The history of virtual racing has produced many influential games. Here are our milestones.
Photo credit: iRacing
The most influential racing games of all time
Which game has connected racing fans better to esports racing than the F1 games? Since the beginning of the series in 2000, there have been many different Formula One games, until Codemasters took over in 2009 and established F1 as a yearly release as we know it today. The virtual Formula One experience brings attention to the esports scene and serves as an entrance for big brands such as Mercedes-AMG Petronas, Red Bull and Ferrari into esports and sim racing. F1 2020 will be released on July 7. 
The well-known motorsport racing simulation is one of the most important games for competitive sim racing and was published in 2008. iRacing is known for its numerous competitions, features and impressive realism. Racing fans have access to a gigantic bandwidth of cars and tracks. However, iRacing is more than just a game. In fact, it has become a platform for many different esports tournaments throughout the year and works closely together with some of the biggest racing esports organizers. 
Electronic Arts' Need for Speed series is one of the most famous racing game franchises in the world. EA's arcade racers have always been big sellers and the NFS games build the bridge between casual gamers and the virtual racing scene since the first game of the series was published back in 1994. Therefore, Need for Speed brought us some of the most influential racing games of all time, such as Underground and Most Wanted. The franchise is famous for its fast police pursuits with lots of action. In 2019, Electronic Arts released the latest title of the series, Need for Speed Heat. 
Back in the early days of virtual racing, arcade games were quite popular. One of the most successful examples of arcade racers is Daytona USA, published by SEGA in 1994. In the game, the player drives a stock car on one of three tracks, including the Daytona International Speedway, which was implemented with the help of satellite imagery. Back then, it was praised for its high quality graphics and a realistic driving experience. The game introduced many people to sim racing for the first time. 
The Gran Turismo franchise is well-known to PlayStation fans across the globe. What started in 1998 as a pure single player game, changed when in 2017 Gran Turismo Sport was released. With the new title, publisher Sony intensified its esports strategy and contributed to the expansion of competitive virtual racing, bringing it to a huge player base, since Gran Turismo is the highest selling video game franchise ever produced under the PlayStation brand. The Gran Turismo World Tour, the Nations Cup and the Manufacturer Series are great examples of influential racing esports tournaments. 
As in many other fields, Microsoft and Sony are competitors when it comes to racing games. As an answer to Sony's Gran Tursimo, Microsoft has been publishing the Forza Motorsport series since 2005, with Forza Motorsport 7 being the latest title of the franchise (2017). Not only do nostalgic casual racing fans have fond memories of Forza, but it is also a part of the modern racing esports scene. In 2017, Microsoft managed to connect the game with the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans by creating a large esports event at the historic track during the prestigious race. 
IndyCar Racing was published in 1993. The game is a simulation of the IndyCar World Series. It was one of the first racing games to focus on being as realistic as possible, with more accurate physics and mechanics than any game before. Therefore, IndyCar Racing set new standards for virtual racers and was one of the first milestones for the sim racing genre. 
The Colin McRae and DiRT games have introduced many rally sports fans to virtual racing. Started in 1998, the franchise has established the most realistic and full licensed rally simulation on the market, that is available for Xbox and PlayStation as well as for PC. Similar to the F1 games, DiRT is drawing the attention of many racing enthusiasts towards the esports scene. The latest game of the series is DiRT 2.0, released in 2019. 
In 2003, French developer Nadeo came up with the first Trackmania game. Since then, the franchise has become extremely popular within the virtual racing scene. The success is not just about players being able to build mindblowing and fantastic tracks, but more about the competitive aspect of the game. By becoming a part of the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in 2006, Trackmania was one of the first racing game series to enter the esports landscape. 
Even more popular than Need for Speed and as casual as a racing game could possibly be, Nintendo's Mario Kart Series has been fascinating millions of players across the globe since the first release in 1992. While it is not really an esports racing game, it is without a doubt the virtual racing experience, that many people who are not familiar with the scene enjoy the most. As such, the Mario Kart games with their iconic items, characters and crazy tracks have earned a rightful place on our list. 
Creating a brand-new platform for esports racing comes from a necessity the community was lacking. Because esports racing has taken the whole world, it deserves a proper stage to shine. With fans all over the globe, OverTake is here to unite them all in one place – a bold move that we’re up to achieve together with the community.