It’s no secret that we here at Overclockers UK are big into our gaming. We live for new game hype and love to replay our old favourites. Over 2024, we’ll be sharing our own top fives across a spicy selection of genres. This month we’re looking at Briony’s Top 5 Racing Sims.
February marks my birth month and the start of the 2024 F1 Season, so I’ve been gifted with the wonderous task of rambling on about my favourite genre of games, or more specifically, simulators. Racing simulators. I love racing sims because I love driving. They allow you to drive your dream car, modify it without a budget, and push your limits without worrying about a big bill for bouncing it off a barrier. I’ve picked five of my favourites, in order of release, that I think are worth trying whether you’re a newbie who’s still on L plates or a Lewis Hamilton wannabe. Let’s d(r)ive in!
To start, I must admit I’m more of a casual player and prefer to learn different tracks and try out all the cars than be super competitive. I often find online racing more frustrating than fun. I also haven’t spent thousands on my dream racing rig (I prefer to spend it on V-Power), so each of these sims has been tested on my trusty Thrustmaster TS-PC Racer wheel and pedal set. Although, I’d love a Moza or Simucube racing rig and am thoroughly jealous of the awesome set-up over at Mercedes esports, all powered by Overclockers PCs!
5. Asseto Corsa (2014):
It wouldn’t be a sim racing list without pretty much everyone’s favourite, Asseto Corsa. This title is nearly 10 years old, but the physics engine is superb and delivers realistic handling that feels fantastic to this day. There is a huge selection of cars and tracks, which means you can drive your dream car, on your favourite track, and just have a brilliant time casually messing around learning how to drift or mastering the art of competitive racing. There’s something for everyone with endless customisation options, a career mode, events, tournaments, challenges, multiplayer, drag races, drift challenges, and much more!
The modding community is committed, with plenty of add-ons and mods that make this sim even better. Although they might not blow you away, the graphics and visuals have held up well, making it easy to run, even on older PC hardware.
Asseto Corsa caters to the fun-loving casual players, like me, or provides in depth simulation for the hardcore enthusiasts. Plus, the various expansion packs and passes can often be picked up for a bargain price on Steam!
For me, Asseto Corsa is a must play for anyone interested in racing!
4. Project Cars 2 (2017):
This was one of the first sims I ever tried. One of its benefits is that it is very beginner friendly. It might not be the most realistic when it comes to physics, handling and feedback, but if you want to jump straight in and have some fun then this sim is the one. It is packed full of content with plenty of cars, tracks, a career mode and online play to keep you smiling. The graphics still look fantastic to this day, and the changing weather and seasons keep things interesting. Although… you do end up with an irrational hatred of puddles!
The AI is unrealistic compared to other sims which can make races feel a bit unfair at times, but the difficulty settings are adjustable which helps mitigate any frustrations. Overall, Project Cars 2 is just really good fun. It has the right amount of realism without going overboard and is a must-play for anyone getting into sim racing. (Although, unfortunately, due to licencing restrictions it’s no longer available to buy directly on Steam 😭)
3. Automobilista 2 (2020):
It’s been described as what Project Cars 3 should have been and I can agree with that. This constantly evolving simulator is known for its huge, niche, and sometimes obscure variety of tracks and cars. Race pretty much anything, anywhere. There’s everything from GoKarts, Prototypes, Historic F1, modern GTs, Rally cars, classics, to Racing Trucks and more. The numerous tracks span several continents and include big names alongside historic, obscure, and unexpected locations.
In the UK, we love talking about with the weather, but the developers have taken things to the level of obsession with incredibly advanced weather and track condition systems, 24-hour cycles, barometric pressure modelling, varying wind speeds, and temperatures. It makes planning, driving, and racing that bit more exciting. The realism is taken to another level. No two races or even laps feeling the same.
I found the force feedback to be excellent on my wheel, in fact probably the best out of this list. You will definitely want to try this sim with a high-quality wheel to get the full experience. For even more immersion, it even supports VR and it’s well optimised, so you can enjoy the glorious visuals even on less-powerful PC systems.
There’s A LOT of additional packs and DLC available for Automobilista 2, often found on the Steam sale. However, to get things started I recommended trying the free demo. If you’re a PC2 fan, I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it!
2. Forza Motorsport (2023):
The Forza franchise spans 12 glorious games. Horizon 4 was one of my absolute favourites, who doesn’t love blasting through the British countryside? I feel like Horizon 5 fell short, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. Thankfully, 2023’s Motorsport was a return to form. Although many would consider it more of a game than a simulator, I think the reasonably realistic car physics qualify.
The reviews on Steam are mixed but, personally, Forza Motorsport is the reason I finally upgraded my PC. There are hours of fun to be had, immersed in the realistic graphics with real-time raytracing and DLSS2 that bring the over 500 cars to life. The cars, tracks, lighting, and audio are super realistic, and I always feel deeply immersed while playing. As I’m not a huge fan of racing online, the career mode has me hooked. Each race feels different with a huge selection of real-world tracks and challenging weather conditions. I got a real sense of progression unlocking new upgrades for my car and seeing how different parts change the handling or acceleration to suit my driving style. Every race is great fun with a chance to practise the track, qualify, and then go against the AI which can easily be adjusted so you still feel competitive no matter your skill level.
Best of all it’s available on Game Pass, so there’s no need to splash out £70 if you just want to try it out.
Honourable Mention:
I’d like to shout out iRacing, which many consider to be the gold standard when it comes to realism and online competitive racing. However, as someone who prefers to play sims casually and offline, the expensive subscription model is something I’ve avoided. And therefore, I’ve never personally tried it. However, if you’re serious about sim racing it looks to be well worth the investment.
1. Rennsport (BETA):
I was lucky enough to get a key for the closed Beta of Rennsport a little while ago and it is awesome! The developers describe the game as the future of virtual racing, with an emphasis on esports and modding. It certainly has promise. Rennsport is built on Unreal Engine 5, so naturally the graphics are incredible with realistic car models and tracks. The current selection is rather limited, there are only eight cars to choose from and you better be a fan of Porsche because five of them are from the German manufacturer. Rather surprisingly the UK based Goodwood Hillclimb is one of the limited number of tracks and it sits alongside racetracks like Spa-Francorchamps, Nurburgring GP, and the Daytona International Speedway.
The great thing about Rennsport is that it can only get better. So far, there have been four big updates, bringing new improvements and features. I expect there will be many more to come in 2024. Rennsport will also be wide open for modders, meaning the base content will rapidly expand and the developers envision the final game to have hundreds of racetracks in just three or four years.
If you’re interested in the closed beta, you can sign up completely free on Rennsport’s official website and join their official Discord to take part in the development progress.
Best PCs to Play Racing Sims
At Overclockers UK, we have a phenomenal range of gaming PCs and laptops that are the perfect engine to your racing sim needs. Briony zooms around the track with an AMD Ryzen 7 7880X3D, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, and 32GB DDR5 RAM. Our highlights selection will be based on this spec, but you can explore our full collection should they not vibe. (Are you mad?! Those are dream specs!)
OcUK Gaming Scimitar Configurable PC
Get your motor running with the OcUK Gaming Scimitar. This gaming PC is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super GPU as standard, the perfect pair for shifting your gaming into high gear. The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D features innovative 3D V-Cache, providing this CPU greater access to its internal memory and thus streamlining processes. Boosting your graphics to photo-realistic quality, the NVIDIA RTX 4080 Super utilises Ada Lovelace architecture to render the racetrack in buttery smooth frame rates.
Better yet, the OcUK Gaming Scimitar is one of our configurable gaming PCs, meaning you can adjust the base spec from a pre-selected list of hardware to better suit your playstyle, needs, and budget. Customise the PC case, CPU, memory, GPU, CPU cooler, operating system, and add up to three ultra-fast SSDs.
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 Gaming Laptop
Race all over the world with the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 gaming laptop. This is powered by an AMD Ryzen R9-7945HX3D CPU, utilising the same innovative 3D V-Cache for the first time in a laptop. Reap the benefits of incredible performance gains as you effortlessly zip through those chicanes. Bringing the road to life are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU and 17.3” WQHD display with a 240Hz refresh rate. Enjoy crisp detail, realistic lighting, and AI-enhanced upscaling, all whilst the 32GB DDR5 RAM and 2TB NVMe SSD keep latency low and loading times to a minimum.
To keep this engine cool, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is equipped with a highly efficient thermal solution. Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal paste is used on the GPU, as it can keep components up to 15-degrees cooler than traditional pastes. This is paired with a custom vapour chamber and four dedicated exhaust vents, effectively removing heat from this system with minimal noise.
noblechairs EPIC Gaming Chair Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Edition
No racing set-up is complete without the noblechairs EPIC Mercedes AMG Petronas Edition. This gaming chair takes the race car aesthetics to the highest gear, sporting the Mercedes AMG Petronas colours in subtle stitching. Plus, the included lumbar and neck pillow feature iconic Mercedes F1 branding to complete the look.
Of course, this is paired with superior ergonomic features and premium quality materials. The stainless steel frame provides a strong and stable base, whilst the dense cold foam padding and PU keep you comfortable, well supported, and cool. Equipped with 4D armrests and a lockable tilt rocker, you can align this gaming chair to meet your exact needs, leaving you free to concentrate on the road ahead.
Let Us Know Your Favourites
Agree with this list? Or have we missed some high-octane racing action? Share your top five racing sims in the comments below!
PC specs are subject to change.
- 11 min read
Briony Hannam
Author
Briony has been with Overclockers UK for nearly three years, starting off as a content copywriter before moving into producing videos and photos for various social media platforms. Outside of shooting and editing, she can be found racing in Forza, CTR, or even Donington circuit. Calmer endeavors include tending her jungle of houseplants & fishtanks before curling up under a blanket and watching back-to-back episodes of the latest Sci-Fi release.
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