Codemasters has been around for a very long time. A “very long time” is relative, so here’s some evidence of their venerable status. The founders, Richard and David Darling, got their start using computers that used punch-cards. Their first games were made using a Commodore Pet, and then later a VIC-20. Codemasters is known mainly for their racing/driving games; a type of game they have been perfecting since the company was founded in 1986. Many of their more successful early games were far more popular in the U.K. and Europe – games like Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure and BMX Simulator. This is mainly because the computers they were developing their early games for, such as the ZX Spectrum, had larger owner bases across the pond.
10 Overlord II – 79 Rating, 8.1 User Score
Overlord II was developed by Triumph Studios and published by Codemasters in 2009; it was available for the Xbox 360, PC, and the PS3. In Overlord II the player controls the titular Overlord across the game-maps while collecting minions. These minions can be used for a variety of tasks; like attacking enemies and healing allies.
The gameplay is expanded over the original by including mounts for your minions and the use of siege machines. Not many reviews shower the game with praise in any particular area (like graphics or sound), but most of them say Overlord II is well worth the money.
9 Overlord – 81 Rating, 8.0 User Score
Overlord was released in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and PC; the PS3 version was released a year later and included the Raising Hell expansion. Most reviews for Overlord II state it is the better of the two games (because it is), yet the original has a higher score on Metacritic. This is likely due to the sequel not setting itself apart enough to overcome the original. The game plays like the sequel without the new features mentioned in the Overlord II entry. The game was advertised as a game where the player controls the “bad guy”, but the Overlord’s motivations are left up to the player.
8 Grid 2 – 82 Rating, 6.6 User Score
As stated earlier, Codemasters has nearly perfected the racing game. Taking this into account it is not surprising to see reviews for this game that claim it is one of the better racing games of the last console generation. The only racing games that are widely regarded as better are the games in the Forza and Gran Turismo series. Grid 2, released in 2013, offers a lot of added features not found in most racing games, like the ability to earn a larger fanbase by doing well in races. Critics and users both praised the game’s graphics and damage modelling for the cars.
7 TOCA Race Driver 2: The Ultimate Racing Simulator – 83 Rating, 8.3 User Score
TOCA Race Drive 2 was released in 2004 for the PS2 and PC. The TOCA series dates back to 1997 and is still going - the last game in the series was released in 2019. Race Driver 2 featured numerous play-modes, including a career mode and hardcore sim mode.
The game also features numerous forms of racing as well; there are Supertruck and Rally tracks in addition to the more conventional street racing. Having been released later in the life of the PS2 the graphics are superb. Many reviews state the graphics are as impressive as those in the Gran Turismo series.
6 Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis – 85 Rating, 8.7 User Score
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis is a combat simulator for the PC developed by Bohemia Interactive Studio and released in 2001. The plot revolves around an alternate timeline set near the end of the Cold War in 1985. The Soviet Union has asked NATO to intervene in a conflict it has gotten itself into, and the player plays the role of a private in this simulation. The game features a wide variety of vehicles and weapons, all of which are usable by the player. This game was so realistic the Marine Corp considered using it for training purposes and it won awards for its well coded A.I.
5 DiRT Rally – 86 Rating, 8.6 User Score
The DiRT series began as the Colin Mcrae series of racing games back 1998. Then for a while it was Colin Mcrae: DiRT for a couple of games before simply being titled DiRT in 2011 – this was actually the third DiRT game (and there would be one more Colin Mcrae game in 2013). Dirt Rally was released in 2014 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. As the title suggests, the DiRT franchise focuses on rally simulation; and it is one of the more realistic racing games available in terms of physics – seriously, those wishing for a more arcade style racing game might be put-off by this game's realism.
4 Grid – 87 Rating, 8.0 User Score
Grid was released in 2008 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. This game was meant to return racing games back to their roots. This game wasn’t about collecting cars like the Gran Turismo and Forza games; Grid focused on the racing action in lieu of such novelties. This focus made Grid one of the best pure racing games of the last console generation.
The game features numerous licensed tracks from all over the world and the expected level of realistic physics that Codemasters is famous for. In over ten years of critics and users leaving reviews for Grid it only has one negative review on Metacritic.
3 Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0 – 90 Rating, 8.3 User Score
This game was released way back in the year 2000 for the PlayStation and PC. There are many reviews, from both critics and users, that state this is the best racing game for the PlayStation. The graphics are good enough to almost be mistaken for a PS2 game; however, the somewhat short draw distance betrays the game’s age. There are some minor complaints though. For one, the tracks are a bit too short for rally tracks. Many reviewers also complained that too much of the content needed to be unlocked. This game can be picked up cheap nowadays and can be played on a PS3 (nearly all PSX games can be played on the PS3).
2 F1 2017 – 89 Rating, 7.4 User Score
F1 2017 is a re-creation of the 2017 season of the Formula 1 tournament; including all the tracks and most of the drivers and teams from that season. The F1 series from Codemasters have been the premier F1 simulator games since it began in 2009, and the 2017 edition was the first to be used in eSports competitions. There are many game modes to choose from – including a ten year career mode. If it wasn’t for the heads-up display it would be hard to distinguish screenshots from actual footage of an F1 race. Many reviews claim this to be the best looking racing game available.
1 DiRT 2 – 89 Rating, 8.2 User Score
According to the critics (and most users) DiRT 2 is the best racing game Codemasters has produced to date. Considering that they almost exclusively produce racing games this is saying something. DiRT 2 was released in 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Most reviews claim this game is nearly perfect; with the only major complaint being the physics have a bit of an arcade feel to them. For the casual player of racing games this isn’t a negative, but fans of the series have gotten used to the hyper-realistic physics of the previous DiRT/Colin McRae games.