2025 is proving to be a pretty special year for racing games. We’ve had some new Early Access bangers in the form of Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Assetto Corsa Evo and Wreckfest 2. Le Mans Ultimate is now available in its full form, and Project Motor Racing has piqued our nostalgia for early ’00s GT.
That’s ignoring all the great existing current stuff, like Gran Turismo 7, Forza Horizon 5, the ever-present iRacing… so on and so forth. Yet, they all have one thing in common – they’re going to cost you money.
What if you want something free to play, though? Well, there are some pretty fun options out there, ranging from arcade-focused stuff to more serious sim racers, and a few left-field games out there, too. We’ve picked out 10 you should try.
1. CarX Drift Racing 2
Mobile racing games can often be one-dimensional, usually with side-scrolling button tapping or strategy games masquerading as a racing game. However, CarX Drift Racing 2 is a bona fide drifting simulator and quite a good one at that.
Cars aren’t licensed (though it doesn’t take an expert to tell what they’re mimicking,) but the handling is convincing. There’s a paid-for console and PC version too, though the mobile game isn’t that far from as polished – and supports Bluetooth controllers.
The game is also continuously supported with waves of new content, including fresh cars and tracks. You can put it down for a while and return to a fresh wave of stuff to play, which is a nice delight.
Get CarX Drift Racing 2 on Google Play or the App Store
2. Trackmania
Trackmania has a special place in our hearts. The old-school among us may remember Nations Forever as the go-to, free-to-play choice for an arcadey time trial fix.
Well, reminisce no longer, as the newest Trackmania is essentially a remastered and upgraded version of our beloved. It captures the spirit of the original, but with better graphics and more platforms to play on (as well as PC, it’s on Xbox and PlayStation).
Get Trackmania here
3. RaceRoom Racing Experience
RaceRoom is free to play at the point of entry, though we’ll say it now, you’ll have to pay for access to the vast majority of content. Unless you’re reading this before 18 August 2025, with all of its content free to access until that date.
That said, as a way to dip your toes into sim racing without committing any money to it, it’s a good place to start – with excellent driving physics and year-round competitive multiplayer events. Think of it as a bit like iRacing without the subscription cost.
Get RaceRoom Racing Experience here.
4. Top Drives
The best driving games sometimes don’t involve driving at all. If you’ve ever played a game of Top Trumps and enjoyed it, then Top Drives is likely up your street. Better still, you only need a reasonably modern smartphone to play it too.
Effectively, you build a hand of cars as you would cards, and go head-to-head to out-stat your opponent. Rather than simply relying on the numbers to win though, you do get to watch the action play out in an animated top-down view.
All the cars in the game are licensed and range from everyday commuter appliances to exotic supercars. There’s even a Skoda 422 buried in there, somewhere.
Get Hutch Top Drives on Google Play Store and the App Store.
5. Extreme Off-Road Cars 2
With nine off-road trails to compete on and five cars that you can choose from, Extreme Off-Road Cars 2 presents a true test of your technical driving abilities and invokes creative manoeuvres.
It’s played directly from your browser, so you can pretend you’re working on Teams while quietly playing. From there, feel free to begin your ascent to the summit of a set of very questionable hills.
Play Extreme Off-Road Cars 2 here.
6. Fortnite Rocket Racing
Fortnite Rocket Racing
Fortnite has changed a lot since you last played it. Once a zombie survival game-turned-battle royale microtransaction wallet ransack fest, the ‘game’ is now effectively a platform on which others are built. The microtransactions remain, though.
Among its abundance of modes is Rocket Racing, developed by Psyonix, the brains behind Rocket League. Mash the mechanics of the car football title combined with a Mario Kart-style racer, and you’re in the right ballpark. It’s good fun and better still, if you’re a Rokt Leeg regular, you can carry a load of cosmetics between both games.
It’s worth noting that themed updates for the game have been stopped by Epic Games, though, so don’t expect any new tracks to be added. Its content sharing with Rocket League means more cars should continue to arrive, however.
Download Fortnite here.
7. Asphalt Legends Unite
Asphalt games have been consistently among the best mobile racers out there, and Asphalt Legends Unite continues that trend. An updated version of Asphalt 9, the refreshed arcade-focused racer is a bit like a mix of Outrun mixed with Need For Speed, offering very drift-heavy racing and a variety of licensed and customisable cars.
It’s free-to-play on mobile, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC, though it does come with the caveat of microtransactions laced through. That said, you don’t have to spend a penny to have fun with it.
Get Asphalt Legends Unite here
8. CSR 2
Drag racing games are among the most common forms of mobile racers, but none do it better than CSR 2. It’s packed with real-world cars, a variety of permanent and limited-time challenges plus even competitive online multiplayer. The gameplay is simple, just requiring you to time a launch and gear changes right, yet very addictive.
Get CSR 2 on Google Play or the App Store
9. Real Racing 3
Real Racing 3
If you’re looking for a taste of Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport on your mobile, Real Racing 3 is your best bet. Developed by EA, it’s a racer with a much heavier simulation focus than any mobile game has a right to be – plus the graphics are impressive too.
As well as using touchscreen controls, the game even supports Bluetooth controllers, and the physics are convincing. It’s a fun and accessible way into simulation racing, and all for free. Despite being a pretty ancient title, it continues to get new content too, including licensed F1 cars.
Get Real Racing on Google Play or the App Store
10. Live for Speed
Live for Speed is pretty old at this stage, first released in having first released in 2004. Yet, it’s still pretty fun – and has pretty low system requirements if you’re trying to run a game on a potato (we’ve all been there…)
As with many titles on this list, it’s ‘free’ at the point of entry with more content unlockable for a fee, but you can race on on a handful of track layout with three cars for no cost. Worth a crack, we think.
Get Live for Speed here
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