Video game fans were delighted to welcome Gran Turismo 7 last week – but there’s plenty more motor gaming fun still to come this year.
Many games, in particular the online-focused iRacing, saw their popularity boom during lockdown as frustrated racing drivers took to the virtual circuit to get their competitive fix.
This evolution of racing games was fuelled by the Gran Turismo franchise, responsible for nurturing a huge number of car enthusiasts since the first game was released on the original PlayStation.
Gran Turismo set the bar high
Since then, it has grown to be one of the biggest franchises in gaming, and has even helped gamers become real life racers.
The latest instalment was released on PlayStation 4 and 5 last week, and it attempts to take the game back to its roots, with players starting at the bottom of the racing rung and working to the top.
For racing game fans, 2022 could be one of the most exciting years yet
There’s also an online mode that lets you go head-to-head with drivers from around the world, while a hugely detailed climate system brings realistic weather.
Gran Turismo set the bar high, and even though genres such as first person shooters tend to get the biggest headlines, car racing games are quietly one of the most important sectors. And for fans, 2022 could be one of the most exciting years yet.
Need for Speed 2022 (TBC)
While GT made its name as a circuit racer, NFS sees heavily modified road cars used on city streets.
Pretty much nothing is known about the game, aside from a vague ‘late 2022’ release date. However, it’s being made by Criterion, who made some NFS games before, including 2010’s much-loved Hot Pursuit.
Unless there’s a massive departure from previous games in the series, we can expect lots of highly tuned cars, beautiful real world locations and regular face offs with the police.
Forza Motorsport (TBC)
The only downside to GT is that it’s a PlayStation exclusive, meaning PC and Xbox players can’t give it a spin. That’s where Forza Motorsport comes in.
Essentially acting as the Xbox alternative to the GT series, it has developed the open world arcade-style Forza Horizon.
The new Forza Motorsport focuses on circuit racing and building up from the game’s slower cars up to the fastest in the world.
Expect it to be feature-packed to make the most of the next-generation console hardware.
Grid Legends (out now)
Grid Legends provides a curious alternative to the typical racing game genres.
While most arcade-style games have some kind of story mode, Grid uses a combination of computer graphics and real-world actors to tell the story of your driver’s journey up the racing ranks.
Tracks are typically in city centre locations such as London and Moscow, with a festival vibe to the surroundings. You can also create your own races to challenge others, with disciplines such as drifting and elimination-based setups.
F1 2022 (TBC)
Each year, Codemasters releases the latest iteration in the series, which is based around that season’s Formula 1 championship.
This year’s will be more hotly anticipated than usual, though, as a new set of car regulations has brought a heightened level of intrigue to the championship. Fans will be eager to get behind the wheel.
Expect the usual career mode as well as the popular My Team, which sees players create a team at the bottom of the championship and develop the car to become a world beater.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown (September 22)
The Test Drive franchise goes back a long way, and returns after publisher Nacon bought the rights to the name.
The new game’s name hints at a follow up to the groundbreaking open-world Test Drive Unlimited, released on the Xbox 360 in 2006.
That game was set in a faithful recreation of Oahu, Hawaii, while the new game is set to feature a complete recreation of Hong Kong. It’s hotly anticipated and should be pretty spectacular to play.