2022 is shaping up to be a big year for racing games, with a few big franchises returning. This guide will run through all of the racing games releasing in 2022.
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2022 will see the release of a few big-name racing games that have been in hiding for a while. Giants in the genre such as Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport are set to have new releases this year. While we are also looking forward to the return of staples in the genre such as F1 2022, Need For Speed and Assetto Corsa Competizione.
Many game developers sat 2021 out and focused on developing their games for a 2022 release. While Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport are set to return, so are the Need For Speed and GRID franchises.
2022 marks the second full year since the release of the next-generation consoles, giving these new racing games the perfect hardware platform to outshine games that have come before.
Below I’ll run through every racing game that is coming out in 2022. I’ll include all racing games from simulators through to arcade games, and I’ll let you know which platforms they’ll be on and the exact date they’ll release.
Platform: PS4, PS5
Release date: 4 March
The countdown to the Gran Turismo 7 launch is well and truly underway. We have seen a lot from the game, including the return of features that weren’t present in GT Sport. We’ve also got a full GT7 track list, and car list giving us a glimpse of some of the cars we can own in GT7.
Gran Turismo 7 will be the most realistic and most graphically impressive game in the series, making full use of the PlayStation 5 hardware. There are over 90 track routes, and 400 cars confirmed so far.
Gran Turismo 7 will launch on the 4th March 2022 on to PlayStation 4 and 5 only.
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: 25 February
GRID Legends is somewhat of a reboot for the series. It is the first GRID game since the self-titled 2019 game. GRID Legends looks to through the player into a single-player campaign story spanning multiple racing disciplines.
The story itself features live-action cutscenes to throw you into the heart of a dramatic motorsport storyline. We don’t often see stories implemented into racing games so the inclusion here is an interesting direction. GRID Legends features over 100 routes which is a solid number, as well as over 100 cars spread across multiple disciplines.
Launching on the 25th February makes GRID Legends the first big named racing game to launch in 2022.
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: July (Most probably)
The Formula 1 video games have been improving dramatically since Codemasters first obtained the license. Recent games such as F1 2021 have included in-depth, multi-year career modes, and game modes such as My Team. My Team allows you to take charge as a team owner. You have complete say over your team, from driver contracts to development goals and everything in between.
F1 2022 should bring back My Team as it was a hugely popular game mode, with some updates and improvements. F1 2022 will also be the second year that a Formula 1 game has been on the latest console hardware, so it will be interesting to see if any improvements to the graphics and improvements have been made.
Typically F1 games release partway through the real Formula 1 calendar, around July time. As an F1 fan, I would love to see this release window brought forward so we can spend more time with the game during the real-world season, but that is unlikely.
Expect to see the game announcement around Springtime and a release date for mid-July.
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Release date: April (Most probably)
Although currently unannounced, Moto GP 22 is a pretty safe bet for a 2022 launch. The Moto GP games have been an annual title for the past few years, with the developer Milestone improving on the formula year on year.
The Moto GP games have been the most faithful digital recreation of the sport for years. Last year’s game upped the ante by including new realistic rules such as the new Long Lap Penalty, and realistic features such as bike retrieval after a crash.
Combine these realistic features with super in-depth driver or managerial career modes spanning multiple formulas, making the Moto GP games a must-have for racing fans.
Typically the Moto GP games release around April time each year, and this year shouldn’t be any different. We should start to see the game announced along with some gameplay around February so keep your eyes peeled.
Platform: TBA
Release date: 2022 TBA
BTCC is getting its own game for the first time since the hugely popular Toca racing series. BTCC cars have featured in some games since, but there hasn’t been a dedicated game in over a decade.
This new game is being developed by Motorsport Games, the same studio behind the Nascar games, and who have recently acquired Factor 2. This gives the game some good foundations to work from. Nascar 21: Ignition used a completely fresh physics model when it was launched last year, so that new technology may well carry over to this BTCC game.
Not much is known about the BTCC game just yet, but we can take a guess that it will feature to entire BTCC season including real teams, cars, drivers and tracks. Whether it will feature an in-depth career mode, we don’t know.
This is one game though, that we are extremely excited to see later this year.
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: 24 February
Although Assetto Corsa Competizione has been out for a while now, the official next-gen version still hasn’t arrived. This is due on 24th February. The next-gen release of ACC will make substantial improvements to the fluidity of the gameplay as well as improved graphics.
The resolution will get increased to 4k and the frame rate will receive a bump up to 60 FPS. This should improve the smoothness of the gameplay on consoles, bringing them close to the performance found with the PC version of ACC.
Along with the performance increase, this next-gen release will also include the official 2021 GT World Challenge season liveries. Plus the introduction of private multiplayer lobbies is a feature that has been requested for a long time. The best part about the new private lobbies is that they will be completely free.
ACC releases on both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on 24th February.
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Release date: 22 September
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is a racing game that many are looking forward to in 2022. The previous Test Drive Unlimited games gave the player unparalleled freedom for a racing game. Essentially Test Drive Unlimited 1 & 2 were car ownership simulators.
You could purchase the cars you fancied, and drive them around a huge open-world map set in some of the most stunning parts of the world. While there were plenty of races and activities you could participate in, the main fun came in purchasing, maintaining and driving the many cars.
The latest addition to this franchise looks to build upon this formula by once again including a huge open world, with plenty of cars for you to own and drive.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is set to release on 22nd September.
Platform: TBA
Release date: September TBA
WRC 11 is another racing game that hasn’t been announced yet but is expected to launch later in 2022. We have had a new WRC titled game every year for a while, with the games themselves improving year on year.
The developer Kylotonn has been adding features and making improvements each year with WRC 10 being relatively well-liked. Unfortunately for Kylotonn, WRC 11 will be the last official WRC game they develop before the commercial rights move over to Codemasters.
Last year’s game celebrated the 50th anniversary of the WRC and introduced a new 50th-anniversary game mode.
It will be interesting to see if a WRC 11 game does get made. Keep an eye out for news later this year.
Platform: TBA
Release date: November TBA
EA announced the existence of a new Need For Speed game back in 2021, and it was scheduled to be released after Battlefield 2042. This new game sees the return of Criterion Games as the developers, meaning we could see a mixup in the format compared to the past few games.
The last Need For Speed game that Criterion worked on was Need For Speed Rivals back in 2013, although this was a collaboration with them and Ghost Games.
NFS Most Wanted was the last game that Criterion developed alone, and was relatively well-received, which gives hope that the glory days of NFS could return with the reintroduction of Criterion.
Other than a short teaser trailer, we haven’t seen or heard much about this new game, other than that it is coming in 2022. We would like to think the new console hardware will allow for a truly gorgeous looking game, with some popular features such as car customisation and police chases returning.
Need For Speed games typically get released towards the end of the year, so expect to see some more coverage throughout this year with a release date around November.
Platform: Xbox Series X|S
Release date: TBA
Forza Motorsport was one of the first games announced when the Xbox Series X debuted back in 2020. It has long been a staple in Microsoft’s game lineup, and is their prized racing simulator to challenge the Gran Turismo series.
Since that announcement and the first glimpse of the game running on next-gen technology, we haven’t seen anything from the upcoming Forza Motorsport game. We have had a Forza game released in the form of Forza Horizon 5 which has been a huge success. But we haven’t had a motorsport focused game since Forza Motorsport 7 was released way back in 2017.
The newest Forza Motorsport game will feature some of the most realistic graphics ever seen thanks to a new game engine making full use of next-gen technology.
We hope to see the next Forza Motorsport game this year, but so far haven’t had any confirmation of this. My guess is we’ll see this game announced during E3 2022.
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: TBA
Nascar 22 hasn’t officially been announced yet, but we highly expect it to be announced soon. Last year saw a reboot for the franchise. Nascar 21: Ignition moved away from the old-school Unity engine and onto Unreal Engine. This brought with it a host of upgrades from physics to graphics.
While Nascar 21: Ignition did lack a few of the features from the previous Nascar Heat game series, it did mark an improvement overall to the game engine and direction.
With Nascar 22, we would expect the developers Motorsport Games to start to flesh out mechanics such as career mode and add back in missing features such as car setups.
Nascar 21: Ignition was released in October 2021 so we don’t expect to hear anything on a potential 2022 game just yet. Keep your eyes peeled for later on in the year.
Platform: PC
Release date: 26 January
KartKraft is another game being developed by Motorsport Games, which also develop the Nascar games. It has just launched after being in early access for a while. The full release of this karting simulator was on 26th January 2022.
KartKraft puts the entire focus on the world of karting, with the aim of producing the most realistic karting simulation possible. It features a whole host of real laser scanned tracks along with a selection of karts.
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release date: 27 January
Circuit Superstars was a breakout success when it was first launched in 2021. It introduced a combination of realistic physics with cartoon-style graphics and a top-down perspective. All of this made for an extremely fun and rewarding racing game and one which became a huge hit.
It was initially released on PC in October 2021 but will make its way to PlayStation 4 in January.
With most of the racing simulators and big-name racing games discussed, below are a selection of other racing games also releasing this year.
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: 2022 TBA
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: 10 March
Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: 17 March
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: 2022 TBA
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Release date: 2022 TBA
Platform: PC, Xbox One
Release date: 21 January
Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch
Release date: 2022 TBA
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Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com
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