Before the original PlayStation, racing games on home consoles were drastically held back by the limitations of hardware. Mode 7 and interesting parallax scrolling perspectives allowed for quasi-3D racers like Super Nintendo’s F-Zero and Super Mario Kart or Sega Genesis’ Lotus Racer 2, however the hardware horsepower just wasn’t there for full 3D racing yet.
With Ken Kutaragi’s famous words, “Do it,” the PlayStation was born, a 3D polygon processing juggernaut. Extremely quickly, the racing genre just exploded on Sony’s first machine, a match made in heaven. Some of racing’s all-time great franchises originate on Sony’s first machine, a testament to the PlayStation 1 and racing’s distinct relationship. Even car combat excelled as a genre on PS1 with Twisted Metal and Vigilante-8 — but that's another list. This list covers the absolute must-play, must-own racers that graced Sony’s first console.
10 ESPN Extreme Games
In the early days of the extreme sports revolution, Sony Interactive Studios America created an exciting and fresh racer using ESPN’s new X-Games as a model. Featuring rollerblading, mountain biking, street luging, and skateboarding as options for racing, the sense of speed in the game is still fantastic. The ability to punch and kick other racers, especially into barricades, remains a wondrous joy.
Awesome shortcuts, big jumps, speedy hills, cash gates, and a bonus mode — as well as pushing those dang bikers into a pole — make this one extremely memorable. While the launch era graphics and limited track list hold this back here, if you enjoy fast-paced racing combat or the extreme 90s, this is pure gold.
9 Wipeout XL
Somehow still futuristic today, Wipeout XL is a floaty trip into the electronic ether. A sequel to 1996’s Wipeout, XL expands on the weapons, tracks, music, and feel of the original to great success. Though not the fastest feeling racing game, the hovercrafts control like a dream, and the weapons are very satisfying.
A great sense of control, excellent licensed electronic music, and a beautifully clean art style keep this game from ever feeling boring or unpolished. Though the amount of tracks and the game’s unique controls keep it from reaching a higher spot here, this game holds up better today than most of the genre’s entries.
8 Gran Turismo
A total revolution. Gran Turismo changed the racing genre not just on the original PlayStation but for all of gaming. The incredible attention to real world details — in both the officially licensed cars and the real life professional racetracks — was unmatched; there was no substitute.
Featuring license tests, the garage, great menu presentation, 140 different real cars, and 11 real tracks, this game felt bigger than any other racer. GT felt like an encyclopedia of automation, a virtual professional-grade playable dyno test. Don’t let GT's more impressive sequel hold you back from trying this milestone in gaming history.
7 Jet Moto
Another early PlayStation release, Sony Interactive Studios America and Single Trac’s 96 release, Jet Moto, created a gigantic and well-deserved splash. Dripping with 90s Attitude, the hover version of jet skis made instant sense for the video game-verse. The game’s cool look and engaging gameplay was as fun and eye-catching then as it is today.
The game’s look certainly screams early PlayStation, holding it back for many players and on this list, but this is a total classic that is still extremely fun. I don’t know why, but I really could go for a Mountain Dew or Butterfinger now…
6 Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit
A 2-player masterpiece, getting into a long and grinding police chase never was so fun. Need for Speed’s formula of fast-paced exotic car lap racing finally found its missing piece here, adding equally fast and exotic police to chase and apprehend racers. There still is a huge thrill to finding a small corner or alley to hid in with the cops in pursuit.
Including the ability to play as the cops, fun cheat codes, the beyond excellent two-player mode, and maybe the best track in any racing game ever (Atlantica), this classic will always remain a must-play. While It's not as fast or complete as the other racers higher here, this is a perennial diamond in the rough.
5 Rage Racer
Still just white-hot lightning fast, the third Ridge Racing game on the PlayStation 1 is a thrill ride into light-speed. With incredibly tight controls, excellent and varied track designs, a high level of challenge, and tricky AI, this is a racing fan must-play. The game has a hypnotic and can’t-look-away frame rate and sense of speed that are unequaled on the entire platform.
The dark and shadowy tracks, the highlighter pastel car colors, the incredible menu sounds, and that amazing announcer — everything about this game is just about perfect. Some would argue the drifting can be totally wack, holding it back here, but set up a fast and tight car and enter the bumper cam, and I dare you not to have a total blast.
4 Driver 2
A brand-new take on the racing genre, the Driver series culminated in the second entry from Reflections Interactive and Infogrames. Though certainly not a traditional lap racer, Driver 2’s story missions feature unique driving objectives rethinking driving game techniques. The open world 'Take a Ride' mode was also a seriously big deal, one of the first rather large open world console racing modes ever made.
The high level of replay value, the engaging and hard difficulty, and jumping over that awesome bridge really mark this as one of the greatest PS racing games ever. The only thing holding it back here is its rather unique take on the genre that some may feel isn’t “racing,” but Driver 2 is a must-play classic for all gear heads.
3 Ridge Racer Type 4
The culmination of the Ridge Racer franchise on PS1, Type 4 is an extremely polished and very complete feeling entry into the series. Featuring some of the best music on the entire console, amazing late generation graphics and sound effects, and that great twitchy Rage Racer feel, this is THE entry in the Ridge Racer series to play to this day.
Featuring just about everything, Type 4 includes a Pac-Man car, great one, two, or four-player modes, drift or grip driving styles, 320 total cars, and that insanely catchy and timeless soundtrack. While the game’s focus on arcade over realism holds it back for many, this is still one of the best PS1 games ever.
2 CTR Crash Team Racing
Sony’s ability to not only answer Nintendo’s Mario franchise and its amazing spin-offs, but arguably improve upon them, is nothing short of astounding. The last Crash Bandicoot game made by Naughty Dog, Crash Team Racing is possibly the best kart racing game ever made. An explorable story mode, amazingly designed levels with great themes and fun shortcuts, responsive and understandable weapons, and some of the best driving physics ever, this game is serious stuff.
CTR’s level of polish is incredible; everything feels well-designed and completely balanced. This is still very fun to play alone or with friends — one of the best racers ever. The only thing holding it back here is the Mona Lisa of a game siting at number 1.
1 Gran Turismo 2
Simply put, Gran Turismo 2 is a masterpiece. Everything Polyphony Digital revolutionized about the racing game genre in the first Gran Turismo was almost unbelievably expanded upon in its sequel. More real cars, more real racetracks, more insane graphical details, a better replay mode, and a 1999-based licensed music soundtrack — what more could you ask for? Well, more driver's license tests, an arcade mode, rally racing, unlockable trophies; this game just doesn’t quit.
With over 625 cars and 27 total racetracks, this is a car lover’s heaven. Beyond that, this is a game that stands the test of time and goes down as one of the greatest racing games ever made on any platform, not just the original PlayStation.
