Highlights

• Racing games on the Nintendo Switch offer unique challenges and gameplay experiences, catering to both classic and modern gaming preferences.
• From survival racing in Snowrunner to motorcycle gang warfare in Road Redemption, the Switch has a diverse selection of racing titles to enjoy.
• Whether you prefer intense arcade chaos in Cruisn' Blast or realistic simulations in Grid Autosport, the Switch has a racing game for every player.

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.

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 February 3, 2024, be Branden Lizardi: Still not had enough high speed action on your Nintendo Switch? Do you continue to crave the rush of a time trial? Do you want nothing more than a finish line and a clear path? So do we. That's why we continue to scour every corner for new racing games on the Nintendo Switch, searching for the best one. Some are slow and tretcherous, with the track being your greatest enemy. Others are open roads full of rival drivers, pitting you against numerous vehicular foes. To ensure that you don't miss out on anything, we've updated this list to include new entries.

25 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, tretcherous 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 trememndously immersive and unique take on the racing genre that anyone looking for a slower paced challenge will enjoy.

24 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.

23 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.

22 Lonely Mountain: 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 hapazard track, through trees, past rocks, 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 it's core, Lonely Mountain: 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 excell at 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.

21 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.

20 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.

19 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.

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.

18 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.

17 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.

16 Cruisn' 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.

15 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 One Racer

Re-enact Star Wars Pod Racing

The surprising thing about Star Wars Episode One 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.

13 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.

12 Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

Blend Fiction And Reality

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.

11 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.

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.

10 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.

9 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.

8 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.

7 Trials Rising

Master Stability Over Speed

To describe Trials Rising in one word is impossible. Like all the games in the Trials series, this 2.5D racing puzzle platformer is one of the most unique takes on the racing genre. Trials Rising does not take place along a 3D space. Instead, it's a side-scrolling platformer of sorts, where you're more focused on not falling over than anything.

You control your torque and whether you lean forward or backward. Using this, you have to ride your motorbike over strange objects and over tremendously dangerous environments. Throw in some multiplayer functionality, and all of this combines to make for both the slowest and most intense racing experience you can get. It may not be the type of game that comes to mind when you think "racing," but it should be.

6 Grid Autosport

A Masterclass In Realistic Racing

Grid Autosport comes in and steals the top spot on the podium for realistic racing games on the Switch. Not only does it feature a wide variety of racetracks and cars, but they all look about as realistic as the Switch can handle without exploding.

Grid Autosport is going for a more simulation-like experience, but there is a wide range of options to customize the difficulty and controls for your vehicle. Best of all, the game includes local and online multiplayer, something that every racing game worth its salt needs.