These are 6 racing games that have improved massively since their release.
Photo credit: IRacing YouTube
Early Access, open beta or just rushed: many games are nowadays released in an unfinished state and never reach the potential they originally had. But in some cases, games improve massively over time thanks to continuous patches, mods or DLC content. Here are our top 6 racing titles that made the jump from mediocre to great.
iRacing
When iRacing was released in 2008, it was already ahead of its time. Racing was solely held online on dedicated servers and it introduced players to a subscription-based payment method. Even though the content of the first version was satisfactory for the time, the game improved a lot with continuous support from the developers. Today, iRacing remains one of the most popular simulation titles out there and is further improved with new updates, such as the recently published LMP2 expansion.
Assetto Corsa
Another rather old racing game that has maintained its relevance in the sim racing world is Assetto Corsa. By today’s standards Assetto Corsa has not aged well in its vanilla state – even though Kunos fed their players with numerous DCLs adding tons of content to the game. What makes Assetto Corsa truly one of the greatest racing games of all time is the implementation of mod support. No matter the track or car you are looking for, there is always the possibility that Assetto Corsa might have a mod for that.
RFactor2
If you ask any hardcore sim fan which racing game has the best physics, the answer is usually RFactor2. Yet, RF2 never reached the status of a must-have sim due to UI flaws, a high entry barrier and missing comfort features. Image Space Incorporated took some steps in the right direction in the recent months and made the game more accessible for newcomers to the series. However, they still have a long way to go to create a true gem of the scene.
GT Sports
The headwind that GT Sports received even before release was massive. Fans of this legendary franchise anticipated a new instalment of the series for PlayStation 4 and were disappointed to hear that there would only be GT Sport as a substitute title and not a full release. In its early days, the Japanese racing game lacked a diverse roster of cars and tracks which only came as updates over time. Nowadays, GT Sports is the best simulation option on Sony’s home console and is loved by fans and critics alike.
Assetto Corsa Competizione
The idea is as simple as it is genius. Kunos created a complete racing game with everything you could wish for from a GT title. Fans of the beloved GT3 class finally got their dedicated online sim racing title with realistic graphics and an advanced physics model compared to its predecessor. Sadly, the performance of the game was extremely unstable with even high-end PCs falling to their knees in the early days. A few years down the road not all issues are resolved, but with new content and massive performance patches ACC, has emerged as the ultimate GT title.
Automobilista 2
When Brazilian games studio Reiza announced the second instalment of the Automobilista franchise, fans of the first title immediately climbed onboard the hype train. At its release as an early access phase in March 2020, the game felt unfinished and suffered from a lack of content. Half a year later many things have improved with big updates that resulted in the official release in May. There is still room to grow for AMS2 and Reiza will continue to work on their dream of a perfect simulation.
What racing game do you think improved the most over time? Tell us on twitter at @overtake_gg
