Features

Top 10 best racing games for iPhone and iPad (2013)

Pedal down

Top 10 best racing games for iPhone and iPad (2013)
|
iOS
| Real Racing 3

It doesn't matter whether you're looking for a realistic Gran Turismo-style drive-'em-up, a fast-paced arcade racing game, or one of those top-down racers.

You'll find whatever you're looking for on the App Store. It's filled to the brim with all manner of Pocket Gamer Award-winning titles, you see.

Naturally, as self-appointed curators of Apple's digital store, we've compiled a list of our top ten favourite iPhone and iPad racing titles.

If you don't already own any of the below, be sure to add them to your collection immediately.

Real Racing 3

By Firemonkeys - download for iPhone and iPad

There was much consternation among mobile gamers and even journalists when EA announced that Real Racing 3 would be a free-to-play experience.

That didn't stop Firemonkeys's racer from being downloaded more times in its first week on the App Store than its two predecessors have been downloaded in the entire time they've been available for purchase.

Anyway. Real Racing 3 is the Gran Turismo of the iOS world.

It's packed to the rafters with officially licensed cars from Bentley and Mercedes-Benz, as well as a selection of real-world tracks.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

By Sumo Digital - buy for iPhone and iPad

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is essentially Mario Kart for your iPhone and iPad. It's fun; it's fast paced; and it's contains loads of colourful characters and power-ups.

Said characters are - as you may have already guessed - 'borrowed' from a variety of established Sega franchises.

You can play as AiAi from the Super Monkey Ball series and Beat from Jet Set Radio, for example. Oh, and B.D. Joe from the Crazy Taxi franchise.

VS. Racing 2

By Maciek Drejak Labs - buy for iPhone and iPad

This top-down arcade racer features a 127-race single-player mode. It also boasts several multiplayer modes in which you can compete against five of your buddies over wi-fi or three over Bluetooth.

The best of these modes is Elimination mode. Here, you can eliminate your opponents using oil slicks, mines, heat-seeking missiles, and other weapons.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted
By Firemonkeys - buy for iPhone and iPad

Need for Speed: Most Wanted isn't just about beating your friends, enemies, and frenemies to the finishing line.

It's also about dangerously weaving in and out of traffic; uncovering shortcuts; and taking big risks in order to outrun the fuzz who are hot on the tail of your supercharged sports car.

Along the way, you'll earn Speed Points. With these, you can compete on Origin-powered leaderboards with other Most Wanted players from around the world.

Carmageddon

By Stainless Games - buy for iPhone and iPad

Death Race 2000-inspired PC racer Carmageddon has led a controversial life. It was banned in some countries upon its release in 1997 due to its gory nature. It was merely censored in others.

Why?

Well, because you can collect bonuses, wreck opponents' cars, and flatten poor pensioners with your vehicle in order to extend your time limit during races.

Riptide GP 2
By Vector Unit - buy for iPhone and iPad

Riptide GP 2 is arguably the best water-based racer to hit the market since Wave Race 64 splashed onto Nintendo's GameCube successor back in 1996.

Like its predecessor, Riptide GP 2 features plenty of rocket-powered hydro jets and plenty of unique courses on which you can race them.

Unlike its predecessor, however, this sequel features a full-fledged multiplayer mode. How lovely.

DrawRace 2
By RedLynx - buy for iPhone and iPad

DrawRace 2 (and its award-winning prequel) aren't exactly what you'd deem 'traditional racers'.

You see, both feature a pretty unique mechanic that involves your using one of your stubby digits to draw the path you want your racer to take on your device's screen.

Sure, that may sound simple. But it isn't. The speed at which your vehicle takes corners and bends is determined by the speed at which you draw its course around the track.

Repulze
By Pixelbite Games - buy for iPhone and iPad

Repulze is somewhat of a WipEout clone.

In this game, you can jump into the cockpit of several futuristic spacecraft-like vehicles, for example.

Furthermore, the Pixelbite team issued a recent-ish update in which the studio introduced space-age weaponry like rocket batteries and powerful laser cannons into the game.

Reckless Racing 2

By Polarbit - buy for iPhone and iPad

Like most racers on this list, Reckless Racing 2 features an abundance of game modes.

There's a Career mode, in which you compete for new cars and the cash to purchase upgrades; an Arcade mode, which features no fewer than 40 challenges; and a Single Event mode in which you are pitted against other players.

If you're still looking for a challenge, though, you can visit the game's online leaderboards and download ghost car data.

Anthony Usher
Anthony Usher
Anthony is a Liverpool, UK-based writer who fell in love with gaming while playing Super Mario World on his SNES back in the early '90s. When he isn't busy grooming his beard, you can find him replaying Resident Evil or Final Fantasy VII for the umpteenth time. Aside from gaming, Anthony likes hiking, MMA, and pretending he’s a Viking.