Sim racing games can quite quickly add up to a substantial sum if you want them all, but you do not necessariyl have to spend much to go racing. Here are Emily's top picks for best sim racing games under $20 on Steam.
Our favorite hobby can be pretty expensive, particularly on the hardware side. But even sim racing software can quickly drain your wallet considering subscription models and DLC, or just higher base game prices for newer titles.
That being said, there are plenty of great alternatives out there that can get you out on the virtual track even on a budget. In fact, our list of best sim racing games under $20 on Steam features no less than 14 entries, including some games you might have missed, and at least one that you should probably own already.
We only included full games under $20, which means that iRacing and RaceRoom are not part of the list. iRacing's monthly subscription costs $15, and RaceRoom is free to play entirely with a bunch of base content. If you want to add more like the recently released BMW Pack, you do need to purchase it, though.
Image: Codemasters
DiRT Rally 2.0
Let’s start with DiRT Rally 2.0. This is arguably the best rally sim out there along with EA Sports WRC, and of course Richard Burns Rally. It features great physics, so if you have a wheel, you will probably love it. DR 2.0 features some modern cars, but also various others like Minis, Subarus, Group B rockets, and more.There are over 120 stages, and they are all well-made. The New Zealand stages are super flowing, and there is good variety between the locations. If you want a challenge, jump in the Ford RS200 and fire up the Scottish or Welsh stages in the rain at night. It is truly terrifying, especially in VR.
A fantastic simracing game, and an absolute steal for under $20.
Image: KT Racing / Nacon
TT Isle of Man: Ride On The Edge
The OG Isle of Man game (that is not MANX TT Superbike), TT Isle Of Man: Ride On The Edge features the full Snaefell Mountain Course and a great number of superbike and supersport bikes.However, the track is the main star of this game. It has been recreated in amazing detail, and if you have never learned the TT track before, it is highly recommended to catch up on this - because it is an awesome track to learn.
The physics in this game are quite bad though - especially compared to the latest entry to the series, TT Isle of Man: Ride On The Edge 3 - where the bikes feel awesome. Here the bikes feel weird, but the track is all there and awesome, and for under $20, that is pretty good.
Image: SimBin
Race 07
Developed by SimBin, Race 07 simulates the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) from 2006 to 2007.It also has F3000, and some historic cars, Minis, Radicals, and more. Its physics are super fun, and it even works well with modern wheels.
Additionally, Race 07 comes with a track line-up that features some rather rare gems, such as Pau. Probably the best track in the game is Macau, as it is great fun to race this track, even in a game that is about 18 years old.
This and the developers basically evolved to RaceRoom later, so you can see a lot of the roots of that game in Race 07.
Image: Monster Games
Tony Stewart’s All American Racing
Fun fact: Tony Stewart's All American Racing is essentially the console-only World Of Outlaws Dirt Racing, but a few years older and on PC. Developed by Monster Games, it drives very similar to World of Outlaws, and features a number of the same graphics, tracks, and other elements.It handles extremely well and is fun to drive, manking it really rewarding trying to go faster.
Image: Milestone
MXGP 2
The official game for the real-life MXGP series, MXGP 2 features outdoor motocross racing. This game is pretty old by now, as it is based on the 2015 season, and it features 18 tracks and all the riders from the top series and MX2. A full career mode is included as well.I actually found MXGP2 really hard to control. The handling was way too sensitive and I kept crashing, but a number of players in the Steam reviews have found it much easier.
Meanwhile, you might be wondering about the newer MXGP game, which is also under $20 US. Why not just go with that? Well, it crashes on startup unless you disconnect your internet - so that is probably a pass for most.
That being said, MXGP 2 is a motocross racing game you can buy under $20, but it is also a bit rough around the edges.
Image: SimBin
GTR 2
Another SimBin title and one that most seasoned sim racers have either heard about or played themselves. GTR2 simulates the FIA GT Series 2003 and 2004 seasons - basically what Assetto Corsa Competizione is simulating, only 20 years ago.As a result, it features all sorts of awesome GT cars. A few examples include the Chrysler (or Dodge) Viper, Saleen S7R, Maserati MC12, or the Lister Storm, which we recently got to see up-close at Silverstone.
The main thing in this game that draws people in is the full simulation of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, inlcuding the accurate track layouts from both 2003 and 2004. This game features a full day night cycle, and the whole race is simulated.
For me, however, the main drawcard for this game is Enna Pergusa. The track was raced in the 2003 FIA GT season, but has hardly been in the spotlight outside of national series since - and I have seen it in basically zero games since GTR2.
It is nice to download this game every now and then and give it a run. It holds up really well, has great wheel support, has all the things you expect from a simracing game, and the physics is surprisingly good even today. It is really fun to throw around and feels like exactly what you expect it will.
To fix a long list of bugs and add some more modern-looking polish to the game, OverTake community member @GTR233 has uploaded the GTR2 16th Anniversary Patch, which is, in fact, the most-downloaded mod for the game in our download section. Be sure to grab all three parts!
Image: Funselektor
Absolute Drift
Absolute Drift is a top-down game made by Funselektor, who went on to create Art of Rally and Golden Lap, which is supposed to come out later this year. it is a super simple, almost minimalist drift game.The physics are actually way more difficult than you would expect, with the car having a surprising amount of weight to it. It takes a while to get into the swing of driving in this game, but once you do - it feels completely zen getting into the mood of drifting and completing challenges around the open world.
Image: KT Racing / Nacon
WRC 7
Developed by KT Racing, who used to have the WRC license before it switched hands recently Codemasters and EA Sports, WRC 7 is still being played by a surprising amount of people, considering its age.Most of the WRC games before this featured really open stages, a bit in the style of Colin McRae Rally. This was around the time the series really got good at creating tight and twisty realistic feeling stages. WRC 7 features 13 countries, 52 stages, and all the cars and drivers from the 2017 WRC season.
It handles fairly well, but the KT WRC games have some quirks, and I did manage to flip my car very quickly off some rocks. Otherwise, it is surprisingly good. However, the series' titles have always struggled to detect wheel settings, and this is no exception. I had a real struggle to get this working on my wheel, and the menus were really counterintuitive. It works fine on my controller, though, and is good for a realistic rally sim for WRC fans on a budget.
Image: Milestone
MotoGP 20
Based on the 2020 season, MotoGP 20 features all of the riders and tracks, as well as Moto2, Moto3, MotoE, and the Red Bull Rookies cup, where you can ride as a 15 year old Pedro Acosta where they had not even put his face in the game yet.The game also has a full historic mode with lots of older riders, some even going back all the way back to the days of 500cc racing. It is actually surprising how similar it looks to the full-price modern game MotoGP 24, but it feels very different to ride physics-wise, though.
Also, it is one of the last games to have Valentino Rossi in MotoGP, so that bit of nostalgia might beworth a bit, too.
Image: Electronic Arts
Need For Speed Most Wanted
Need For Speed Most Wanted is straight up probably my favourite of the modern NFS games, and it is definitely the most underrated. Developed by Criterion, it is the most Burnout-like game they have made in the Need For Speed series. It has takedowns, boost, and the game pauses to watch when you crash.NFS MW also has a great mix of driving. One of the last Need For Speed games to actually want you to stick to the road, before the more recent games encourage you to just drive everywhere, Forza Horizon-style.
It has a good selection of cars and a really interesting mechanic where instead of having your own garage and just buying cars through the game, you come across cars just sitting there when exploring the open world - and you can jump straight in them and get driving. It is so simple, but I found it had me driving so many different cars through the game.
The soundtrack is a banger as well, it has police chases, and unbelievably good style overall. The game is slick, not cringeworthy like other NFS games can be, and it is just a very cool game for its vibes. The cutscenes are amazing whenever you unlock a new car or enter a big event. People might be saying it is not a simulation, but it does simulate whatever this is very well.
Image: Brownmonster
Rush Rally 3
I played the demo of this - Rush Rally 3 is inspired by the old Colin McRae Rally games and features a really cute art style, as well as rally cars obviously inspired by real-world cars. The physics are fun, but not anything super crazy. If you are missing old-style rally games, Rush Rally 3 might be worth a closer look for you.Image: 704Games / Motorsport Games
NASCAR Heat 5
NASCAR Heat 5 is a full NASCAR game, and it is the most modern one available if we discount NASCAR 21: Ignition that faced a number of game-breaking bugs on release.It may be a little out of date now with the Gen 6 cars phased out in 2021 still being in use in the game , but it is still still a heap of fun. It has a good balance of easy handling, and being playable on wheel or controller.
There is a full career mode that you can go through, and you can scale up the races as much as you want. Doing an 100% race in NASCAR Heat 5 with full strategy is quite fun.
The AI is normally pretty good, but sometimes a little crazy. I attempted a three-lap race at Road America that went on for 60 laps as we kept getting a crash on the first lap of a green white chequered. Otherwise, it is pretty fun, and honestly really good value for under $20.
Image: CarX Technologies
CarX Drift Racing Online
Of course, there are more racing games on Steam. CarX Drift Racing Online has received very positive reviews, with its base version available for less than $20 as well. It also has a very solid player base, with an average of about 2.000 players sliding around the dedicated drifting circuits in its plethora of cars.The vehicles can even be customized, and that does not just mean the cosmetics. Instead, CarX Drift Racing Online's car setups go relatively deep - not bad for a title that started out as a mobile game!
Image: Kunos Simulazioni
Assetto Corsa
Does this entry even need an introduction? Assetto Corsa is the modern simracing game for the variety driver. It is basically the 2024 version of what rFactor was in the late 2000s, and it features a great range of cars and tracks out of the box.The best thing about this game is how customisable it is, though. You can download countless free mods that can from JDM tuners, to classic sportscars, IndyCars, F1 racers, rally cars, Hyundai Excels, office furniture, touring cars, GT - everything.
And you can race so much stuff online! I have had nights with friends doing downhill drifting at Akina, or going to all the tracks we race in Australia and bashing supercars around them. I have Trial Mountain, I have Targa Florio, I even have Macau and the Isle of Man TT circuit which are tracks in other games on this list - Assetto Corsa can do it all.
One of the most popular servers in AC is the Shutoko, where hundreds of drivers log on just to cruise together through a 1:1 representation of the Tokyo highway network. This game has that and more, all the way up to the top level of esports. This is THE sim racing game for under $20 on Steam. And if you have not bought it yet, you will not regret adding it to your library now.
What are your favorite racing games under $20 on Steam? Let us know your picks on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
