Some could argue that in aracing game, the main character is the car the player drives, an idea that is more apparent in titles like Test Drive Unlimited. Which is why it would make sense if the player’s car is in pristine condition, comes with a long spec list that the driver can pore and obsess over and an in-game price tag to match. Because that’s what gives value to the car.
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Then there are the games that present vehicles as what they are, nothing more and nothing less. Yes, they are machines packing the power of a couple hundred of horses, but at the end of the day, they’re simply machines meant to be driven around. These games don’t shy away from sending cars airborne or plummet them straight into a 24-wheeler, just for the fun of it. And that’s exactly why they’re more fun.
8Split/Second
Blink and You’ll Miss the Explosion
Split/Second
An old title but by no means a bad one, Split/Second was released by Black Rock Studio in 2010. It’s anarcade-style racing gamewith, to nobody’s surprise, unlicensed cars, because Lamborghini and Ferrari wouldn’t want their pretty little Gallardos and Stardales to be anywhere near digital exploding tankers as that would ruin the brand image.
So the devs went with their own version of vehicles that they put through various different game modes, all of which involve high-speed driving with momentum-based drifting. There’s also something called “Power Plays” which lets players trigger large-scale environmental destruction, something that is rooted in the core of the game. Triggering these events is how players can destroy their opponent’s vehicles and gain an edge.
While there isn’t traditional vehicular damage, the inclusion of environmental damage more than makes up for it.
7Destruction Derby 2
You Can’t Spell “Finish Line” Without “Wreck”
Widely considered a classic of the destructive-racing genre, Destruction Derby came out back in 1996 on the PlayStation. This sequel expanded on the original in nearly every way, featuring jaw-dropping (for the time) destruction mechanics in events where destroying cars is encouraged.
Eventhe racingmodes revolved around causing vehicular carnage and staying alive long enough to cross the road. It was loose, fun, and completely opposite of titles like Gran Turismo, and fans loved it for that.
6Carmageddon: Max Damage
Drive Fast, Hit Cows, Win Points
Carmageddon: Max Damage
Often considered as a guilt pleasure, Carmageddon: Max Damage is a title that won no awards, didn’t make the headlines and couldn’t really grab a lot of gamer’s attention. Even the people who have played the game consider it an objectively poor entry in the series,yet they can’t stop playing it. It’s basically “The Room” of the destruction-based racing genre, in that it’s so bad that its good.
Released in 2016, Max Damage is the newest entry in the franchise, featuring an open-world ripe with vehicular combat, racing and, of course, destruction. It even allows players to run over pedestrians, and in some modes, that is the objective. That’s how dark the game is. The cars in the game have an overhauled damage-physics system that allows them to crumple, lose parts and even explode depending on how they’re hit. While not for everyone, the game has it’s audience, and who knows, once you play it, you might end up becoming the freshest supporter of it’s gorey and sadistic world.
5BeamNG.drive
Soft-Body Physics, Hard-Core Carnage
BeamNG.Drive
BeamNG.drive is still in the oven after 10 years. Released in early access back in 2015, this sandbox driving sim is all about realistic vehicle physics. There is no running over pedestrians and no demolition derby game modes; instead, players can pick from a wide range of vehicles of all shapes and size and put them through an obstacle course to see how well or poorly the automobile conforms to the shape of the obstacles.
The soft-body engine featured in this game is completely bonkers. Every part of a vehicle, from the engine to the drivertrain to the interior, can get detached from its host provided the conditions are adequate. People have made a living out of creating wacky crash scenarios for a bunch of vehicles and then uploading the videos of the crash simulation on YouTube. And trust me, these videos are addicting.
4Twisted Metal: Black
Not a Racing Game, but Every Car Is a Weapon
Twisted Metal: Black
Yet another old title makes it to this list, which proves that the destruction-racing genre has been on a decline in recent years. Twisted Metal: Black was released exclusively for PlayStation 2 one year after the console’s launch, and went on to become the darkest and most critically acclaimed entry in the franchise.
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It’s important to note that there isn’t any sort of racing involved in this game. Instead, the game modes are all about vehicularcombat indeathmatch-style arenas. Vehicles are equipped with machine guns, homing missiles, mines and unique special attacks. While the physics aren’t too realistice, they’re consistent. Plus, the game includes a dedicated story mode, something that nearly ever destruction-based racing/driving game out there lacks.
3FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage
Drivers are Optional. Crashing Is Not.
FlatOut is a name that nearly every fan of the racing genre has heard, for reasons both good and bad. FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage was released in 2007 as an enhanced version of FlatOut 2 on the Xbox 360 and PC. It mixes tradition racing with demolition derbies, mini-games and physcis-based stunt modes, featuring a vehicle damage-system to match. It also has a ragdoll driver that can be ejected from the windshield in some game modes.
Aggressive driving is encouraged in the game, especially in racing modes, with points for wrecking opponent vehicles and smashing environmental objects. And then there are Derby modes which are pure chaos: the last car standing wins in an arena full of twisted metal.
2Wreckfest
The Most Beautiful Wrecks in Gaming
A more recent entry at last, Wreckfest made its way onto gamer’s screens in 2018 thanks to Bugbear Entertainment, and acts as a spiritual successor to FlatOut. As is the case with nearly every game on this list, it combines realistic damage models with cars crashing into each other in game modes that encourage such behavior.
The damage system in Wreckfest also effects how the car handles. Loose a tire or damage the car’s suspension and it’ll show. Players can customize their cars both structurally and cosmetically, including reinforcement options that let their vehicles survive for a longer period of time in arenas. It’s one of the few games that combines racing and vehicle destruction, and actually manages to nail both of these aspects.
1Burnout 3: Takedown
Destruction as a Driving Philosophy
Burnout 3: Takedown
Developed by the once-legendary Criterion, a studio that knew only how to make fun and addicting destruction-based racing games, Burnout 3: Takedown is the pinnacle of this sub-genre of racing. It introduced the “Takedown” system that let players slam their vehicles into opponent’s cars to literally take them down and knock them out mid-race. Crashes are dramatic, in slow-motion and feature realistic crash physics, which made this game an insant fan-favorite.
There is also the infamous Crash Mode that lets players cause massive pileups at intersection for high scores. All of this, coupled with the bombastic sound design and action-focused camera angles of this game and you have a genre-defying title in your hands.
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