Nintendo Switch is an amazing gaming console, not just for the variety of games available on this platform, but because it’s hand-held and you can play your favorite games wherever you go.
Having the ability to store the Nintendo Switch in your pocket and carry it with you is one of its greatest features, but it has its drawbacks as well. Maybe the biggest drawback is the list of games that’s limited only to Nintendo Switch.
Although there are a lot of games available for this platform, you’ll notice that this list of the best racing games for Nintendo Switch won’t include some of the most iconic titles you’d expect. Unlike other gaming consoles, Nintendo is significantly more focused on simple gameplay and arcade-style racing.
Our List Of The Best Racing Games For Nintendo Switch
The first racing game that comes to mind comes from a very popular franchise – Need for Speed. The specific game in question is Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered. Compared to the original release from 2010, Hot Pursuit Remastered looks incredible, and has significantly improved visuals that you can enjoy either in career or multiplayer mode.
What makes this game interesting is the fact that you get to play as a character on both sides of the law. You can be a street racer, running away from the police while trying to beat your opponents in a head-to-head race, but you can also be behind the wheel of a police car trying to stop reckless drivers. The career mode includes challenging missions and can take up to 30 hours to complete fully. Multiplayer is available cross-platform, however, it’s recommended to go through the career mode first so you’ll acquire all the unlockable vehicles because the multiplayer mode allows players to choose any vehicle they’ve unlocked previously.
The second game on our list includes Team Sonic Racing. This game includes characters from the legendary Sonic game franchise. The visuals are expectably good, and the weapons system in the game doesn’t allow anyone to win easily. Even the AI in the game are pretty difficult to beat, so unlocking all cars and achievements will be a challenge.
This game offers a variety of online and offline modes, some of which include up to 4-player coop, Grand Prix, Exhibition-Mode, Time-Trial, and Team Adventure Mode. You can choose from 15 different characters, all of which come from the Sonic game franchise. All in all, it’s a great game to play alone or with friends or family.
The third racing game on our list belongs to the Burnout Paradise Remastered title. This game is one of the few that includes the possibility of open-world driving. The thing that makes Burnout Paradise interesting is that the game itself requires you to play risky. Avoiding oncoming traffic, and making near misses will increase your car’s boost, helping you win the race. Without taking chances, the probability of winning significantly decreases.
There are a lot of amazing cars to choose from, and the remastered edition comes with a lot of DLCs you would’ve needed to earn if you played the original title more than a decade ago. The game works really well on Nintendo Switch and can achieve 60FPS in handheld and docked mode. This is amazing due to the fact that the Switch is far less powerful than other consoles that the game was originally made for. The only downside is that it can be a little blurry.
The next title isn’t technically a racing game, but its main focus is driving off-road. Snowrunner for Nintendo Switch is a great game that will keep you occupied for hours due to its incredible open-world environment and the obstacles you’ll come across. The main idea of the game is to drive various vehicles patiently while calculating every move. It’s a slow game, but rewarding nonetheless. It does have a few issues with graphics and sound, but nothing that will decrease the amount of entertainment you’ll experience.
The next title in our list also includes off-road driving, but at much higher speeds. WRC 9 is a fast-paced rally game that puts you behind the wheel of some of the most iconic rally cars out there. You’ll get to tackle more than 100 different stages, however, if you’re expecting visually stunning scenery, you’ll be disappointed greatly. The game mechanics compensate for the visuals and provide a semi-simulation feel to the game.
An interesting aspect of WRC 9 is its career mode. Unlike the season mode where you’re expected only to compete in various rally races, career mode gives you the opportunity to race, but also control what happens behind the scenes such as hiring and firing crew members, developing their skills through a large skill tree, and lastly, planning your calendar. The game itself is difficult to play, which is why the career mode is a great way to learn the mechanics and become better at it. If you’re stubborn enough, you’ll be playing this game for a very long time.
The next game isn’t really racing, and it doesn’t include four-wheel vehicles either. We’re talking about Trials Rising. This game requires you to control a trial bike and overcome various obstacles in the least amount of time. The great thing about Trials Rising is that it’s easy at the beginning, and as you progress through the game, it will require more precision and in-game knowledge. The controls are really simple, but certain tricks require practice.
With more than 100 different levels available, and a great tutorial, Trials Rising will bring you joy and entertainment for a very long time.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, Nintendo Switch is a bit limited when it comes to racing games, but if you don’t mind lower graphics quality, you’ll find plenty of games to enjoy on the go. We’ve listed some of the Nintendo Switch racing games that will keep you playing for hours at end, some of which don’t include actual racing, or cars, for that matter.