With motorsports exceptionally low down on the list of priorities right now, car enthusiasts are having to find another way to amuse themselves.
Sporting events have been cancelled and mass gatherings are not expected in the United Kingdom for some time, meaning everyone from racing fans to mechanics are looking for new and innovative ways to test themselves and get their racing fix. This article on How a Racer Copes with Being Housebound explains how the professionals are coping, but what about their pit teams, or even fans? The obvious option is via video games or simulators, with virtual racing currently very popular.
All levels of racing are catered for, one way or another, across the world of gaming. There are plenty of console games that offer a racing experience, whilst on mobile devices plenty of games have imagery and themes from motorsport at their core. The racing titles on Foxy Games include The Wild Chase and Neon Rush 7, which take key elements of the sport and transpose them to an online format for motor fans. For those looking for pure on-track action they can turn to the likes of the Asphalt Legends 9 app for non-stop racing action.
But what of those technical people though, those involved in setting up and tuning cars for races? Often, arcade-style games forgo that element of the sport for pure action, but if you want to involve yourself in fine-tuning your machines before taking to the track, which games allow you to develop your cars technology and tuning? We have picked some of the best for technical people looking for their racing fix.
iRacing
iRacing is widely regarded as the very summit of technical racing games. It has a subscription-based title that has been around since 2008, but for proper gear heads, this is the game to head to. The game simulates real-world cars, tracks, and racing events from a broad spectrum of classes and enforces rules of conduct modelled on real auto racing events. If you want a simulation like no other, this is where you need to be.
Car setup is a big part of iRacing and as you improve your driving skills, the little wins can be found in the tuning. If you are already a professional who understands the intricacies, then you will certainly get your tuning fix here.
Forza Horizon 4
The Forza series has taken a bit of a sabbatical of late, with far fewer players than when this title landed in 2018, but that does not mean it is not worth revisiting. It won Best Xbox Game at the 2018 Golden Joystick Awards and has everything a tuning expert could require from a game.
If you want a simple race then there is an auto-tune function, but if you want to get down and under the hood, virtually of course, then it offers the depth and impact you will love. Boasting over 670 different cars, the variation will keep you coming back again and again with that virtual spanner.
Gran Turismo 6
PlayStation LifeStyle, IGN and GameTrailers all had this PS4 exclusive down as their racing game of the year and if you are a PlayStation owner angry that Forza isn’t on your console, you’ll be delighted when you pick up this title. It has got a whopping 1,200 cars, as well as a track designer to keep you coming back again and again.
Those options only make the tinkering under the bonnet even more tantalising as you setup each car for the track they are about to compete on. The settings sheet might baffle a novice, but for a seasoned tuner, there is everything here to keep you going through the current situation and out the other side.
