Get behind the wheel and get ready to take the most fun Xbox 360 racing games for a spin. Love racing, but don’t want to get out of your living room or don’t want to leave your desk? Then, Xbox 360 racing games are the perfect way to give yourself that adrenaline rush and step into the cockpit without going anywhere else.
What’s special about these games is the stunning graphics, realistic visuals, and new challenges they come with. The racing genre has incredible games, from hardcore racing to arcade hybrids. While hardcore racing will have you driving superbikes and supercars, arcade hybrids can help you drive iconic real-life cars in environments designed with precision.
While to the new and initiated, these racing games might look all the same; a gamer can tell the difference between each and how they can give you a completely unique experience. Whether you’re looking to have fun, sharpen your racing skills, or just sit back and relax, there’s something for everyone. We have rounded up the best Xbox 360 racing games that we think you should try. Get ready to beat your opponents and become the ultimate champion in each of these stunning games:
Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise is an Xbox 360 racing game where action becomes your middle name. Explore the world of Paradise City with next-gen freedom, unlike any other Xbox 360 racing games.
Moreover, Burnout Paradise is available in two editions: The Standard Edition, and the Ultimate Edition. The Standard Edition of Burnout Paradise includes 120 unique events, fierce clashes, and free-form gameplay. The Ultimate Edition includes five gaming modules, namely, the Classic Race, the Road Rage, Burning Route, Stunt Run, and Marked Man.
You can race your way through 250 miles of open road, and make and break the rules as you go through each of them. In fact, you can set your own speed and destruction records as you go on these adrenaline-powered adventures.
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Burnout Paradise - Xbox 360 |
$49.92 |
Buy on Amazon |
Burnout Paradise is perfect for showtime. You can crash anywhere, anytime, and leave a trail of wreckage as you go. Moreover, you can also battle friends online, team up with your friends, and fight 300 online challenges together.
Burnout Paradise has a winner-takes-all universe where you can go solo or join forces in user-created routes meant for success. You can also talk down people you defeat, take their mugshots, and let off steam in the fast and furious world of Burnout Paradise.
Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: January 22, 2008
Cars 3: Driven to Win
Get ready to explore the world of Cars 3, inspired by the Disney Pixar film, and rev your engines for action and adventure. Cars 3 gets you ready for the ultimate competitive racing experience on Xbox.
In fact, you can start your engines and discover iconic locations from the film set over 20 tracks. You can join Cruz Ramirez and Lightning McQueen and help them fight the rematch against Jackson Storm.
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Cars 3: Driven to Win - Xbox 360 |
$29.99 |
Buy on Amazon |
Or, play with the next generation of racers and explore up to 20 customizable characters for an immersive gameplay experience.
You can master your driving skills in 6 different gaming modules, where the highest number of stunts and great tricks get you the highest score. In fact, you can play against friends and families and strive to be the ultimate champion as you keep training for the best.
Developer: Avalanche Software
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Driver: San Francisco
Crime Lord Charles Jericho is on the loose, and the state of San Francisco is in threat. Save the city, and be the ultimate hero in Driver: San Francisco. Step into the shoes of the driver, John Tanner, and take all your chances against Jericho.
Because it might be now or never, do or die. Chasing Jericho in the streets of San Francisco and getting him is no mean task. You have spent your whole life chasing criminals and locking them up. Now it’s showdown time with the biggest enemy of all time!
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Driver San Francisco | 349 Reviews | $40.00 | Buy on Amazon |
From Hollywood-style crashes to high-speed pursuits and long drifts, be a part of the relentless manhunt. A story of revenge powered by a personal character-driven storyline. Take fast-action driving to the next level by driving 130+ fully destructible cars with customization features.
Moreover, as Tanner, you get to unlock the power of an unprecedented ability called SHIFT. You can change vehicles, take instant control of even opponent cars, and step into 10+ multi-player modes with ease. And why should all your stunts go unrecorded?
Use the Director replay mode to record your chases, listen to over 60 original music tracks, and revitalize the cinematic car chase experience like never before.
Developer: Ubisoft Reflections
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Forza Motorsport 4
A genre-defining racing game, Forza Motorsport 4 is a big upgrade from Forza 3. It has gone multiplayer with its amazing new rivals mode, where defeating a rival online gets you up to 150K credits. Earlier, it was just 300, and now it depends on how high up your rival is on the leadership chart.
What else is new? Well, you have the thrilling chance to test out 500 cars and go racing in over 20 iconic tracks. Advanced AI, physics, tire, and fuel strategy are all here, backing you up for the next big win.
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Forza Motorsport 4 - Xbox 360 | 1,222 Reviews |
$33.08 |
Buy on Amazon |
This controller-based game lets you have the power and freedom of Kinect. Beautiful graphics, riveting cars, and a variety of automotive challenges await you in the world of Forza Motorsport 4.
This promises to be the biggest Forza Motorsport experience ever, with 16-player online game options. Be a part of circuit racing, or play car soccer, or just go for cat and mouse. No matter the style you choose, you can go all out in this definitive car racing game.
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
There are many ways to see Los Angeles, but Midnight Club (Platinum Hits) thinks it’s at 245mph. A city recreated with such precision and detail will want you to take car racing to the next level. The fun fact is there are no rules, no tracks, or no load times that’ll hold you back.
Hop on superbikes, take an enthralling ride, or try real-world tuners and muscle cars in the Midnight Club. Wait, there’s more to be excited about! Illegal gaming and illegal speeds aren’t all that you get. The game also allows extensive customization of vehicles.
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Midnight Club: Los Angeles (Platinum Hits) |
$56.92 |
Buy on Amazon |
In fact, take the hottest range of cars on a spin, or give them a makeover with licensed rims, body kits, interior upgrades, and vinyls. 300 races and 60+ race-ready vehicles await you in this Xbox 360 game, where South Central’s 12 new battle maps keep you on your toes.
Developer: Rockstar San Diego
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Need for Speed Shift
Need for Speed Shift is an Xbox 360 game that’s here to redefine the true driver’s experience, while giving you a taste of pixel-perfect cars, iconic racetracks, and advanced physics. In fact, you need your best athletic skills and concentration to harness the power of speed, steel, and chrome.
Face the fierce competition that Need for Speed brings with the combination of perception-based G-forces, a very realistic view from the cockpit, and a brutal crash dynamic. Moreover, experience the adrenaline rush and the fear of lack of control all at once as you take the driver’s seat for success!
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Need For Speed Shift | 233 Reviews |
$4.33 |
Buy on Amazon |
Plus, this game’s a bonus for Porsche lovers. You’ll be able to race in 5-6 different Porsche cars, and as for other cars, there’s Audi, Aston Martin, BMW, Bugatti, Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Honda, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen among many others.
Get ready to outsmart cops, go on a race against time, and enjoy realistic graphics and a stunning cockpit view like never before. The need for speed is real this time around. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best Need For Speed games around even today!
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Ridge Racer Unbounded
Are you ready to crash through everything that comes your way? Ridge Racer Unbounded is an Xbox 360 game that combines cutting-edge physics principles and stunning visual effects to give you just that.
Create your own path, and be the master of your own destiny. In fact, unleash destruction you only thought of until now. Take the new breed of racing machines for a spin, and race through the urban world. Why leave commercial zones, ports, or high-rise construction sites out of your gameplay?
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Ridge Racer Unbounded-Nla |
$32.73 |
Buy on Amazon |
Leave nothing to chance. Ride it out, and win the race on your stunning collision course. Be fierce, take your adrenaline and nerves out on a ride, and prove your worth behind the wheel. Ridge Racer Unbounded is all about joining the Unbounded street racing gang and shattering your enemy.
Developer: Bugbear Entertainment
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Release Date: March 27, 2012
The Crew
The Crew is an Xbox 360 game that’s perfect to take you around the United States. Get on a relentless ride, a car chase that’s all about customization and exploration. In fact, you can join forces with the Crew community, make lifelong friends, and go on rides that turn out to be heart-stopping missions.
Be all around nature or race through the metropolis: either way, an extensive tuning system is all set to get you ready for whatever terrain lies ahead of you. The Crew is all about revolutionary action and driving rolled into one.
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The Crew - Xbox 360 |
$5.14 |
Buy on Amazon |
Moreover, immersive gameplay and a reckless ride await you! You can move up the ranks of the 510s, and make a name for yourself in the underground racing scene. In fact, lose the cops or trek in the Monument Valley, or better yet, drive down Miami Beach and catch stunning sunsets from the cockpit of your car.
Master the most nerve-wracking driving challenges and encounter other players on your road. You can build your crew from all those you meet, and with your gang of 4, go racing the parts in next-gen vehicles.
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: December 2, 2014
Project Gotham Racing 4
An emotionally charged racing experience awaits you in Project Gotham Racing 4. There’s a new career mode you can try out. In fact, you’ll have the unique chance to speed through 10 racing locations and explore the worlds from Shanghai to St. Petersburg.
Moreover, you’ll get the chance to race in iconic, new cars like the 1957 Maserati 250F, 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, 2004 TVR Sagaris, 2005 Vanwall GPR V12, 1993 Toyota Supra Turbo, 2005 Gumpert Apollo, 1997 Panoz GTR-1 Coupe, and 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
Project Gotham Racing 4 also has a new Kudos system, with the power of which you’ll be able to try out new AI personalities. They can help perform stunts and bold maneuvers while riding past other drivers.
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Project Gotham Racing 4 - Xbox 360 | 283 Reviews |
$20.85 |
Buy on Amazon |
There’s also a dynamic weather system in the game that can actually change the ‘dynamics’. You’ll find yourself in the middle of a snowstorm, or you’ll have rain pouring down on you. All these will change the physics and the dynamics of your race by unpredictable factors, exposing you to bigger challenges and making your victory a sweeter one.
You can also try out different racing flair and driving styles, which gives a breath of fresh air to the game. You’ll hear the crowd roaring with applause when you cross the finish line. Enjoy the stunning details and excellent artistic designs, and grow a fanbase that’ll support you through every high and low.
Developer: Bizarre Creations
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: October 2, 2007
Xbox 360 Games to Get in the Driver’s Seat
There’s nothing better than action-packed racing games through open-world scenarios, enjoying the most iconic cars in new locations. With detailed graphics, stunning soundtracks, and dynamic settings, Xbox 360 games for racing can really take you on a ride!
Competitive racing is one of the joys of the gaming world that keeps on giving. The joy of sweet victory or doing a few pesky stunts that take skill and experience cannot be toppled.
If you’re a true gamer, we suggest you try all on your Xbox 360. Or else, want to ride through the streets of San Francisco? Play Driver San Francisco, or scour through the United States in The Crew. You can also go all out in Midnight: Los Angeles.
Or, enjoy the winner-takes-all universe of Burnout Paradise, or enter the Disney Pixar world of Cars 3. Customize characters, take on roles, and regardless of which game you choose, play for ultimate victory.
If you’ve got a newer console in the form of the PlayStation 4, you can check out our list of the best PS4 racing games!
