Highlights
- V-Rally 3 and GT Advance 3: Pro Concept Racing are impressive 3D racing games on the GBA, despite hardware limitations.
- Colin McRae Rally 2.0 offers excellent gameplay and options, making it one of the best racing titles on the system.
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit remains the best GBA racing game, with a lengthy single-player campaign and enjoyable multiplayer races.
Once upon a time, Nintendo dominated the handheld gaming market with its Game Boy system series. This was long before smartphones began to take that market share away from dedicated gaming systems, and technology was much more barebones than it is today. Still, Nintendo's 32-bit Game Boy Advance managed to pull off an impressive game library, with dozens of games that are still considered classics to this day.
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However, not every genre was well represented on the system, mostly due to hardware limitations. One of these genres was racing. The system could only run some very basic 3D gameplay experiences, so adapting popular 3D racers was out of the question. That being said, there are still some good racing games to be found on GBA.
5 V-Rally 3
- Release date: 2002
V-Rally 3 is a port of the homonymous game released throughout 2002 and 2003 on sixth-generation consoles. Handheld ports were a huge red flag back in those days because GBA simply couldn't run advanced 3D graphics. However, V-Rally 3 is one of the rare examples of a good-looking 3D game on the system, and its visuals are really impressive for the hardware it's running on.
The game provides a fairly simple challenge in the single-player campaign, but it's a pleasure to play through thanks to responsive controls and interesting track design. V-Rally 3 can also be played in multiplayer, which makes the game an even more complete package.
4 GT Advance 3: Pro Concept Racing
- Release date: 2003
As the title suggests, GT Advance 3: Pro Concept Racing is the third entry in a series of racing games all released on GBA, and it's easily the best one of the bunch. The game's simple 3D graphics are not as good as what can be seen in V-Rally 3, but it makes up for that by providing the most accurate racing simulation on the system. The game also sports an impressive number of cars, 96, all of which can be customized by the player.
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While there are some other simulation-oriented racing games on GBA, GT Advance 3 is probably the only one that is worth giving a shot today. It's surely outdated by today's visual and gameplay standards, and its realism pales when compared to what games can do today, but it's still a nice time capsule from the early 2000s. The first two games in the series are also fair racing games, but they're nowhere as good as the third entry.
3 Colin McRae Rally 2.0
- Release date: 2002
Colin McRae Rally (today known as Dirt Rally) is undoubtedly one, if not the best, rally simulation series in gaming history. It should come as no surprise that Colin McRae 2.0, the only game in the series released on GBA (and it remains exclusive to the GBA), is also one of the best racing titles on the system. Visually, the game covers a middle ground between GT Advance 3 and V-Rally 3, running pretty decently for a 3D GBA racing game.
Where the game really shines is the gameplay. The car's feeling is probably one of the best on the system, and there are many options for racing, far more than in any of the competition's offerings. The game also has an option for single-cartridge multiplayer, which at the time was an incredibly easy way to play together with friends. While today, it will be hard to find other players willing to give Colin McRae Rally 2.0 on GBA a go, it's still a testament to the game's quality, and racing fans will surely have a great time with the single-player content.
2 Konami Crazy Racers
- Release date: 2001
Konami Crazy Racers is just another Mario Kart clone on the surface. And while that is not entirely false, the point is that Konami Crazy Racers is a good Mario Kart clone, and is a good arcade-style racing game all around. The game plays a lot like Mario Kart: Super Circuit specifically - eight players race along the available tracks, collecting coins and objects that can be used either for defense or for attacking opponents.
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The game features twelve characters, each with their statistics, such as speed, weight, and acceleration. The cast consists both of original and returning characters from some of the Konami franchises, such as Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, and Legend of the Mystical Ninja. While the game is not quite as good as Mario Kart: Super Circuit, it's definitely the closest GBA racing game in terms of quality, thanks to craftily designed tracks that are a blast to play alongside friends.
1 Mario Kart: Super Circuit
- Release date: 2001
Mario Kart: Super Circuit is easily the best racing game on GBA, and the only one that has aged quite well compared to all the others. This should come as no surprise, as this popular Nintendo franchise is famous for its consistent quality throughout every release so far. The game features a lengthy single-player campaign with four difficulty settings, plus multiplayer races and battles, which are arguably the best part of the game.
The game also features a cast of twelve characters and an impressive total of forty tracks, twenty of which are remade from the series' first episode, Super Mario Kart, and need to be unlocked by completing the base game. There may be better tracks in other games, but Mario Kart: Super Circuit is still a high-quality title and the best GBA racing game of all time.