The Nintendo Switch has been out for a while now, and it’s still one of the best gaming consoles, especially for playing while out and about. A staple genre in the video game realm is racing, and the Switch complements this genre perfectly with its ability to take games with you wherever you go.
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Whether you are in the middle of a race or you want to drive around for a while on the bus, racing games and the Nintendo Switch go together like cars and gasoline. At the same time, it may not have Forza or Beam.NG, but the Switch has a trove of classic and modern racing games to fuel your desires.
Updated on November 5, 2024, by Branden Lizardi: Wanting something to play during the holidays? Or did you get a Nintendo eShop gift card and want to know where to spend it? We can’t actually help with that, because we’ve updated this article to include a free-to-play title by Nintendo themselves! However, every game on the list is worth the market price, gift card or not.
1
F-Zero 99
The Most Appropriate Take On The 99 Style
Part of Nintendo’s ongoing ‘retro 99’ trend (classic Nintendo games given a 99-player battle royal format), F-Zero 99 pits a hundred racers together on one map. Given F-Zero’s damage system, where collisions chip away at the same health bar you use to boost with, this many racers means chaotic and exciting gameplay in a way only this series can provide.
While not exactly the game long-time F-Zero fans were hoping for, it’s still a fun modernization of the original SNES game that feels just as fun and far more convenient. It’s also free to play, so there’s no reason not to give it a try.
2
Hotshot Racing
True To Its Roots
While racing games have been around as far back as the early arcade days, the genre really saw its golden age in the 90s with games like Daytona, Outrun, and Cruisin’. They found this beautiful blend of outrageous circumstances and stylish art, all while bringing the tight controls to a more immersive level.
This is the magic that Hotshot Racing unapologetically emulates. It captures that same feeling of those classic racers, all in the modern quality and convenience of the Nintendo Switch. If you’re feeling nostalgic, this is the perfect racing game to pick up.
3
Snowrunner
A Survival Racing Game
There are plenty of racing games where the course is more of your enemy than other racers are, sure. But none of them are like this. The goal of Snowrunner is simple: drive from one place to another, often delivering cargo. The problem is that the landscape between point A and B is inconvenient at best, treacherous at worst. Thick pools of mud, iced-over lakes, snow, water, fallen trees. All the forces of nature come together to muck up your tires and clog your engine.
There’s an intelligence to racing. Normally, that’s knowing the proper speeds for turns or how to manage a drift. Here, it’s knowing all the different roadblocks you can encounter and how to use the best tools for the job. It’s a tremendously immersive and unique take on the racing genre that anyone looking for a slower paced challenge will enjoy.
4
Road Redemption
The Most Murderous Motorcycle Racing Game
This game isn’t afraid to get violent; it offers so much more than just racing. Developed by Pixel Dash Studios and EQ-Games, Road Redemption gives you a whole motorcycle gang that follows your lead as you chase and assassinate other motorcyclists, all for some sweet cash.
Of course, you’ll be somewhat of a target yourself, but Road Redemption’s roguelite mechanic sees you becoming stronger every time you die, since you’ll be able to upgrade your character and gear. It’s a fast-paced, gritty game that’ll channel a little of your sadistic side as you execute other motorcyclists (and the cops) in a variety of ways.
5
Horizon Chase Turbo
A Nostalgia Trip Without The Archaicness
Remember those crude 8-bit racers that tried to convince you that you were driving straight ahead in a 3D space? Most likely not, but either way — this indie arcade racer by AQUIRIS will likely blow your hair back with fun 80s nostalgia anyway. The game is a faithful homage to 2D racers of yesteryear while giving the aesthetic a modern polish of crisper, more vibrant visuals.
The flat, blocky visual style is something of a cover, as Horizon is loaded with content. Dozens of unique, rapid-fire stages, distinct cars, and even the underappreciated split-screen multiplayer round out this gripping racer. Oh, and in typical retro fashion, the AI racers can be shockingly brutal.
6
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
Man VS Nature
Not every race has to inherently be against a gang of other people, or even against CPU racers. In Lonely Mountain: Downhill, your only rival is the course itself. You’re a cyclist at the top of a mountain. Your goal is to race down the haphazard track, through trees, past rocks, and over ravines until you reach the finish line. You have to carefully manage your speed to avoid either crashing against something or speeding off of a cliff face.
At its core, Lonely Mountains: Downhill strikes all the same notes as a quality racing game. It takes practice and familiarity with the track to reach the goal at a record pace. You need quick reflexes and excellent observational skills to excel in this game. Performance is based on time instead of placement. So it’s a race against the clock. This allows for plenty of replayability as you get better and better at each mountain.
7
Grip: Combat Racing
Racing And Fighting In One Game
Grip: Combat Racing makes a great fit for Switch with its frantic, pick-up-and-play style and undiluted arcade gameplay. While a spiritual successor to the even lesser-known Rollcase, studio Caged Element makes this chaotic combat formula its own.
The game brings a satisfying array of weapons, power-ups, and double-sided vehicles that can ride 360 degrees and flip about. Grip offers solid multiplayer (online and four-player split-screen), which hosts intense, F-Zero-style Elimination races and a combat-centric Arena. What’s more — Grip can often be found heavily discounted, making this romp all the more worth the ride.
8
Nascar Rivals
A Taste Of Real Nascar Racing
While there are plenty of racing and driving games on Switch in some form, the deeper, more refined sims are still rare. Enter Nascar Rivals from Motorsport Games, a title that nicely fills a Switch niche. The game sets out to not only mirror pro auto racing but specifically emulate the 2022 Nascar Cup Series.
A slew of diverse content has been released out of the gate, with more promised down the pipeline. These include a deep career mode, a challenge mode, and a feature that connects you with random drivers in any track. On a technical level, the game does what it can with the Switch’s (relatively) limited hardware, though it plays fairly smoothly and looks great to boot.
9
Fast RMX
Your Lights Matter Here
Those looking for an F-Zero replacement on Switch: look no further, as this launch game by Shin’en Multimedia is still about as close as you’ll get. Though Fast RMX isn’t going to blow past Captain Falcon and company, this futuristic racer tosses in a few neat features that make it stand out on its merit.
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The game features subtle-yet-effective color-switching mechanics used on the fly. You’ll need to flip the color of your car’s lights to utilize the corresponding strip on the track for boosting. Added to this are some impressive particle and lighting effects, along with split-screen and online multiplayer.
10
The Next Penelope
A Vividly Colorful Racing Experience
When most people think of racing games these days, something like The Next Penelope probably isn’t likely to be the first thing that comes to mind. The game is a top-down racer and is highly stylized with vibrant colors and a retro feel.
Don’t go thinking this game is all style over substance, though, as it has plenty of surprises in store. The racer also mixes in some shooter mechanics to make for a shockingly fun and varied arcade-style racer. Anyone who longs for old-school racers will probably want to check this title out.
11
Inertial Drift
A Mix Of Past And Future Aesthetics
If you love your games to ooze old-school vibes, then you’ll probably find yourself drawn toward Inertial Drift, a fantastic arcade racer with some fun mechanics surrounding (you guessed it) drifting. Even better, it can be great for beginners, too.
With plenty of cars and tracks to choose from, you’ll be able to race through the game by yourself or up against your friends in multiplayer. If you want a racing game that is challengingly distinct yet also somewhat familiar, give Inertial Drift a shot. The best part is, the game is often discounted on the Switch shop, and it’s already not as expensive as many other games in the same genre.
12
Cruis’n Blast
Intense In Both Visuals And Gameplay
One of the most overlooked racers on Switch, Raw Thrill’s port of the 2017 arcade game fits the hybrid console like a glove. The game exudes charming arcade chaos with its eccentric themes, 90s flair, and frantic speeds throughout. Cruisn’ Blast manages to be quite accessible while still hitting you with intense, edge-of-your-seat moments.
You’ll zip through various vibrant tracks in several colorful cars, scrambling to extend your time limit while racing head-to-head. You can also get an edge by upgrading your vehicle, bringing a bit more depth to the Cruis’n experience.
13
Team Sonic Racing
Go As Fast As Sonic
Kart racing games are a classic way for games that are traditionally from other genres to effectively mix things up. The classic example is Mario Kart, but Sonic has had several racing games over the years both in karts, on foot, and on hoverboards.
Of course, Sonic is the perfect subject for a racing game, given his speed, and Team Sonic Racing is a great example of this. While it shares a number of things in common with Mario Kart, Team Sonic Racing has enough unique content to be enjoyable to both kids and adults.
14
Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
Re-enact Star Wars Pod Racing
The surprising thing about Star Wars Episode 1: Racer is that it stands up against many of Switch’s other arcade-style racers despite being over 20 years old. It doesn’t even have cars in it; instead, you race with pods like in the film. Despite it all, this game lives up to its legacy and then some.
This is not a remaster, though there are some quality-of-life improvements like motion controls. That means that even though the gameplay is solid, some things clearly show its age, like the somewhat loose controls, the compressed music, and especially the N64-era graphics.
15
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Deceptively Challenging
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a perfect example of a remastered game done right, even if it is still a bit of a weird game. It has everything you could want out of a remake, like modern graphics, tighter controls, and even online multiplayer, while respecting the vision of the original game.
While it also shares several things from the Mario Kart formula, CTR Nitro-Fueled has a few key differences that make the experience new. The best way to describe it would be that it is more of a competitive game requiring more skill, whereas Mario Kart is more of a party game about chance.
16
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Blend Fiction And Reality
- Platform(s)
-
Switch
- Released
-
October 16, 2020
- Developer(s)
-
Velan Studios
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
- Multiplayer
-
Online Multiplayer
- Engine
-
viper
- ESRB
-
E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence
Admittedly, this game does require some additional work on your part to get it going, but it’s hard to deny just how much of a blast it can be. Rather than the usual Mario Kart experience, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is part-virtual-reality in which you build a racetrack of your own around the house, and race karts around it.
The actual game app is typically free to download, but the rest of the gear required to play the game must be purchased separately. Still, it’s no surprise that anyone who picked the game up and let their imagination run wild had a ton of fun with this game.
17
Asphalt 9: Legends
A Worthwhile Free-To-Play Game
There is a phenomenon on the Nintendo Switch in which mobile games are ported over. Most of these games are better played on your phone, but Asphalt 9: Legends is a fully-fledged game and is worth downloading on the console.
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Not only does it have realistic graphics, but there is online multiplayer, a huge selection of cars and tracks, and, best of all, a comprehensive career mode to play through. Scratch that; the best part is that it’s 100 percent free to play.
18
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Ever Wondered What It’s Like To Be In A Hot Wheels Car?
Hot Wheels is the ideal toy to make into a video game, and Hot Wheels Unleashed proves this. Rather than trying to make Hot Wheels into a realistic racing game, Hot Wheels Unleashed stresses accessible, arcade-style driving and gives you a look into the toy’s perspective.
The best part about Hot Wheels Unleashed is that it takes place on actual Hot Wheels tracks in houses that feel massive relative to the small size of the cars. You can even make your tracks and relive every child’s dream of getting in their favorite car and racing around the track they made in the backyard.
19
Art Of Rally
Beautiful Environments To Zoom Through
If you’d prefer a less stressful and more classically visually appealing racer, you will probably be a fan of Art Of Rally. The game looks simple on the surface, but it’s a blast of an experience whether playing through the campaign or just roaming around.
This is far from the greatest version of this game, but for those who only have a Switch, Art Of Rally is a great game to give a try. Go do some stylish races, unlock some cars, and make your way through the fun career experience, all for a price that is lower than many other titles.
20
Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered
Chase Or Flee To Win
There is one Need for Speed game that is unilaterally agreed upon as excellent. That game is Need For Speed Hot Pursuit, and you can play the remaster of this classic cops and robbers arcade racing game on the go with the Nintendo Switch port.
You can switch between being a cop or an illegal street racer whenever you want, meaning things never get stale. Add to this a competitive leaderboard where you’re encouraged to beat all your friends’ times, and this game has a ton of replay value.