Whether it be to win fifty online races or 100% the career mode, achievement hunting in sim racing can be arduous yet rewarding work. Here are five of the best PC titles to chase that 100% achievement in.
Achievement hunting within racing games and sim titles is not as fiercely chased or followed as it is within single-player story titles or puzzle games. However, many sims and racing games offer their players various achievements to hunt with some being unbelievably difficult and time-consuming.
My lacklustre start to chasing achievements in EA Sports WRC and LMU.
Whether you are going for the 100% ribbon or just trying to get your money's worth from your purchase, there is a title for you that will extend your playtime and reward you with that satisfying chime and trophy that you have been working so hard for.
Take a trip back to Paradise City in this remaster of a game that was originally released in 2008. Compete in races, stunt jumps and compete in many events to work your way up the ranks to reach your 'Burnout' Class License. The variety available within this title is remarkable.
Burnout Paradise Remastered. Image: Criterion Games / EA Sports
What makes this remastered title so special is the varying range of achievements on offer. The classic collectable grind is present, but there are also some very interesting and unique challenges. Scoring over 1,000,000 points in a stunt run was especially difficult and a very rewarding feeling when it was finally achieved.
You may be wondering why Burnout Paradise Remastered is not higher up the list. That has to do with the multiplayer achievements. With a game that has been out for four years now - even longer if you factor in the original - the multiplayer is a bit hit-and-miss. With that being said, it is not a complete ghost town. What I would recommend is taking on these multiplayer achievements with a friend to make sure you get that 100% banner at the end.
EA Sports WRC, Ford Puma WRC. Image: EA Sports
DiRT Rally 2.0 has 71 achievements compared to the 26 EA Sports WRC offers. That is a monumental difference, but this also clearly separates the two titles when it comes to achievement hunting.
What makes EA Sports WRC different from something like Dirt Rally 2.0 is the ease of achieving 100%. DiRT Rally 2.0 has over double the amount of achievements but requires you to put in well over three times the amount of game time. It is a trade-off; if you want to start chasing achievements for the first time and you are a rally fan, EA Sports WRC is the probably the better option. If you are experienced and have a lot more spare time, then maybe look into DiRT Rally 2.0.
Wreckfest's Short Oval Track. Image: BugBear Entertainment
From wrecking fifty opponents with the school bus to reaching 210kph (130mph) in the Rocket car - there is a great variety of challenges to keep you entertained. If you take the multiplayer wins out of the equation, the game is easily finishable within a very reasonable amount of time with all singleplayer achievements completed. The ease of the multiplayer wins is entirely based on how good your opponents are.
Whilst it appears hypocritical that I am praising the multiplayer achievements on Wreckfest and bashing the Burnout Paradise multiplayer offerings, I can assure you there is a very good reason. Player base. Wreckfest is not where it once was in terms of popularity, but there are still hundreds of multiplayer lobbies available for you to join day and night. That could not be further from the truth for Burnout Paradise.
Image: Kunos Simulazioni
The achievements are majoritively bronze, silver, gold and the highest offering, Golden Glory. However, there are plenty of other achievements available including reaching top speeds and completing clean laps in a row. 100% completing Assetto Corsa's achievements, with all GOLD medals, not Golden Glory, would likely take well over 1000 hours of highly competitive challenges and special events.
It is a goal of mine to one day achieve 100% on Assetto Corsa. However, the pure scale of the task is enough to make me put it off for now and chase other games' 100% trophies.
Assetto Corsa's Steam Achievements list.
Lots of the easier trophies involve you completing races in specific conditions. For example, you have to win at Spa in the pouring rain or win a race at night. These achievements are fairly easy to cycle through and complete. The online racing achievements are where the pain will begin.
BMW V8 LMDh Hypercar. Image: Studio 397
Completing one hundred races is an especially long grind, with winning a race in each class where you start from the back of the class also taking multiple hours to complete. You could, of course, cheat that second achievement if you lower the difficulty down to the bottom of the slider. But I did not tell you that.
Le Mans Ultimate's 100% trophy is worth chasing sooner rather than later. It is by far and away the newest title on this list and the multiplayer is richly populated - now is the time to knock those multiplayer races and wins off the list!
BeamNG's four trophies - possibly the quickest racing game to achieve 100% completion.
Have many Steam games have you completed 100%? What's your favourite sim racing title to chase achievements in? Let us know on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
Achievement hunting within racing games and sim titles is not as fiercely chased or followed as it is within single-player story titles or puzzle games. However, many sims and racing games offer their players various achievements to hunt with some being unbelievably difficult and time-consuming.
My lacklustre start to chasing achievements in EA Sports WRC and LMU.
Whether you are going for the 100% ribbon or just trying to get your money's worth from your purchase, there is a title for you that will extend your playtime and reward you with that satisfying chime and trophy that you have been working so hard for.
Game 5: Burnout Paradise (Remastered)
One of two arcade titles in this top five, Burnout Paradise Remastered has some mixed reviews, but if you love collecting things and exploring every inch of a free-roam map, then this is the achievement-hunting playground for you.Take a trip back to Paradise City in this remaster of a game that was originally released in 2008. Compete in races, stunt jumps and compete in many events to work your way up the ranks to reach your 'Burnout' Class License. The variety available within this title is remarkable.
Burnout Paradise Remastered. Image: Criterion Games / EA Sports
What makes this remastered title so special is the varying range of achievements on offer. The classic collectable grind is present, but there are also some very interesting and unique challenges. Scoring over 1,000,000 points in a stunt run was especially difficult and a very rewarding feeling when it was finally achieved.
You may be wondering why Burnout Paradise Remastered is not higher up the list. That has to do with the multiplayer achievements. With a game that has been out for four years now - even longer if you factor in the original - the multiplayer is a bit hit-and-miss. With that being said, it is not a complete ghost town. What I would recommend is taking on these multiplayer achievements with a friend to make sure you get that 100% banner at the end.
Game(s) 4: EA Sports WRC & DiRT Rally 2.0
EA Sports' latest offering for rally fans has, in general, been a success. The title has its flaws, but the achievement catalogue is rather interesting. From simple achievements such as using the car building tool and driving 100km, to the more difficult challenges like the 'Algarve It a Go' achievement which requires you to win a stage in Portugal that you started with major engine damage.EA Sports WRC, Ford Puma WRC. Image: EA Sports
DiRT Rally 2.0 has 71 achievements compared to the 26 EA Sports WRC offers. That is a monumental difference, but this also clearly separates the two titles when it comes to achievement hunting.
What makes EA Sports WRC different from something like Dirt Rally 2.0 is the ease of achieving 100%. DiRT Rally 2.0 has over double the amount of achievements but requires you to put in well over three times the amount of game time. It is a trade-off; if you want to start chasing achievements for the first time and you are a rally fan, EA Sports WRC is the probably the better option. If you are experienced and have a lot more spare time, then maybe look into DiRT Rally 2.0.
Game 3: Wreckfest
Bugbear's FlatOut series younger brother, Wreckfest, is my favourite arcade racing game to achieve a 100% completion achievement. The title is perfectly set up for achievement hunting, the online is still very healthily populated, and there are only a handful of achievements that require hours of grinding.Wreckfest's Short Oval Track. Image: BugBear Entertainment
From wrecking fifty opponents with the school bus to reaching 210kph (130mph) in the Rocket car - there is a great variety of challenges to keep you entertained. If you take the multiplayer wins out of the equation, the game is easily finishable within a very reasonable amount of time with all singleplayer achievements completed. The ease of the multiplayer wins is entirely based on how good your opponents are.
Whilst it appears hypocritical that I am praising the multiplayer achievements on Wreckfest and bashing the Burnout Paradise multiplayer offerings, I can assure you there is a very good reason. Player base. Wreckfest is not where it once was in terms of popularity, but there are still hundreds of multiplayer lobbies available for you to join day and night. That could not be further from the truth for Burnout Paradise.
Game 2: Assetto Corsa
By far and away the most in-depth sim racing title in terms of achievements, Assetto Corsa has an astounding 709 achievements.Image: Kunos Simulazioni
The achievements are majoritively bronze, silver, gold and the highest offering, Golden Glory. However, there are plenty of other achievements available including reaching top speeds and completing clean laps in a row. 100% completing Assetto Corsa's achievements, with all GOLD medals, not Golden Glory, would likely take well over 1000 hours of highly competitive challenges and special events.
It is a goal of mine to one day achieve 100% on Assetto Corsa. However, the pure scale of the task is enough to make me put it off for now and chase other games' 100% trophies.
Assetto Corsa's Steam Achievements list.
Game 1: Le Mans Ultimate
If you are after a long and difficult yet rewarding experience, then look no further than Le Mans Ultimate. The reality of this 100% trophy is that you have to be really good at the game. A lot of the achievements involve you winning races, which if you are like me, is a lot easier said than done.Lots of the easier trophies involve you completing races in specific conditions. For example, you have to win at Spa in the pouring rain or win a race at night. These achievements are fairly easy to cycle through and complete. The online racing achievements are where the pain will begin.
BMW V8 LMDh Hypercar. Image: Studio 397
Completing one hundred races is an especially long grind, with winning a race in each class where you start from the back of the class also taking multiple hours to complete. You could, of course, cheat that second achievement if you lower the difficulty down to the bottom of the slider. But I did not tell you that.
Le Mans Ultimate's 100% trophy is worth chasing sooner rather than later. It is by far and away the newest title on this list and the multiplayer is richly populated - now is the time to knock those multiplayer races and wins off the list!
Bonus Game: BeamNG.drive
BeamNG.drive's 100% achievement is quite possibly the easiest set of achievements you can chase in the sim racing and driving categories. There are just four achievements available and they all require you to finish a specific campaign. You can get these done in just over an hour if you skip all the cut scenes and are fairly consistent.BeamNG's four trophies - possibly the quickest racing game to achieve 100% completion.
Have many Steam games have you completed 100%? What's your favourite sim racing title to chase achievements in? Let us know on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
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