Racing games are known for their high-octane, high-energy nature. They are far removed from reality which makes them enjoyable for many players. The genre's popularity is largely due to how accessible they are; these games are easy to master for all sorts of people and have linear learning curves, which makes them fun and rewarding for players.
However, not many players play racing games for the story or world building. When a racing game has a compelling narrative, it catches players by surprise and makes the game much more enjoyable. On top of that, players can directly put themselves into the shoes of those characters, which in turn allows players to feel like they are a part of the world they are in. These racing games do just that. Their lore and stories make players eager to keep coming back.
5 Driver: San Francisco
This title doesn't fully lean into the racing side of gameplay, but is instead focused on the story it's trying to convey. Driver: San Francisco feels like playing through a TV movie, so players will get the feel of a very different type of racing game in general. Driver: San Francisco puts players in the role of John Tanner, an FBI agent out to get Charles Jericho, who has held the city for ransom by creating a chemical bomb. Players will get a real rush when driving through San Francisco in this high energy story.
On top of that, Driver: San Francisco employs a mechanic called shift, which also plays into the story. Tanner "dies" in a car crash and has an out-of-body experience, which puts him in a different spot and allows him to take control of a different person in the game. While this mechanic would seem to distract players, it actually works well. As Tanner talks to another character, players can shift him into a different car with better specs, and the conversation will continue. This way, players can be more strategic in how they play the game.
4 Need For Speed: Heat
The Need For Speed games is not typically known for their stories, so when one has a story, players are in for a welcome surprise. Need For Speed: Heat does that quite well. It's not the worst nor the bestNeed For Speed game, but players still will have a good time getting through the story. The game has all the tropes of a Need For Speed game: police chases, a lot of customization, and an open world.
The is a lot like other Need For Speed games: the main character gets defrauded by a corrupt police force with a captain that is out to get the player and their friends. The story itself mostly about the player rebuilding their status before their car was taken away, so in order to do that, players need to race and do other activities to get their name out there. This concept gives players a feeling of accomplishment as they connect with the story.
3 Jak X
This racing game turns everything up to eleven, which makes fun to play not just alone, but also with friends. Back in the days of the PS2, there was a constant competition between the two poster boys of the console. The Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter series both made amazing games, and helped the PS2 become one of the most iconic consoles to date. Jak X is one of the best racing games on the PS2. It's a combat racing game, which means players can undercut their opponents. This makes every race super exciting, because anything can happen.
The story fits right in with the Jak and Daxter lore neatly. The Barron from Jak 2 tricks the character into doing a race by drinking fluid with poison, and the only way they can get the antidote is to win the races. Jak X offers something for everyone: a great story, and great racing mechanics. All these things have made fans clamor for the Jak and Daxter series to come back, and rightfully so.These games allow players to emotionally connect with the story, not to mention they're great racing games.
2 Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
The Need For Speed series has been around long enough to inspire remasters or reboots of entries in the series. Some are great, and others not so much, but regardless, the reboots allow a new player base to discover the games on new systems. Need For Speed: Most Wanted, more specifically the 2005 version, has probably one of the best stories in the Need For Speed series. It's a good reason why fans want that version remastered the most.
Unlike Need For Speed: Heat, which has players exposing the corruption of the police force, Need For Speed: Most Wanted tells a story of getting revenge and hurting the task force's efforts to get rid of illegal street racing. Much like in other Need For Speed games, players move up a rank called the Blacklist. The higher this ranking, the more notoriety the player will have. As players rank up, police and other racers will act much differently. This gives players a feel that they have an effect on the world, a mechanic that Need For Speed games do well.
1 The Crew
This massive open-world car racing game has an interesting take on racing game stories. This has been done before, but The Crew brings its own flavor to the trope. Players assume the role of criminal, but rather than escaping, they begin working undercover for the police and have to track down rival gang members in as part of a deal with the cops. While The Crew 2 built upon and made the series better, The Crew created a good story that was manageable and simple. It allowed players to travel across the continental US to complete missions, increasing the scope of the game and making it more interesting to play.
While The Crew was met with lukewarm results, players who followed the story found it deep and interesting. Unlike other racing games, players question the morality of what they're doing. That aspect takes the story in a direction most didn't anticipate, making the narrative more interesting to play overall.