The Test Drive series prior to Unlimited probably could be considered, though they got really technically janky since Distinctive split from it ~1990 (to make NFS), so YMMV.

Other arcade-inspired racers try to go for the SEGA Daytona and Namco Ridge Racer formula, so the Screamer games and Whiplash/Fatal Racing apply.

Motorhead's got a learning curve to progress and has a lot of fun renderer options. 😀

Viper Racing's pretty light but has quite the damage model! Nascar Heat follows it.

leileilol wrote on 2025-04-22, 16:42:

The Test Drive series prior to Unlimited probably could be considered, though they got really technically janky since Distinctiv […]
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The Test Drive series prior to Unlimited probably could be considered, though they got really technically janky since Distinctive split from it ~1990 (to make NFS), so YMMV.

Other arcade-inspired racers try to go for the SEGA Daytona and Namco Ridge Racer formula, so the Screamer games and Whiplash/Fatal Racing apply.

Motorhead's got a learning curve to progress and has a lot of fun renderer options. 😀

Viper Racing's pretty light but has quite the damage model! Nascar Heat follows it.

I remember Motorhead for the sound renderer options only. I could probably try Test Drive, I think I stopped playing TD4 since it was capped to 13? FPS and I was better not having a headache. TD6 had some sound related issues but then it got solved.

I never connected with SEGA Daytona for some reason, probably because it was too sound-flash, kind of gave the Hulk Hogan vibes.

I recall testing Whiplash, Fatal Racing and Viper Racing but recall nothing about what's the content, need to look into them as well. I remember Screamer 2 only in the Software form so it didn't resonate much different from playing older DOS era games

I immediately thought of Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's "Super Off Road". Wow, did I spend a TON of quarters playing that game!

The first Screamer is way more similar in handling to Ridge Racer than the sequels which are more arcade rally.

There's also Speed Haste, I vaguely recall getting nauseous while playing it, the fov maybe...

If you're into karting, there's SuperKarts too.

You liked Burnout, did you ever play the Destruction Derby games?

Two of my favorites

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Split/Second (also called Split/Second: Velocity)

lolo799 wrote on 2025-04-22, 17:19:

The first Screamer is way more similar in handling to Ridge Racer than the sequels which are more arcade rally. […]
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The first Screamer is way more similar in handling to Ridge Racer than the sequels which are more arcade rally.

There's also Speed Haste, I vaguely recall getting nauseous while playing it, the fov maybe...

If you're into karting, there's SuperKarts too.

You liked Burnout, did you ever play the Destruction Derby games?

Never heard of Speed Haste ever. Destruction Derby didn't work in my computer so I didn't try again.

Never played any karting game except watching Super Mario Karts on Wii. Could try this genre anytime soon. Reminds me of Re-Volt

Stuntman on the PS2 was a great game in the style of Driver.

liqmat wrote on 2025-04-22, 17:20:

Two of my favorites

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Split/Second (also called Split/Second: Velocity)

Yup! OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is also one of my favourites, 60fps on moderate (2006 era) hardware and the drifting is awesome!

Just won't appeal to McLaren or Red Bull fans though! 😀

liqmat wrote on 2025-04-22, 17:20:

Two of my favorites

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Split/Second (also called Split/Second: Velocity)

Just learnt Outrun was also on Windows, I thought it was PS exclusive.

(also interesting to see there is no "modern" game fitting in the convo)

Ratbag Games' catalog might be worth a look: Powerslide, Dirt Track Racing, Dirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars, Dirt Track Racing 2, Leadfoot, etc. Demos exist for pretty much all of their games.

NFS Porsche is one of my favorites.

For newer racing games, I really like the Dirt series.

Oh yeah, Destruction Derby and Destruction Derby 2 are great fun as well l.

A good force feedback wheel and good pedals makes a huge difference for racing games. A pretty good one that won't break the bank is the Logitech Momo. I have the red one.

The only downside is the plastic part that joins the wheel to the assembly can become brittle and end up breaking after so many years. As I have a broken one and now a replacement, I plan on making a replacement in FreeCAD and 3D printing it and then release it for free as well as possibly offer it for sale though I doubt it will make money as that is a very niche part.

This is just my list, not saying they are the best or worse, I just haven't played them.
Test Drive for example DOES have police but my computers were too fast back in the day so no experience.

Fatal Racing/Whiplash.
Tracks include jumps, loops, etc. but having to make pit stops for damage and fuel is what makes it interesting.

Iron Man Offroad
Simple Arcade game where you can upgrade your car with prize money. Very addictive though.

Megarace 1 & 2
Bit futuristic, but has Lance Boyle in the cheesy cutscenes.

MicroMachines 1 & 2
Another Arcade game but fun racing around dining room table, bath tub, etc and ramming others off!

Screamer
Think Daytona USA for PC

Screamer 2
Think Sega Rally for USA

Street Rod 1 and 2
Building and customising your car is actually more fun then racing it. Street Rod 1 is the better game IMHO

Stunts
The Track editor is what really made this game

Wacky Wheels and Skunny Kart
Mario Kart for DOS with controversy!
Wacky Wheels is the better game but Skunny can also be a bit of fun.

Big Red Racing
Doesn't take itself seriously, race everything from tractors to space ships. Just turn the annoying announcer off!

For Win9x I have:
Destruction Derby 1 and 2
2 feels a bit more stock car racing where 1 is more about last man standing.

Need For Speed
I liked the realism of 1, didn't like 2, then like you loved 3 and 4. I also really enjoyed Porsche like 1 I found the arcade/sim balance just right.
Underground is fun, customising the car and the tracks are pretty but doesn't feel like a true NFS game, HP2 and later I started losing interest in the series.

Powerslide
Has that dirt track speedway feel

RoadRash
Moterbike game that also includes Police, much like NFS1

I liked all the NFS games. The first one as the granddaddy (30 years old this year) and the only one of the entire series for DOS, unfortunately.

I enjoyed POD and the Star Wars Episode 1 racer, but those aren't really arcade driving, more than futuristic racing.

As already mentioned Outrun 2006 was excellent. I even still play the original Outrun and even older Turbo on DOS. Screamer and its two sequels were great and also supported 3dfx acceleration is DOS. So was Carmageddon, though of course not "arcade" racing. There are others of the ~2000-05 Windows XP era I also remember as excellent, but can't remember the names of at the moment. It has been decades, but I should check them out again thanks to your inspiration. Others may chime in with the exact titles.

BEEN_Nath_58 wrote on 2025-04-22, 18:02:

Never heard of Speed Haste ever.

If those pics (from mobygames) don't make you want to play it, nothing will!

BEEN_Nath_58 wrote on 2025-04-22, 18:25:

(also interesting to see there is no "modern" game fitting in the convo)

You are in vogons, what did you expect!
For recent games my recommendation is "Art of Rally" but also check out "Hotshot Racing" and "Old School Rally".

How far back do you want to go in this quest? Are you looking for current/modern arcade racing titles to play, or generally exploring the genre even from a retro aspect? Because all of the older games were more arcades than simulators.

Depends on your taste, but I still like to play Test Drive Unlimited from time to time.

konc wrote on 2025-04-23, 09:05:

BEEN_Nath_58 wrote on 2025-04-22, 18:25:

(also interesting to see there is no "modern" game fitting in the convo)

How far back do you want to go in this quest? Are you looking for current/modern arcade racing titles to play, or generally exploring the genre even from a retro aspect? Because all of the older games were more arcades than simulators.

Maybe take the time period since 3D accelerators came in. It was a transition period so the older style and, since then the newer style both resonate with me.

chinny22 wrote on 2025-04-23, 01:04:

RoadRash
Moterbike game that also includes Police, much like NFS1

This game was more common that housing in my city back 2 decades ago

In the meantime you can try this indie Outrun mashup. It's well done and frequently updated (download version only) by the dev. The latest updates have added police chases to the mix.

https://sk1ds.itch.io/outrun-clone

Road Rash is still wonderful, but it's motorbike racing of course.