in the PS1 era. Not so forgiving wall collisions though. And the soundtracks are always awesome.

[@fightingdreamer8681]

The 1st installment of Driver takes me back. It was hilarious how the cops rammed me up into the air like a Fast & Furious movie. 😆

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Haha same here, so many great memories with that game!

[@MartyEliBowerMusic]

I’d forgotten Porsche challenge! Loved that game back in the day

[@segasaturn6800]

Great list ! 👍

[@JustinLeeper]

I love Destruction Derby 2, and feel it’s super underrated. Glad you mentioned it! You get a like! 😉 But no Jet Moto...?

[@Uutama]

I loved jet moto back in the day but i can't help but feel that it hasn't aged very well in comparison to these other titles

[@johnconnor4184]

dude the amount of time you put into making these videos you deserve more subs. thanks for doing this for us. please keep it up. I am 39 yrs old and I'm finding out what i missed out during the 90's by watching your videos.

[@freddyvoorhees4293]

1. Need for speed: high stakes 2. Ridge racer type 4 3. Wipeout XL / 2095 4. Crash team racing 5. Jet moto 2 These were my go to racing games for the PS1. Honorable mentions: Need for speed III: hot pursuit Ridge racer Ridge racer revolution Rage racer Gran turismo 2

[@igorkezerle7159]

Yes man! Finally someone who know the knowledge. Absolutelly agree with you 💪👍

[@eckergeoffalmonte5179]

Its a crime not to include NFS High stakes or NFS 3 Hot pursuit in this list

[@christopherortiz9330]

I think you're a Ridge Racer fan

[@randybradley4151]

Here's my top 10 that didn't make your list: 1. Gran Turismo 2. Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit 3. Jet Moto 2 4. Ridge Racer Revolution 5. Racing Lagoon 6. Hydro Thunder 7. Test Drive: Le Mans 8. Vanishing Point 9. Sled Storm 10.Total Drivin

[@jymfiskburk2256]

Amazing work man, f1 2000, collin mc rae would be my pick, but i spent an insane amout of time with test driver 5, is not good by any means but at the time it was the only choice

[@Uutama]

R4 is simply one of the best racing games even compared to modern choices in the genre.

[@ifrit35]

Yes it does stand out. Simply because devs wanted to set the tone right from the intro and the whole game was stylish and cohesive. Most games that go for realism end up outdated regardless of genre.

[@level101b]

TQ for good compilation. Now that I am getting a Retroid Pocket, it's time to revisit all the old racing games.

[@Don_Ramiro]

The problem with Driver 2, was that it was too ambitious for the Ps1 and ran too poorly. Recently, a fan called Soapy ported the game to PC (the project it´s called ReDriver2) and fixed many of this issues and bugs. Running the game at 30fps it´s a very different experience for sure!

[@drakonolus7922]

Even sometimes that wont even handle 30fps. Even freeze on a simple driving moment. That game uses a lot of Ram, or even exceed the console capacities.

[@PSXGamingMemories]

This is a great list, I love PS1 racing games, so unique & iconic, Gran Turismo 1 is my all-time favourite on the system, but the others on this list are equally as good, especially Destruction Derby 2 & Wipeout 2097, epic games...!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

So many great games on the system!

[@UnusualPete]

I'm currently replaying RRT4 and it still feels amazing. I agree that the game is easy but doing the Championship mode with Dig Racing Team is excruciating... Well, at least was when I was a kid. It's not as hard now but it's still really tricky, compared to MMM or PRC.

[@kclink1579]

4:31 literally the one you are playing now is my favourite track and is very interesting. I love the DD series and funny enough I played the tracks the most.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Such a great game!

[@gkingk9800]

CTR dd2 rrt4 and gt2 where easily my favourite 👍 sweet list man

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Cheers Gaz! PS1 had so many good ones 🙂

[@dodgykebaab]

Good video, great script. Only down side is the wide screen emulation footage. You should have recorded in 4:3 and just feathered the unused screen area. Seeing PS1 games stretched like this makes them look distorted

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@noahletwinski6955]

You definitely should check F-1 Grand Prix 1996 - Team Unei Simulation. It's an ps1 f1 manager sim where you take control of your own team from scratch and its criminally underrated

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks for the tip! I’ll check it out 🙂

[@Monacomaverick]

I would have chosen F1 '99 (or '97) and NFS 3 over DD2, but this is a great list overall. Also, Grand Tour Racing 98 deserves recognition for it's sheer variety alone, especially when compared to the likes of Porsche Challenge.

[@julianzuloaga]

I think I beated Crash Team Racing like a hundred times when I was a kid, such good memories. Also, there was a game called Test Drive that I remember was very good too.

[@danielgomez7236]

Maybe Test Drive 6

[@vangazon]

I only had 4 racing games back on PS1. Gran Turismo 2, Crash Team Racing, London Racer and Road Rash. I enjoyed and beat all 3 except Gran Turismo 2. Good list though

[@eterenostalgia5088]

I'm Antonio from Italy, my favorite racing game is "Ridge Racer Type 4" of year 1998 from NAMCO, fantastic graphic and great musics, hours of funny !

[@memebump7612]

Demolition Racer is the Best PS1 racing game I've ever played. It has an amazing soundtrack too.

[@malik87breaker]

I had Wipeout 2097 for so long time. I assumed it wasn't that great. Replayed it this summer. I was really surprised by it. It holds up more than any other games i played over the years.

[@drakonolus7922]

For me Demolition Racer it's the most intense, frenetic and faster game of the system. And i love it. For me; it's the best racing from the console.

[@notyetskeletal4809]

That demo was awesome but when I bought the game I dont think it hit the same.i probably still have it .

[@GRIMEYtheFATMAN]

Pitbull Syndicate games during the PS1 era almost always brought their A-game when it came to soundtracks (we don't talk about Test Drive 4), and while their selections for the PS2 reboot of Test Drive was a VERY mixed bag, they did better with Test Drive: Eve of Destruction, which was also a bit of a spiritual successor to Demolition Racer...

[@FaceTheGaming]

Very good video! Sega arcade racing games are so good and driver!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Assassin0Ninja]

Great video as usual. love arcade racing games . that's why i still consider Ridge Racer Type 4 to be my all time favourite racing game. P.S. i don't think Driver can be considered a racing game . its more like an action driving game 😅

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks n finite 😊 Same here R4 is such a good game. I still play it to this day!

[@kclink1579]

8:55 I did play the game and it's one of the rare games I played with the link cable playing with two PS1's. But shock plotwist only one disc as the disc was only read after and before the race me and my bother and cousins just swoop the disc between PS1's when I needed to load.

[@That_Handle]

That loading pattern is interesting. That would imply that you could do the same system link with one disc for Wipeout titles if I recall correctly because you could swap their disc out and insert your music CD disc to listen while racing for Wipeout once a course had loaded and you could pause on the track to do the music CD swap....

[@DannoAviation]

10/10 ratings just for having ToCA in the mentions… most KZbinrs seem to give it a miss, THE best PS1 racing game aside from World Touring Cars in my opinion👍🏼

[@mick2287]

What makes TOCA better than the other racing games? Eg better than Gran Turismo, Ridge Racer, Colin McRae etc.

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

TOCA 2 is _still_ my favourite racing game *ever*

[@WhiteJarrah]

1:32 Rick Tanner? Driver San Francisco says his name is John Tanner, and I recall an issue of PlayStation Magazine or PSW called him Bruce Tanner. That undercover cop has gone through a lot of name changes.

[@Mplays4fun]

Driver, the game that I never pass the tutorial... Thank you for the video TVGS

[@GRIMEYtheFATMAN]

I was the guy others handed the controller to when they wanted to play the rest of Driver...

[@djjaysunx]

I subscribed off the intro music alone.

[@aneurinaustin]

You sound like your from Cardiff 😂 where V rally? That was one of my favorite games. So many memories playing. GT2 is definitely the best racing game

[@MichaelODonoghueMOD]

My list would be similar but have Wipeout 3 SE, Rollcage 2, Toca World Touring Cars and V Rally 2

[@That_Handle]

🔴 Echoing that V-Rally 2 suggestion. Amazingly smooth, blistering support up to 4 player splitscreen, decent physics, had infinitely adjustable ranges for angle/height and viewing distance when using third-person camera (at least in single-player) and had a very impressive track stage creator. 🔴 Don't have Toca World Touring Cars but I do have ToCA 2: Touring Car Challenge and I'm looking forward to doing 2 and upwards of 4 player systemlink on a pair of PS1s. It's amazing the details that were afforded to the side and rear view mirrors including the actions of the driver when at that POV not to forget the mechanical physics - how the car steered, etc. - after taking on corresponding damage. 🔴 Rollcage 2 as well 👍

[@Asstain04]

Okay hear me out… Toy Story Racer… and speed racer were my only 2 ps1 games I had access to as a kid, super fun.

[@Alexp37]

Good video.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks Alex!

[@oki546]

that driver tutorial level....PAIN

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Haha it was rough to begin with 😅

[@memebump7612]

I never got past the tutorial lol.

[@danielgomez7236]

It is not a tutorial, you have to prove your skills as a driver

[@naikjoy]

Interesting list. Even though the NFS Porsche Challenge has free roam and cop chases I still think for PSX as top ten games NFS High Stakes reigns supreme. Its well known that High Stakes is best on PSX. Then I'd go for Wipeout 3 SE... kudos for choosing Toca 2 and Colin McRae Rally 2.. Gran Turismo 2 played with the negCon emulation enabled is a joy. I like the variety of the list.. if Racing Lagoon had an english patch I'd mention that too.

[@milesr4609]

I had both the first two on this list + NFS III: hot pursuit and High stakes. Didn't needed anything else. If i have to enlist then it would be: 1-Ridge racer Type 4: tons of cars of any type you imagine, diferents specs, narrative, creativity, fun, replayability, graphics, general smoothness, gameplay, charm and the soundtrack. Simply amazing. 2-NFS: High stakes: the action, the collection of cars (only matched by NFS2:SE), nice graphics, car damage, wheather conditions, hours of day, and again...the soundtrack. 3-Gran turismo 2: being the first attempt as a serious simulator say a lot. Plus ton of cars, put too much emphasis in JDM, im not complaining but needed more super and racing cars from the era and at the time lacked some important brands that other games had, great graphics, diferents types of racing such as Rallying, the tests and courier mode where simply amazing. But the real deal of gran turismo started in PS2. 4-NFS III: same aspects than High stakes but while it had my beloved Italdesing Nazca, It lacked some important aspect of the NFS of the era. The McLaren F1... .

[@sebastianaliandkulche]

Thats subjective.

[@dandevil5557]

This unexplainable vibe and unmatched japanese charm of Ridge Racer Type 4 is legendary. I never knew it was considedered "easy". Just try DRT with lizard drift cars and make a start to finish grand prix first place winning streak without continues and tell me again this game is "easy".

[@user-pj5my5po3q]

Maybe you'll like a game called Racing Lagoon.

[@dandevil5557]

@@user-pj5my5po3q oh man..i have to try this. Thx alot.

[@user-pj5my5po3q]

@@dandevil5557 You're welcome 🤝🏻😎

[@NJTCOMET]

Great video but I’d say NFS Porsche Unleashed beats Porsche Challenge, and I’d prob drop F1 2000 over something like NFS 3:Hot Pursuit or NFS High Stakes.

[@superviewer]

Thanks. I'm steadily hunting down all the best and most platform-optimized games for the PS1 to play on the MiSTer FPGA PSX Core :D

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Glad the video helped out!

[@maybona]

ahh i remember playing driver and landing on the top of cars at san francisco making them fly

[@nandasyahputra7468]

My fav: ridge race, collin mcrally, turismo, and Nfs

[@zloboslav_]

Once you're done with destruction derby try demolition racer - it's so good!!!

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Thanks for the tip! 🙂

[@milesr4609]

A little dessapointed that you dont include my second racing game on the PS1, Need for speed: high stakes. First is and allways will be Ridge racer Type 4. Nice list thou...

[@sourcey6620]

Gt2 w/ sim tires & a viper gts maxed out 🤤

[@budaroddy]

Dude are you nuts no NfS ? The best ones are in PS1

[@dingliedangliedoodle9261]

Ridge Raceeer! I didn't even realize I still know the name of that cute polygon lady right off the top of my head after all this time, Reiko Nagase! The intro is so elegant and tasteful too, It was one intro that I never skipped(along with Soul Blade.) The whole game, in fact, just oozes class. Namco BGM were the best in those days, Tekken, Ridge Racer, damn they were good. And that scene with the sound system volume knob with the Namco credit on it in the beginning of the intro is iconic, as far as I'm concerned.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

My favourite racing game! Love the ridge racer series so much!

[@milesr4609]

Ace combat 2 and specialy 3 are masterpieces too!!. What happened to Namco??

[@Junier-Hussein]

Touge Max G ⭐ Like it better than Gran Turismo 2 ♥️ Japanese exclusive (third game in the series on the ps1) Love your videos & how you describe each game 😊

[@zacharyessey5904]

One of my favourites is Megaman: Battle and Chase.

[@jodyjohnson265]

I do agree that the PS1 has a great catalog of games this might not be on the racing topic but dance dance revaluation is my all time favorite and I'm still discovering theses great games with a PS1 emulator.

[@Owen_plays_music1049]

Nice list but i would swap Toca 2 with Toca World Touring Cars :)

[@RetroAdzz]

4:28 There was 4 different derby arenas to play. Looks like you are using the pc version for your footage. Guessing the pc version only had 1 arena

[@everx7]

cmr 2 upscaled and driver too, in 4k look very nice, this here probably the native res. well yeah if u compare PC and PS1 versions of CMR2 well u cant i mean ps1 just loses straight out, but with emulator getting that res up and smoothed out and wobblyness eased, it almost kinda looked like the pc version. I tell u only that i played through it and it was just as fun as i remembered it when playing the PC version

[@neloinc1]

TOCA 2 Touring Cars is awesome! Gameplay,audio,graphics i treasure that game.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

One of the greats!

[@neloinc1]

@@thatvideogamesshow Great list you put here, only haven't played Driver and Destruction derby. Also I love your display of knowledge and your content overall. You should do more 360 & PS3, you have a lot content there waiting!

[@notyetskeletal4809]

Racing games I had to finish: Road Rash Jail Break RC De Go Moto Racer Driver (not really a racing game but kinda) Demolition Derby Raw Ridge Racer 4 Demolition Racer Sled Storm Other notables Micro Maniacs (fun 2 player Need for Speed Colin McRae 2 Vanishing Point Ahh there are a few popular ones i need to go back and explore. I'm salivating.

[@alterego2275]

Amazing machine

[@VictoryNotVengeance]

Great list, not many people were high on Destruction Derby 2, but I loooooved it (and I thought DD1 was god-tier) Not to nitpick, as I can’t argue GT2 being the best racer on PS1, but a lot of the clips were from the original GT🤣

[@GRIMEYtheFATMAN]

Yup. The easiest giveaway is that GT2's HUD is italicized, while GT1's is not. Another way to tell is that GT1's tires are textured, while GT2's were black voids...

[@moneymatt536]

Hey what's the ost music at 6:13 ?

[@kakashi83k]

Trying to figure that out too

[@dokhycodan1012]

What emulator are you running R4 on?

[@josieco]

I´m from Brazil and here one of the best PS1 racing games is Rage Racer, GT2 come after.

[@ukeleleliterario8591]

Definitely gran turismo 2, i play it on the vita and holy shit!!!!

[@chamamemestre]

When racing games were still fun and it was not about multiplayer just because.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Those were the days!

[@Silent43192]

It's still fun you just can't focusing on the gameplay and just focusing to the pay to win

[@kennyhankins8850]

Gran Turismo 2 is also my favorite we both have it at number one we’re tied

[@DarrenMcCowan280470]

Surprised ‘Speed Freaks’ isn’t on this list

[@That_Handle]

.... and Renegade Racers along with, possibly, Speed Punks?

[@and453ty]

you play games racing ps1 in ps2 ? or use some emulator, thank you

[@ikaruga_590]

Destruction Derby 2 has many arenas, not only one

[@TheInfectiousCadaver]

GRAND TOUR RACING 98 or known in europe as Total drivin. its a gem on ps1 and you mistake yourself if you have never played it. fantastic arcade racer.

[@watkinator4413]

Driver was amazing.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Loved it so much back in the day!

[@musicforyou1464]

Destrucción derby 2 en el 97 era increíble

[@AventurasconJohnSpartan]

Driver is not a racing game, dude And you forgot the Need for Speed franchise... you should swap those haha

[@milesr4609]

High stakes mostly.

[@COWABUNGADominic]

Good list but jet moto should be on it

[@absolutely0bsolete330]

Racing games only really excited me during the 32bit era after that they all seemed same and less exciting I think it was the jump from 16bit to 32bit thay made racing games that much more appealing and different to me.

[@drakonolus7922]

Agreed. I think and feel the same way.

[@danielgomez7236]

You forgot about Electronic Arts, they made some of the best racing games ever - Need for Speed - Moto Racer - Road Rash - Sled Storm

[@DMGaina]

@04:22 that is not true, Destruction Derby had more than just one destruction arena, I think atleast 5 with one of them having a small Pit on one side

[@Stars_Excella]

I actually like Ridge Racer Type 4 and Colin Mcrae Rally too. And I uploaded too on my channel.

[@thatelephant]

I do miss Rollcage and Rollcage stage 2. I played the shit out of these👍

[@kennyhankins8850]

My favorite ps1 racing games are Gran Turismo 2 crash team racing need for speed 3 hot pursuit

[@samrhecker9636]

NASCAR Rumble is the most enjoyable battle/arcade racing game on the system.

[@lysandros765]

Why the stretched aspect ratio?

[@SvrgitAbsvrdvm]

I would remove Porsche Challenge and Driver (not really a racing game) and put V-Rally 2 and Need for Speed High Stakes. (Y)

[@ValthorEldr]

There is a SHOCKING lack of Chocobo Racing on this list!

[@beyond_5dtemp]

1:31? Rick Tanner? His name is John Tanner lol

[@thedirectorscut4848]

1. R4 Ridge Racer Type 4 2. Gran Turismo 2 3. Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit 4. Crash Team Racing These 4 games keep me company even to this day

[@anasb.8681]

The one that come to my mind first and foremost is graaan turismo

[@TucBroder]

Ah yes Driver... Never got through the tutorial as a kid xD

[@Victor_2000s]

Me too.

[@DukeTogo505]

Where's Nascar rumble? That game was great.

[@Spectrum-Video]

Need For Speed 3: Hot Pursuit (one of the greatest ps1 racing titles) not even mentioned, but Driver (which isn’t even a proper racing game in my eyes) gets on the list?! 🤯

[@milesr4609]

To me High stakes was a little better. But i understand you man. Driver shouldn't be on this list.

[@Gr4yF0x]

#1 for me is Nascar Rumble.

[@drakonolus7922]

Demolition Racer it's a much much better title than the both Destruction Derby games. Try on that game. The speed and the chaos are very sublime.

[@punkrocknik]

How is jet moto not on this list

[@SuperBoomshack]

C'mon, how can i take you seriously if Hooters Road Trip isn't on this list?🤣🤣🤣

[@decline1129]

Not having Moto Racer on here is criminal

[@baldbaby]

The better destruction derby game on ps1 was demolition racer

[@krizz7619]

Colin MC Ray rally 2.0 e toca touring cars 2 são os melhores