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5 Best Driving Video Games of 2022

Almost 30 years have gone by since the first time I first experienced a driving video game. The Need for Speed felt even more exciting to me than any other game at the time. And the franchise managed to keep me entertained for about a decade or so. I've played countless other racing games since, and the industry has come a long way since the early days of MS-DOS.
Top 5 Driving Video Games of 2022 29 photos
Photo: WRC The Official Games/Twitter
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As we are just hours away from celebrating 2023, I thought we'd look back at some of the best driving games of 2022. Together with some of my colleagues, we've reviewed quite a few titles. But for today's story, I will only be choosing the best five ones, which I feel are truly worth playing if you're a fan of the genre.

As much as it pains me to do so, I haven't selected Need for Speed Unbound for this list as I feel the franchise lost its appeal somewhere around 2005. NHRA: Speed for All wasn't impressive enough to get here either, although drag racing enthusiasts might disagree.

For those of you out there that would like a more Sci-Fi approach to racing, you can have a look at Redout 2 as well. For today's story, here are the Top 5 picks for 2022 in no particular order or ranking. Each of these games is bound to keep you glued to your screens for at least a few hours, so why not give them a go yourself?

F1 22

Top 5 Driving Video Games of 2022
Photo: Autoevolution
The 2022 Formula 1 season has been quite exciting, to say the least, even though Max Verstappen dominated most of it. There seems to be an increase in the sport's popularity in recent years, and more fans are coming in to enjoy the action. Naturally, some of them will want to go beyond just watching the races from the grandstands, and F1 22 is the closest most people will ever get to driving a World Championship race car.

While some would argue that F1 racing feels slightly more realistic when experienced in Assetto Corsa, there's no doubt that F1 22 is more appealing to a broader audience. And that's especially valid if you happen to have a Playseat and the adjacent accessories at home. While you could wait for F1 23 to be launched a few months from now, you can also be on the lookout for some Steam offers that will allow you to buy F1 22 at 40% of its usual value.

Dakar Desert Rally

Top 5 Driving Video Games of 2022
Photo: Autoevolution
Given that the Dakar Rally just started in Saudi Arabia today, playing this game sounds like the perfect opportunity to experience the action from the comfort of your home. While most racing franchises are focused either on cars or motorcycles, Dakar Desert Rally will provide access to both categories and more. The sheer number of available vehicles is only outshined by the size of the map, which will make most games feel tiny in comparison.

Roaming through the desert doesn't necessarily have to be a competition against the clock or your competitors, as you can choose to just enjoy the environment with all its elements. The soundtrack isn't quite as exciting as we've seen with other franchises, but it's not a deal-breaker in any way. If this game would benefit from a modding community as big as the one that's around for Assetto Corsa, it could probably provide hundreds of hours of fun without the need for a new installment or a major upgrade.

Gran Turismo 7

Top 5 Driving Video Games of 2022
Photo: Autoevolution
As opposed to the Need for Speed franchise, Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo has been going strong for 25 years now. It's quite often to meet an automotive enthusiast that feels his love for cars has been fueled by these games. The eighth game of the series was launched earlier this year, in March, and received mostly positive reviews, as you would expect.

Gran Turismo 7 features a huge variety of cars: more than twice as many as all the vehicles in Dakar Desert Rally put together! Don't expect it to be a pure simulator like Assetto Corsa, but chances are that for most gamers, it will feel like a lot more fun down the road.

Just do yourself a favor and don't activate all the driving assists, as you might as well stick to watching someone else play instead. Some people have complained that some of the older Gran Turismo games provided more hours of gameplay overall, but you can always try to improve your lap records to extend your experience until the next installment comes along.

WRC Generations

Top 5 Driving Video Games of 2022
Photo: Autoevolution
When it comes to the world of motorsports, the World Rally Championship is only second to F1. So it's no surprise that there are quite a few developers out there that have tried to replicate the off-road racing experience in the virtual world. Some of the older, more hardcore rally enthusiasts will tell you that Richard Burns Rally is still the game to go for.

Given that it's almost 20 years old, most people would rather enjoy a more modern experience. WRC Generations might have its flaws, but it's still one of the most exciting products affiliated with this genre today. Just like with the previous titles mentioned here, we'd recommend you get a steering wheel and pedals for the most authentic experience. And you should also consider getting a handbrake as well to help navigate around the tight corners on the in-game stages.

GRID Legends

Top 5 Driving Video Games of 2022
Photo: Autoevolution
The last game on our Top 5 Driving Video Games of 2022 list is GRID Legends! It's one of the more arcade-ish titles here, but that's not a deal-breaker for the average gamer in any way. It's crazy to think that this is the fifth installment in the GRID series and that 20 years have gone by since the days of its predecessor, Toca Race Driver.

GRID Legends provides a good variety of both vehicles and race tracks, and we'd probably spend hours and hours jumping and racing Stadium Trucks. Not everyone is going to take a liking to the way the story mode has been developed, but you at least have to appreciate the effort put in by the team to provide a relatively different perspective to the game.

At the end of the day, if you can't make up your mind on which one of these games best fits your needs, there's only one thing left to do. And no, we aren't suggesting that you should buy all of them. You'll find plenty of YouTube videos showing the gameplay and graphics for each one of them, and that should help you make the right decision.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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