Cool Car Games for PC: Best Picks in 2026

The best cool car games for PC in 2026 mix wide-open racing worlds with tight, physics-heavy driving. Forza Horizon 5 remains the easiest all-around pick for exploring hundreds of licensed cars across a huge map, Grand Theft Auto V is still the go-to if you want cars alongside a full open-world story, and Assetto Corsa Competizione or BeamNG.drive cover the simulation end if you care about real handling physics over arcade thrills.

A few older “best of” lists still recommend games that have quietly disappeared from sale. Forza Horizon 4 and Project CARS 3 were both delisted from digital stores in the last couple of years, so we’ve pulled those and replaced them with what you can actually buy and download today, plus a note further down on what happened to them.

Best Cool Car Games for PC Right Now

Here’s how the rest of the field stacks up, from open-world arcade racers to full driving simulators, plus a couple of genuinely free options.

Grand Theft Auto V — Best Car Game With a Story Attached

GTA V is over a decade old and still one of the best-selling PC games every year, largely because Los Santos is packed with cars worth driving even outside the missions — from junkyard beaters to a full roster of supercar knockoffs. If you want to go hunting for the rarer ones, we have a separate guide to where to find the sleek sports cars in GTA 5.

One thing worth knowing if you’re holding out: GTA VI is currently scheduled for November 19, 2026, but only for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar has historically waited a year or more to bring its games to PC after console launch, so GTA V is likely to stay the PC pick in this franchise for a while yet.

Wreckfest — Best for Demolition Derby Fans

Wreckfest flips normal racing rules around: crashing into other cars is the point, not something to avoid. Vehicles deform realistically panel by panel, and a bad wreck can genuinely knock you out of a race. It’s inexpensive, still sold and supported on PC, and a good pick if the rest of this list feels a little too serious.

Assetto Corsa Competizione — Best Racing Simulator

Assetto Corsa Competizione is the one to get if you actually want realistic handling — it’s built around real GT3 and GT4 race series and rewards a proper wheel and pedal set far more than a controller. The base game supports mods too; if you want to go further, we’ve covered how to get modded cars in Assetto Corsa.

BeamNG.drive — Best for Realistic Crash Physics

BeamNG.drive uses soft-body physics, so every crash, dent, and suspension failure is calculated in real time instead of played from a canned animation. It’s less about winning races and more about a sandbox for driving, crashing, and building. Curious how fast its cars actually go? We’ve already worked that out in our guide to the fastest car in BeamNG.drive.

Need for Speed Payback — Still a Cheap Arcade Pick

Need for Speed Payback (2017) is dated but still purchasable on PC and usually goes on sale for well under $20, which makes it a reasonable budget pick if you want arcade street racing without spending Forza money. Need for Speed Unbound (2022) is the newer entry in the series if you’d rather have something more current. If you’ve already got Payback and want to know what to chase, see what the fastest car in NFS Payback actually is.

Not Just Racing: Car Mechanic Simulator and CarX Drift Racing

Not every cool car game on PC is about racing. Car Mechanic Simulator lets you diagnose, repair, and repaint cars instead of racing them — see how to paint cars in Car Mechanic Simulator if that sounds more appealing than a finish line. If drifting specifically is what you’re after, CarX Drift Racing is a dedicated drift-physics game, and we’ve broken down the fastest car in CarX Drift Racing too.

Free Car Games for PC

You don’t have to spend anything to try a decent car game. Trackmania offers a genuinely free Starter Access tier through the Epic Games Store or Ubisoft Connect — you get five track environments, weekly challenge tracks, and online leaderboards without paying, and can upgrade to Standard or Club access later if you want more content. This has replaced the older free TrackMania Nations Forever as the current version worth downloading.

Beyond that, watch for the free weekends and demos that most publishers run on Steam a few times a year — Wreckfest, Assetto Corsa, and the Forza Horizon games have all had free trial periods in the past, which is a low-risk way to test whether a game fits before buying it.

What Happened to Forza Horizon 4 and Project CARS 3?

If you’ve seen either of these recommended elsewhere, here’s why they’re missing from this list. Forza Horizon 4 was delisted from Steam and the Microsoft Store on December 15, 2024, after the licensing deals behind its map and cars expired. If you already own it, it still works, but it can no longer be purchased new — Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 6 are the games that replaced it.

Project CARS 3 was pulled from Steam on August 24, 2025, for the same reason (expired real-world car and track licenses), and its online multiplayer servers shut down on February 24, 2026. Existing owners can still play it single-player, but it’s no longer something we can recommend buying new, even if you still see old listings for it online.

How to Choose a Cool Car Game for Your PC

• Decide arcade vs. simulation first. Forza Horizon and GTA V are forgiving and fun with a keyboard or controller. Assetto Corsa Competizione and BeamNG.drive reward a real wheel and pedal set and punish sloppy driving.
• Check the game’s system requirements before buying, not after. Open-world games like Forza Horizon 5 need a modern GPU; older or lighter titles like Wreckfest and TrackMania run on much more modest hardware.
• Confirm it’s still actively sold, not just still listed. As Forza Horizon 4 and Project CARS 3 both show, older racing games can get pulled from digital stores when licensing deals expire, even while third-party sellers still list old physical copies.
• Try before you buy where you can. Steam free weekends and Trackmania’s permanent free tier are both low-risk ways to see if a game’s handling model actually suits you.
• Factor in whether you need extra hardware. A controller is fine for arcade racers, but a simulator like Assetto Corsa Competizione is a much better experience with a dedicated wheel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Best Car Games for PC Right Now?

Forza Horizon 5 is the best all-around pick for open-world arcade racing, Grand Theft Auto V is still the top choice if you want cars alongside a full story, Assetto Corsa Competizione is the best simulator for realistic handling, and BeamNG.drive is the best pick for physics-based crash sandbox driving.

Can I Play Car Games on a Low-End PC?

Yes. Trackmania’s free Starter Access and Wreckfest both run comfortably on modest hardware, and older arcade racers like Need for Speed Payback don’t require a high-end GPU. Open-world titles like Forza Horizon 5 and driving simulators like Assetto Corsa Competizione are the ones that need a stronger, more modern PC.

Are There Any Free Car Games for PC?

Yes. Trackmania’s Starter Access tier is permanently free through the Epic Games Store or Ubisoft Connect, with paid Standard and Club tiers available if you want more content later. Several paid racing games also run occasional free weekends on Steam.

Is Forza Horizon 4 Still Available to Buy?

No. Forza Horizon 4 was delisted from Steam and the Microsoft Store on December 15, 2024, due to expired licensing agreements. It’s still playable if you already own it, but it can’t be purchased new anymore. Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 6 are the current entries in the series.

Is Project CARS 3 Still Available on PC?

No. Project CARS 3 was delisted from Steam on August 24, 2025, and its online multiplayer shut down on February 24, 2026. Existing owners can still play the single-player campaign, but it’s no longer available for new purchase.

What Is the Best Car Racing Game for Kids?

Hot Wheels Unleashed (and its sequel, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged) is an easy, colorful, kid-friendly racing game built around Hot Wheels toy cars and tracks, with simple controls that don’t require simulator-level precision.

Conclusion

The best cool car game for PC really depends on what kind of driving you want: Forza Horizon 5 for an open world full of licensed cars, Grand Theft Auto V for cars wrapped in a full story, Assetto Corsa Competizione or BeamNG.drive if realistic handling and physics matter more than spectacle, and Trackmania if you just want to try something for free first. Whichever you pick, it’s worth double-checking the game is still actively sold before you buy — as Forza Horizon 4 and Project CARS 3 both show, even well-known racing games can quietly disappear from digital stores.