Top 10 Driving Games

If you are the type who likes your driving games to be as close to real-life as is humanly (computerly!?) possible, then you may want to do an instant hand-break-turn and screech off in the opposite direction as fast as your perfectly rendered car will allow you.

Those however who don’t give a jot about realism but just want to have fun might want to stick around a bit longer. For the developers of these ten games have realised one very important thing; what people want most from a driving game is to do all those things that they are not allowed to in real-life - drive on the wrong side of the road, bash into police cars, mow down zombies, drive your car on a roller-coaster...

Now it is time to unleash those wild driving fantasies.

Road of the Dead

1 Road of the Dead

Seriously, why not? Zombies have been co-opted into virtually every other genre of gaming. So why not a zombie themed driving game too? After playing this slick genre-busting game by wonderfully named developer EvilDog, we certainly can’t think of any reason why not. Yes, it can be a pain cleaning off the blood and body parts from your bonnet, but the lovely squishy sounds the zombies make on impact more than make up for that. Road of the Dead perfectly combines fast and furious driving action with slaughtering zombies. Play the game here.

Death Racers

2 Death Racers

This is not a game where the first one to achieve death wins, as one could be forgiven for thinking from the title (though I bet such a game would be a right old romp if you were a manic depressive). No, this game is about avoiding death. Not only that, avoiding death while at the same time winning a car race around a post-apocalyptic futuristic city. Take on three other competitors in this fearsome race, using your mounted gun to bring your rivals to a halt while at the same time making sure to pick up power-ups and new weapons as you go. Death Racers was made by Making Fun Games and features stunning pseudo 3D graphics. Play the game here.

Drift Runners

3 Drift Runners

I’ve always wanted to be able to drive round corners like rally drivers do. They kind of skid around bends rather than turning round them. Apparently, the technical name for this maneuvre is ‘drifting’. And if you share my desire to drift, then you will love Drift Runners. For this top-down driving game will have you drifting like Colin McRae or Travis Pastrana (they're famous rally drivers, if you were wondering) in no time at all. Drift Runners can be played here. A sequel to the game can be played here.

Scenic

4 Scenic

This game is as pretty as a picture. If we were ordering this list by graphics alone, it would without doubt be residing in the number one spot, looking condescendingly down at the games below. But aesthetics only get you so far. To be deserving of the ultimate accolade, a game also needs brilliant game-play. And in this respect, Scenic let’s itself down a tad. The driving just isn’t that much fun in this game. Still worth a go however, even if it is just to peer out of the window at the scenery passing by. Scenic can be played here.

Freeway Fury

5 Freeway Fury

Given the game's name, I was expecting something a little more, well.. furious than what I got. Freeway Fury is surprisingly mellow for a racing game that is meant to be all about rage. It's not like you fall asleep playing it but nor does your heart explode with excitement. Having said that, Freeway Fury is in no way a bad game. Far from it. The game actually boasts one of the more interesting game-play mechanics to be found in the driving genre. At any point, you can clamber onto the roof of your car and then leap onto another car, gaining ownership of it. This can be very useful when you have damaged your existing car to near destruction by slamming into other cars. Freeway Fury can be played here.

Neon Race

6 Neon Race

I'm a child of the eighties so I still get all excited when I come across neon. I know for those brought up on hi-tech gizmos like Playstations and iPods, a bit of glowing tube might not deserve a second look. But for me, neon will always seem ridiculously futuristic and trendy, which probably explains why I love this driving game. You see, in this game the cars are made of glowing neon lattices. They're all neon-y and glow-y, and I love them. But it is not just the game's looks that won me over. The game-play is also first-rate. Play Neon Race here.

Coaster Racer

7 Coaster Racer

Hurrah. Finally, just when I thought it would never happen, someone (LongAnimals, to be precise) has come up with a game where you can drive on a roller coaster. No, that is not sarcasm you detect here. I really have been wanting such a game for a very long time. Well, for almost a whole ten seconds anyway, which is about ten times the length of time it took me to realise that this is actually a really fun driving game. Just try not to be sick. Play Coaster Racer here.

Big Pixel Racing

8 Big Pixel Racing

Oh how cute. They've actually gone to the bother of creating a story line for this driving game. It probably won't win the Booker Literary Prize but it is a nice touch in a genre that usually dispenses with plot altogether. It's your kid brother. He's got himself into trouble with the local gangster, the imaginatively named Big Dog (you see what I mean by probably not going to win that prize). And it is up to you to get him out of the messn he's in. And apparently the best way of doing this is to compete in street race competitions (that prize is looking even more of a long shot now). Win races and you earn cash that you can spend on upgrading your car. Big Pixel Racing is big, boasts pixels and involves a lot of racing. Play it here.

I Love Traffic

9 I Love Traffic

Something a bit different for this game. You don't actually do any driving yourself. Instead, you control those who are driving, by deciding when the traffic lights should change colour. If you are mean like me, you will try to cause as many crashes and huge traffic jams as possible but, unfortunately, this won't help you progress far in the game. I Love Traffic is the brain-child of Armor Games's head of development John Cooney, the man who brought you classic browser games like Hedgehog Launch and Exit Path. Play I Love Traffic here.

Smash and Dash

10 Smash and Dash

There are tons of side-scrolling physics-style racing games out there but this game - Smash and Dash - stands out from the crowd. What makes it worthy of being singled-out? Well, for a start, the physics engine is incredibly slick, lending authenticity to your vehicle's movement. Then there is the speed and smoothness of the game-play. But what really clinches it for us are the cute Fred Flintstones style graphics. Can't get enough of them. Smash and Dash can be played here.

If you know of any other fun online driving games, please tell us all about them in the comments section below.