The eight best racing video games for children

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Dec 18, 2020 1 Min Read Posted by Nana Krustofski

OverTake > Lists > Galleries > The eight best racing video games for children

Mario Kart is a guaranteed hit not only for children, but for the parents alike. The game has everything: a colorful design, adorable characters, cheerful music, funny items and imaginative circuits. It is easy to control and even small kids can enjoy it. You can turn on some assists to make it easier and choose the difficulty. The game is available on the Switch, but there are many parts of the series for other devices as well.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit puts a fun twist on the colorful racer. Each box comes with a real remote-controlled toy kart with Mario or Luigi and some checkpoints. Arrange the checkpoints across the living room to create your own circuits which you then have to complete on the Switch – while the toy kart is driving around the circuit as well. If you want to learn more about how to create your own track, check out our Home Circuit tutorial.

So your juniors love Hot Wheels but can't take their entire car collection with them when leaving the house? They can still play with them with a smartphone on the go. Hot Wheels Infinite Loop is available for Android and iOS. The little toy cars have to race against each other on fantasy tracks with loops, jumps and more. Your kid can also easily play against their friends online.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix lets your youngsters race with their favorite characters from TV like Spongebob, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or even JoJo Siwa. Some of the cars and tracks are also themed on various shows, like the circuit House of CatDog, Air Temple Island or the Goo Lagoon Boardwalk. The game is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and for PC.

If your children are a little bit older, make sure to introduce them to the Need for Speed franchise. The game looks realistic at first, but you race full speed through the city and don't have to worry about needing any major skills to have fun, as crashes have no consequences. The most recent title is Need for Speed Heat for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Forza Horizon 4 is a similar example to Need for Speed. The realistic looking title is great for adults and hard to master, but also easy to learn so children and teenagers have fun as well. You can either complete missions, take serious races or simply explore a vast open world area. The title is available for PC and Xbox One. An enhanced edition for the Xbox Series X/S was recently released as well.

The Trackmania series is a straight up arcade game where you can complete fun parkours with cars. Loops, ramps, jumps, racing upside down – the indestructible cars have to go through the most challenging tracks in a time trial. You can also get creative and design your own tracks. The last release TrackMania 2020 is playable on PC, the 2016 TrackMania Turbo on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

If there is one thing that stands for speed, then it's Sonic. Naturally, the character has his own racing game called Team Sonic Racing. What makes the title special is that it focuses on cooperative gameplay. Players are in a team and need to work together. You don't win by finishing first, but by the points you received as a team. The blue hedgehog's racing game can be bought for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One or PC.

MARIO KART 8 DELUXE

Mario Kart is a guaranteed hit not only for children, but for the parents alike. The game has everything: a colorful design, adorable characters, cheerful music, funny items and imaginative circuits. It is easy to control and even small kids can enjoy it. You can turn on some assists to make it easier and choose the difficulty. The game is available on the Switch, but there are many parts of the series for other devices as well.

MARIO KART LIVE HOME CIRCUIT

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit puts a fun twist on the colorful racer. Each box comes with a real remote-controlled toy kart with Mario or Luigi and some checkpoints. Arrange the checkpoints across the living room to create your own circuits which you then have to complete on the Switch – while the toy kart is driving around the circuit as well. If you want to learn more about how to create your own track, check out our Home Circuit tutorial.

HOT WHEELS INFINITE LOOP

So your juniors love Hot Wheels but can't take their entire car collection with them when leaving the house? They can still play with them with a smartphone on the go. Hot Wheels Infinite Loop is available for Android and iOS. The little toy cars have to race against each other on fantasy tracks with loops, jumps and more. Your kid can also easily play against their friends online.

NICKELODEON KART RACERS 2 GRAND PRIX

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix lets your youngsters race with their favorite characters from TV like Spongebob, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or even JoJo Siwa. Some of the cars and tracks are also themed on various shows, like the circuit House of CatDog, Air Temple Island or the Goo Lagoon Boardwalk. The game is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and for PC.

NEED FOR SPEED

If your children are a little bit older, make sure to introduce them to the Need for Speed franchise. The game looks realistic at first, but you race full speed through the city and don't have to worry about needing any major skills to have fun, as crashes have no consequences. The most recent title is Need for Speed Heat for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

FORZA HORIZON 4

Forza Horizon 4 is a similar example to Need for Speed. The realistic looking title is great for adults and hard to master, but also easy to learn so children and teenagers have fun as well. You can either complete missions, take serious races or simply explore a vast open world area. The title is available for PC and Xbox One. An enhanced edition for the Xbox Series X/S was recently released as well.

TRACKMANIA

The Trackmania series is a straight up arcade game where you can complete fun parkours with cars. Loops, ramps, jumps, racing upside down – the indestructible cars have to go through the most challenging tracks in a time trial. You can also get creative and design your own tracks. The last release TrackMania 2020 is playable on PC, the 2016 TrackMania Turbo on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

TEAM SONIC RACING

If there is one thing that stands for speed, then it's Sonic. Naturally, the character has his own racing game called Team Sonic Racing. What makes the title special is that it focuses on cooperative gameplay. Players are in a team and need to work together. You don't win by finishing first, but by the points you received as a team. The blue hedgehog's racing game can be bought for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One or PC.

Your kids like to go fast? Then let them play a fun racing video game!

Photo credit: Nintendo

If you are looking for a great Christmas present to let your kids enjoy some racing action, video games are a perfect choice. However, racing games come in all shapes and types. Some might be too challenging for young children, others require additional equipment like wheels or pedals to be played properly.

To help you support your kids’ passion for fast cars, we collected some of the best titles for them to have fun. Most games can be played by adults and children alike, as they are easy to learn but challenging to master. On top of that, they are a great way to play with some friends online, which is especially valuable during these times when they cannot meet in person.

Which racing games would you recommend for kids? Tell us on Twitter at @overtake_gg!