It’s rare that you find a racing game nowadays besides the mainstream NFS series that has a genuine story or career mode with a fleshed-out narrative.
From owning several Hot Wheels models to having akeen eye for customizationand even adoring the Fast and Furious movies, I grew up admiring race cars and media related to them.
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You’d be surprised how much I adored racing games across the various consoles—well, mostly the PS2. Today, I’ll be listing my favorite picks for the best racing games with a clear-cut story mode, with some minor exceptions in the mix.
The Grown Up’s Mario Kart
To this day,Bluris still one of the best arcade racing games with a creative twist as it incorporates Mario Kart-esque powerups into the gameplay fundamentals.
I was surprised to see how much of a hidden gem racing game it was, considering my friends in high school and I used to play this every single week at my house.
As for the story mode, it’s your standard career mode, but what makes it so appealing to be on this list is how you’re pitted with different challenges and duels against bosses.
It’s not the most story-heavy racing game on this list, but for what it’s worth, it’s executed with simplicity and fun in mind for the audiences.
9Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition
One Of Rockstar’s Forgotten IPs
Midnight Club 3is so special to me, with a soundtrack that embraces the Hip Hop genre on an equal scale to NFS Underground 2.
Its main story mode involves you going after various street racers and their notorious gangs across different cities. You build a reputation by winning various events and eventually challenge the upper brass of the food chain.
It sounds familiar to a lot of other famousstreet racing games' story modes, but trust me, before the Crew games from Ubisoft, this game had it all, from Sports Bikes, Choppers, and even Hummers.
It keeps the racing aspect of this game fresh, and by the end of your tenure, you’ll be racing to crown yourself as the new champion of the U.S. series.
8Driver: San Francisco
High-Octane And Adrenaline-Fueled
Driver: San Francisco
Let me be clear:Driver: San Franciscoisn’t your traditional racing game. But there’s still an inherent racing game feel here, and the writing itself is great enough to warrant its placement here.
It’s a direct sequel to Driver 3 as you pick things back up with FBI Agent John Tanner chasing after the criminal mastermind, Charles Jericho.
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The whole storytelling bit is a mix of a gritty cop story and high-stakes action sequences. Plus, with a hot-headed protagonist like John and some clever jokes, it adds a solid contrast to the grittiness of the action.
Pair that with brilliantly implemented mechanics such as ‘Shift,’ allowing you to freely switch between cars during missions and decent driving gameplay, and you got yourself a solid action driving title.
7Need For Speed: The Run
One Last Ride From Black Box
Need for Speed: The Run
NFS: The Runwas Black Box’s final release before the studio’s inevitable closure.
It’s similar to NFS Undercover in that both have traditional racing game elements, but the blockbuster drama elements dominate their main stories.
The single-player campaign lets you play notorious street racer Jake Rourke, who’s on the run (the writing’s just as cheesy as this pun, don’t worry) from the mob and tries to win several cross-city racing events to pay off his debt.
Thankfully, it’s not a full-blown action flick like Driver San Francisco, but the game balances the story and racing stuff well, even though a few races turn into mission-like chases with different objectives.
Although I despise the QTE stuff when you’re on foot as Jake, the writing is more entertaining than you’d think. It’s dumb at times, sure, but quite enjoyable if you treat it as a B-grade movie.
A Professional In The Making
Codemasters
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date
July 04, 2025
F1 racing is one of the most prestigious sports out there, and with a sim racing title likeF1 2021, you can experience an illustrious career as a formula car driver with the ‘Braking Point’ mode.
And you’d be surprised by the quality of the narrative here. You play as Aiden Jackson, slowly rising from the junior league to the championships for a chance with dream teams like Mercedes or Ferrari.
The best part is that several back-and-forth moments between the characters and rivals add actual stakes and emotional highs to Aiden’s rise from rock bottom.
It’s not your typical career mode in a simulation racing game because, by the end of it, you’ll realize just how much of an arduous journey it is for us to arrive in the big leagues.
5Pixar’s Cars
Nostalgia Overload
Disney-Pixar Cars
A game that I was extremely fond of both as a racing and Disney fan. Obvious by the name, Cars is based on the animated movie byPixarand was one of the various movie tie-in games back during its time.
While it’s not a direct adaptation of the first movie, the Cars video game lets you experience a brand-new adventure as Lightning Mcqueen as he competes in a fresh season for the Piston Cups.
What makes this game’s story so memorable is the light-hearted themes and Lightning’s interactions with everyone from the main cast.
From various types of race events and minigames available across three open-world maps, it makes for an enjoyable ride as you explore this new and laid-back journey for Mcqueen.
4Racing Lagoon
A Criminally Underrated Gem
Squaresoft
PlayStation 1
June 06, 2025 (Japan)
Is this your first time hearing about this game? Understandable. In an era where Squaresoft (NowSquare Enix) rapidly produced ground-breaking titles,Racing Lagoon was one that sparked a unique identitywith its RPG racing elements.
Regarding storytelling, it’s a game that personifies the crazed 90s culture of Japan’s street racing. You play as the titular Sho Akasaki, part of the Bay Racing League team in Yokohama.
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From uncovering Sho’s past and the urban myth of the “Fastest Legend” from a decade ago, it keeps you hooked on the overall narrative despite the bizarre and comical theme of the game.
Unfortunately, while the game never received an official localization, there’s a fan patch available that faithfully translates the “Lagoon-go” lingo of the game. So you can download and play that version with ease.
3Need For Speed: Heat
A Modern NFS Done Right
Need for Speed: Heat
NFS Heatfelt like the ideal return to the series' roots, albeit with issues that made it far from perfect. Its emphasis on street racing and, most importantly, the return of cop chases made it a welcoming title for hardcore fans.
The story takes place in Palm City as you set your sights on dominating the SpeedHunters' Showdown Exhibition. It’s also here where you get introduced to the Rivera siblings and Lt. Frank Mercer.
Frank and his High-Speed Task Force stop at nothing to neutralize you and other racers. But as the story unfolds, you soon learn Mercer’s corruption as you and the Rivera siblings, along with the major city crews, try to take him down.
The voice acting and pacing for this game are surprisingly great, even though some parts feel slightly generic. Plus, the gameplay progression’s day-and-night cycle keeps things engaging as you gain rep and cash to partake in bigger races.
2Need For Speed: Carbon
It All Gets Settled In The Canyon
Need For Speed: Carbon
Although it isn’t as iconic as the number one entry, NFS: Carbon is another childhood classic of mine that had everything to be a great NFS title with Black Box Studios at the helm.
Distinctive highlights of Carbon are the characters and nighttime setting, albeit the short narrative. Slowly piecing together the hazy events of the past for the twist, ultimately revealing that Darius set you up never gets old.
With different crews in control of Palmont City, it’s up to us to claim the territories back with enough rep to go after Darrius and his Stacked Crew to end things once and for all.
Plus, with a crew of your own, you also get to meet several ally characters that add comic relief and further exposition to the noir storytelling aspect of Carbon.
1Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
Eradicate The Blacklist
The original NFS Most Wanted is undoubtedly one of thegreatest racing games of all time. Its loyal fanbase cherishes it even after several years of newer titles in the series.
Most Wanted ‘05 was Black Box’s magnum opus, with memorable features from the legendary soundtrack, grounded racing mechanics, and challenging police pursuits.
The cherry on top? An unforgettable story with the player challenging the fabled Blacklist racers, climbing the notoriety ladder, and claiming back the BMW M3 GTR from Razor.
It’s a narrative that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the production quality takes advantage of the comical yet entertaining writing of the early Fast and Furious movies.
With such a gritty and bleak style and tone, it’s a game that defines the best of my childhood and perfectly captures the 2000s era of video games for me.
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