The main single-player Career mode throws you straight in as a pro driver representing your team in five different types of race events that take place on realistic reproductions of tracks ranging from Indianapolis Speedway to the streets of Barcelona. Touring events are perhaps the most realistic, dropping you into a crowded grid where you have to jostle with closely packed rival cars and carefully pick your way to the front of the pack. Open Wheel racing is the most demanding, though, with very light, rear-drive cars that require really careful handling. At the other extreme are the Tuner events, which are more like traditional Grid games, allowing you to entertain the crowds as you show off your drifting and other skills.
That makes it a good game for a bit of post-pub fun with your friends, but Micro Machines will also be fun for younger players who can just enjoy the table-top racing action with their favourite toy cars, fire engines and other vehicles.
Best Racing Game For Mac 2013
But, once the engine starts revving up, and the dust starts flying, the game does a great job of capturing the high-speed thrills of racing, as you tilt over and go screeching around a hairpin bend, and weaving through the field to grab the lead. Along with the Career mode, the game also allows you to represent your country in the Monster Energy mode, or you can create a custom series of races in Championship mode. Alternatively, for a quick fix of two-wheel action, you can tackle individual races in the Time Attack and Grand Prix modes.
Below you will find what we believe are the greatest Mac games out there, together with links to the Mac App Store, Steam and other reputable vendors, so you can buy them right away. These are the very best games for Mac. They are in alphabetical order, not in order of preference.
There are many, many sites out there with the best racing games listed out there on the internet. I however, have played and bought every game on this list. So even though you might not find the most popular games here, there's a good reason why. Because most of them are terrible. Porting games to from Windows to a Mac doesn't always work out well.The list of the best racing games for Mac(not in any specific order) are,ToCA Race Driver 3This is one the oldest games on this list, and is still one of the all time greats. It is the equivalent of Gran Turismo for the PC/Mac, and this game has infinite replay value. You can play this game for days on end, and you still won't tire of it. The categories range from lawn mowers and karts, right upto Formula 1 cars and Baja buggies. So you can progress through the every series, racing on numerous real life tracks. Each series has its own unique challenges, and the cars do feel very different from one another. The physics engine is good that you can feel the difference while driving different cars, even with the keyboard. The AI is really very good, and will use unfair tricks. One of the best racing games, ever.Online Multiplayer Available.Colin McRae Rally MacThis is another all time great. The equivalent of Codemasters Colin McRae Rally 2005, which was one of the best rally games of all time, was ported to Mac by Feral Interactive. Paying homage to one the best rally drivers, Colin McRae, this game is a fitting tribute to the legend. I think this one the most challenging rally games of all time. The wide variety of cars, all with their own distinct style of driving them and with tricky courses makes is a huge challenge. There are many cars on offer, from good old Group B greats such as the Audi Quattro and classical ones such the Mini Cooper make this a car lovers treat. The modern ones such as the Subaru, Peugeot and the Mitsubishi are also at your disposal. The brilliantly detailed maps will blow your mind, and you just wish that Codemasters would let roam around on the beautiful landscapes. The damage system has two stages: brutal, and brutal^10. So you will have to be on your toes. But once you understand the game, and learn how to drive the cars, it is really very satisfying. Simply mega. Online Multiplayer Available.Personal Recommendation: Start the game, select a single stage session, pick a car and choose Stage 1 in Japan, in rain. Best place to shake down the car you're driving.Colin McRae: Dirt 2The successor to Colin McRae Rally is Dirt 2. Simply because this the only other rally game ported to the Mac, once again, credit to Feral Interactive. If you switch from Colin McRae Rally to Dirt 2, it is a massive cultural shock. From the subtle yet beautiful UI to the latest in-your-face fancy menu system of Dirt 2, it really does give you a bit of a shock. Although it isn't entirely a good change, you do get used to it and start to appreciate it's career mode. In this game, proper rallying isn't given priority. New age rallycross events take centerstage and although it is more entertaining than rallying, you do miss the proper rallying events. The game is superb, and the cars and tracks are extremely well detailed. The voiceovers by X-Games champions like Travis Pastrana, Ken Block and the rest gives a uniquely awesome feel to the game as you progress through the career mode. However true rally fans will regret the fact that proper rallying is slowly being forgotten. Still, it's one of the most entertaining rally games for the Mac.Online Multiplayer Available.F1 2012Already proven to be one of the all time great seasons in Formula 1 history, the game based on the season wasn't any less exciting. Codemasters did a great job with F1 2011, and 2012 is another step up. The graphics are slightly better, and the sound is much improved. The physics is slightly arcade-ish, but no once can really tell, as Martin Brundle once said, "There are 7 billion people in the world, but just 24 grand prix drivers. Waiting on 5, simple red lights." And I'm not one of them. So I don't have a clue. Played with a proper steering wheel and pedal gaming setup, this one the best racing games ever. And it's available on your Mac. Thank you Feral Interactive. The physics engine is superb, and you can actually feel the downforce working through the corners, and the lack of it when you slam into the wall at what feels like light speed. The career mode is also very well simulated, as you drive not only to beat other drivers, but your team-mate as well. In longer races, pit stops play a part, and you can feel the tyre wear affecting your lap times. Punctures, broken front wings, and penalties are all part of the game. The tracks are extremely realistic as well. But the crown jewel in this game is it's online multiplayer racing. Although you do have to go through the trouble of starting GameRanger, it is worth it. It is bucketloads of fun, and even though F1 2013 is due in April, it is a must buy. Feral, please port F1 2013 as well!The only gripe, I as well as every single player has with the game, is the penalty system. Every single player, every day, is at somepoint screaming, "WTF?! HE CRASHED INTO ME!! F***ING, F***ING CODEMASTERS!! WHY DID I GET THE PENALTY?!!!"For those who have no clue about Formula 1, watch this. It will convert you.Real Racing 2This, as most of you know, is an iOS game ported to the Mac. Although it is pretty disappointing when compared to the iOS version, it still stands tall in many aspects. The cars, and track variety is impressive. And although it proclaims itself to be 'Real', it actually is an arcade game that looks very realistic. Asphalt 6 is another game that comes to mind, when you think of a game in this category, but Asphalt 6 is a horrid little thing. Simply horrible. Real Racing 2 is essentially the same game as it is in the iOS version, and even all the buttons are still the same. So it doesn't have the same polish to it as other proper Mac games do. But it is an acceptably good racing game and is a lot of fun, as you can compete with other players with iPads and iPhones. One the key points of Real Racing 2 is that you can use your iPad or iPhone as a controller for the Mac game. It has inbuilt support for it, and is a neat touch. It just doesn't match up with the other games listed above, but nor does it claim to. It's good fun.There are many other great racing games for the Mac, and many more will be released soon(Feral Interactive, do your best!).Race Driver: GridGrid is the spiritual successor of ToCA Race Driver 3, and it does not disappoint. This is probably one the best racing games, full stop. It has the perfect setup of graphics and gameplay. Although purists might not like the physics, as the physics engine is essentially a heavily modified version of the one used in Colin McRae Dirt. So experienced players will notice a lot of oversteer and a general lack of downforce. Also, the infinitely adjustable settings of ToCA is gone, and in its place are the traction control and ABS settings, which were noticeably absent in ToCA. Tyre wear also isn't a issue to worry about anymore. But, the level of detail lavished on the cars and tracks more than makes up for the loss of the traditional settings. This game is designed to excite the player, and bring out the sights and sounds of racing. It is a completely different approach to racing games, and it is something you have to play the game to experience. The in-dash view is unbelievably good. This will give Gran Turismo a run for its money. The flashback feature is also available, which is a useful feature and prevents players from experiencing frustration meltdowns. Also, there is sexy female secretary voice guiding you through the career mode, instead of the annoying fat scottish man, which involves money, and knocks some common sense in the player. Feral Interactive and Codemasters are hard at work reviving building the Mac gaming industry. Thank you. It is much appreciated.Sonic & SEGA All-Stars RacingThis a Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. It is what it says on the tin. Off you go now, to the Mac App Store to buy it. I really don't need to explain this one.Mario Kart and SEGA had a lovechild, and this is it. This is the epitome of psychedelic arcade racing. I have no doubt in my mind that the developers of this game were being force fed on a strict diet of drugs and alcohol. No wonder they took so much time making it. It is SEGA's 25th birthday gift to itself and the world, and it is a very good gift. Elementary controls and lots of colour and explosions are ingredients to a good time. With various characters from different games of SEGA taking part in this race, it's basically a big SEGA party to which you were invited to. You don't need to be good at this game to enjoy it. All you need to do is play it. Then you will become addicted to it. The tracks and cars were designed and detailed by a person who quite clearly doesn't know that humans can get epileptic seizures. With various local multiplayer options and online multiplayer thanks to Game Center, you can blow your friends off the track and drift past them to victory. I'm surprised SEGA doesn't recommend using Nintendo NES controllers to play this game with. An Xbox 360 controller doesn't do any justice to this game. Arcade games are back and with vengeance.F1 2013F1 2012 was undoubtedly a great game. Unfortunately, the keyword in that sentence is "was". F1 2013 obliterates it in every aspect. Codemasters has decided to give a two-fingered salute to the arcade racers and rightly so. Arcade racing fans can go back to their own games. They've got plenty of options. The cars feel alive, and they're not here to make the job of driving them even remotely easy. Thinking of a clean, and quick exit out of hairpins? Forget it. It's Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift all the way. Keyboard wielding players need not apply here. The Xbox 360 controller is simply sublime with this. The immersion has been taken to yet another level, and strangely enough, not at the cost of additional hardware requirements. The game loads much faster, which might sound like a trivial fact to mention, but it goes a long way in enhancing the user experience. Be prepared to fight your own car to keep it on the track. The AI have gotten craftier, and more skilled. In addition to the current cars, the older, turbo-era cars have been added. What does this mean? Extra-slidey action with bucket-loads of power and ridiculous amounts of fun. But the best bit? CROSS PLATFORM MULTIPLAYER via Steam. You read that right. Now you can go wheel to wheel against your friends unfortunate enough to own a Windows PC. Isn't that just great? Feral Interactive, take a bow.Grid 2Race Driver: Grid was undoubtedly a great game, but it was released back in 2008, and it was getting a little long in the tooth. With patchy multiplayer support, Codemasters needed to launch a new game. Grid 2 was launched with a lot of fanfare, and to be fair, the game had enough firepower to back up its claims. With a large collection of great cars, and well curated set of tracks and city maps, this is a fantastic game. Although it errs toward the arcade side of the Ego engine, and yes every corner can be taken faster if you manage to drift through it, its still plenty fun to play. Every single car has different characteristics, and feel very different to drive, so its great for casual racing, or if you just want to drive through a mountain pass in Japan, or go sightseeing in Paris. The multiplayer isn't that great as they aren't a lot of people to race against, but the Racenet challenges are always a lot of fun as you get to compare yourself with players around the world. This game is better played with a controller, as the feedback and control sensitivity is needed if you are to play this game at the pace its supposed to be played. The storyline though, is really great. You're a wannabe racer who gets the backing of an industrialist, and you get funded with all the cars as you race different racing clubs, and racers in an effort to convince them of your quality, and convince them to join the ESPN racing league. With some cutaways of actual ESPN footage, the narrative is pretty solid. Definitely get this game if you don't mind your racing game being a little too arcade-ish. Feral Interactive has done a good job with this port, but there's still some frame drops in the loading screens and stutters during gameplay. Apart from that its a vastly entertaining game with plenty of replay value.Grid AutosportGrid Autosport. The game that is supposed to provide relief to the simulation gamers who grew tired of Grid 2's drift shenanigans. I really wanted to like this game. I thought this would be one of those classics like TOCA Race Driver 3. As you can probably guess, this game didn't live up to my expectations. It does have some good bits though. Touring car racing is back, and so is Endurance racing. It also has Open Wheel, Tuner, and Street racing disciplines, and thus it caters to racers of every type, so that's good. It has a well sorted, and consistent handling model which makes it a treat to play. Driving the cars feels very special, and exciting, as the smallest of mistakes will punish you. The aggressive AI will make you drive to the limit to try and win and will make you a better driver. It also has a great set of tracks, with Codemasters raiding its F1 toolbox. Generally the racing is quite tight and exciting, and its very edge-of-the-seat stuff, so thats all GOOD. But the BAD is quite a lot. The penalty system is a joke, the cockpit view is a joke, the collection of cars and championships is also pretty shoddy, and the narrative is downright boring. Codemasters can do so much better, and that is what really irritates me. There was so much potential. This could've been the game. The silver bullet. Possibly even the golden bullet. But no. It's the bronze bullet. TOCA Race Driver getting the golden bullet, and Race Driver: Grid getting the silver bullet. But you still have to get this game. The touring car racing action is off the hook. Really quite addicting good. Also, its not like you have any other option, so you have to get this game. 2ff7e9595c
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