The PlayStation 3 is no stranger to great racing games. There have been many amazing racing titles released for this system throughout the years and to compile an accurate list of the top 5 is an impossible task. Everybody has different preferences and opinions on games which means that there is no way to properly compile a quintessential list so take this with a pinch of salt. That said, I really wanted to compile a fair list which led me to pick these games based on critic scores, user scores as well as my personal sense of enjoyment while playing them. So, here’s my list of the top 5 racing games on the PlayStation 3.

5. Burnout Paradise

Burnout Paradise is the only title in the Burnout franchise released on the PlayStation 3 and it’s a good one. In typical Burnout fashion, crashes are commonplace and the crash cam does a great job showing off the cars being torn apart and ravaged by the harsh impact. Great way to see your opponents get destroyed but slightly annoying when your car’s the one doing the tumbling about. Burnout Paradise is an open world racing game set in Paradise City, a fictional city deliberately designed to accentuate Burnout’s style of barely realistic realism. The city is basically an enormous playground just disguised as a city with its mishmash of wide roads, tight corners, interesting landmarks and many, many jumps. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve failed my fair share of jumps but that’s completely fine because driving through a petrol station instantly repairs all the damage. It’s quite apparent that this game was designed with an emphasis on pure fun rather than absolute realism. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and it embraces its oddball concepts and quirks and because of this, Burnout Paradise is an absolutely fantastic racing game, one every racing fan should experience.

4. Gran Turismo 6

While Burnout Paradise was a barely realistic open world fiesta of frivolousness, Gran Turismo 6 isn’t that. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Gran Turismo has always been known as “The Real Driving Simulator” and that’s exactly what it is. Gran Turismo 6 is the latest installment in the series and the last to be released on the PlayStation 3. Graphically, this game pushes the PS3 to its limits. Cars are very well detailed, environments are beautiful, lighting is gorgeous and the overall look is magnificent. It’s also obvious that Polyphony Digital put a lot of work developing this game to be the most realistic driving experience possible. The cars all feel slightly different in the way they deliver their power, the way they react to braking, the way they steer and just the way they drive in general. The cars will also feel different depending on how you set up the gear ratios, suspension and tires. This is a serious racing game in which players often work on their driving in order to improve their lap times by fractions of a second. That may seem a bit odd but believe me, the fun is in the seriousness and the very real sense of achievement. If you ever want to feel like a proper racing driver, get a good quality racing wheel and play this game. It truly is an amazing experience.

3. MotorStorm Pacific Rift

Motorstorm games are known for their unconventional nature of pitting vastly different vehicles against each other in races which focus on more than just getting to the finish line. In any regular racing game, you would be in control of a car and you would race against other cars on a track that’s perfectly laid out so all you really need to do is drive towards the finish line faster than the others. In Motorstorm however, that is not the case. You might choose start the race on an ATV and you’ll be racing against bikes, cars, buggies and even  lorries. Besides that, the track won’t be perfectly laid out for you and there are a multitude of ways you could end up half way up a tree, lost, or even dead. You’ll respawn though so it’s really just a slight time penalty. Seems quite wacky doesn’t it? Well, that’s exactly what makes is so much fun! Furthermore, the races are made even more enjoyable by the environment you’ll be racing in. It’s a lush, beautiful island which provides beaches, cliffs and swamps for you to navigate through in hopes of finding your way to the finish line before the other racers. I chose to feature Motorstorm Pacific Rift because honestly it’s my favourite out of the lot but any Motorstorm game has the same charming ridiculousness. If you’re a racing fan and you’ve never tried a Motorstorm game, I highly suggest you do.

2. Dirt 3

The Dirt series is quite well known for its rallying roots but Dirt 3 expands on that while maintaining the core elements which have made the previous installments such good fun to play. The basis of any Dirt game is great rallying and Dirt 3 is no different. The car’s controls aren’t as crisp and sharp as they would be on a track and they shouldn’t be because that’s how a rally is supposed to feel. Driving your car on tight wiggly dirt tracks with barely any friction is what makes a rally enjoyable and Codemasters knows that. Dirt 3 also adds a few other race types on top of just rallying. The most interesting of these new race types is the gymkhana which allows players to perform stunts and tricks with their cars. It’s great fun this! Just like Ken Block has demonstrated many times in his Gymkhana videos, gymkhana isn’t about how fast you can go, rather it’s about how well you can actually drive. This game provides a great mix of old school rally and modern gymkhana type events and does it in a way that never feels forced. The game is also graphically amazing and it still looks good even by today’s standards. Dirt 3 is a great game which I’ve spent countless hours playing and I see no reason for anybody to skip it, unless you don’t like racing games in which case you wouldn’t be reading this anyway.

1. Midnight Club Los Angeles

Here’s my top pick, Midnight Club LA. This is an open world street racing game set in the city of Los Angeles. You’re free to explore every nook and cranny of the city and if you choose to do so, you’ll find that real life landmarks that exist in Los Angeles have been inserted into the game as well. While the story in the game isn’t very impressive, it doesn’t really matter because it just serves as an excuse to start races and that’s where all the fun is. Racing in this game is extremely fun partly because of how great the cars handle and partly because of how great the city is designed. All you really need to do is drive around, find an opponent and race. Once you’ve won a few races and have acquired enough cash, you can then upgrade and personalize your cars. Seems quite ordinary for a racing game but that’s just it, Midnight Club doesn’t attempt to push the boundaries of what a racing games could be, rather it provides a perfectly fun environment for players to adopt a life of street racing. This game does what a racing should do and does it well. The graphics are great, the city is well designed and overall this game is just simple fun. However, I must warn you that this game can become maddeningly hard at times. If your up to it, I invite you to try Midnight Club Los Angeles.

There you have it, my top 5 racing games on PS3. Do you agree with the list? Do you have a favourite that didn’t get into the list? Leave a comment below.

To all racing fans, happy racing!