History of Computer Racing Games
Posted for quick reference purposes, this is a chronological list of racing games that appeared on Western computer-game machines.
Racing games include serious motorsport autoracing simulators (F1GP, MotoGP) and arcade-action racers. I have included both car and motorcycle racing games from motorsport, rally, sandbox, dirt bike and stuntcar subgenre. If they are technically notable I have also included games that feature good racing segments, but are not strictly racing games.
Racing games can be 100% 3D, 100% sprite-scaled or employ a combo of sprite-scaled objects/actors and 3D tracks. Racing games can present in first-person, third-person, top-down, side-on or isometric perspectives.
This list thus far contains 40 original infographics that can be mouse-wheeled through in order to get an idea of racing games that appeared on Western computer-game machines.
This document was last updated on the 28th of June, 2024.
Test Drive IBM PC 1987-1990
Distinctive Software released Test Drive for IBM PC in 1987. Test Drive 2 was released in 1989, and Test Drive 3 in 1990.
Test Drive and its sequel display in 16-color EGA 320x200 whereas Test Drive 3 displays in 256-color VGA 320x200.
1988 Racing Games
Lombard RAC Rally IBM PC 1988
Red Rat Software released Lombard RAC Rally for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1988. LRR displays in 16-color EGA 320x200.
Super Hang-on Amiga 1988
SegaAM2's Super Hang-on coinop of 1987 was ported to Atari ST and Amiga in 1988 by Zareh Johannes of Activision Software Studios. The 16-bit micro ports were incredible in 1988; even better than Indy 500 of 1989 in terms of speed-conveyance. This was due to SHO's sprite count + super-smooth scaling. There were very few 1988 computer games that could match the controls, graphics and playability of SHO.
The 1988 IBM PC conversion by Quicksilver Software is inferior:
1989 Racing Games
Chase HQ ZX Spectrum 1989
The best coinop conversion of an arcade racer to home computer is John O'Brien's Chase H.Q for the ZX Spectrum (1989). How Ocean Software managed to cram almost every feature of the Taito coinop into the Speccy version is a mystery.
Stunt Car Racer IBM PC 1989
The Cycles: International Grand Prix Racing IBM PC 1989
Distinctive Software released The Cycles for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1989. The Cycles features 15 circuits, 5 skill levels, 3 performance classes and 9 riders.
Outrun IBM PC 1989
Unlimited Software Inc. released Outrun for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1989. This is a terrible arcade conversion.
Vette IBM PC 1989
Vette was released by Sphere Inc. for IBM PC in 1989. Vette suggests GTA long before GTA. Vette was coded by Piotr Lukaszuk.
Suzuki's RM250 Motocross IBM PC 1989
Suzuki's RM250 Motocross was released by Dynamix for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1989.
RVF Honda Amiga 1989
RVF Honda was released by MicroStyle in 1989 for Atari ST and Amiga. It was designed and coded by Ed Hickman.
Batman: The Movie Amiga 1989
Ocean Software released Batman: The Movie for ST, Amiga and IBM PC in 1989. Batman: The Movie features impressive sprite-scaling on the Batmobile and Batwing levels. The ST/Amiga versions were coded by Mike Lamb, John O'Brien and Allan Shortt.
One of the coolest things about this game is how the Batmobile can fire a grappling hook at a lamp post in order to swing around into the next street.
If I were to take a guess I would say that John O'Brien coded the Batmobile and Batwing levels because he converted Chase HQ to the ZX Spectrum (see above). And Mike Lamb coded the platformer levels because he coded RoboCop on the Speccy.
Batman sold like hotcakes and was bundled in David Pleasance's Batman Pack for the Amiga 500.
1990 Racing Games
Ivan Ironman Stewart's Super Off Road IBM PC 1990
Graftgold converted Lehland's Ivan Ironman Stewart's Super Off Road coinop to Atari ST, Amiga and IBM PC MS-DOS in 1990. Super Off Road features 1-3 player simultaneous gameplay and vehicle upgrades (tires, shocks, acceleration, top speed and nitro fuel). David O'Connor programmed the PC version whereas the ST/Amiga versions were programmed by Gary J. Foreman.
Hard Drivin' Amiga 1990
Jürgen Friedrich of Domark converted Atari Games' Hard Drivin' coinop of 1989 to ST/Amiga and IBM PC MS-DOS in 1990.
Lotus Games Amiga (1990-92)
Magnetic Fields released Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge for ST/Amiga in 1990. The Lotus games are notable for their smooth framerates, accurate controls and split-screen 2-player option. The Amiga version is (trivially) audio-visually superior to the ST version. The Amiga version was coded by Shaun Southern.
The original version of Lotus features 32 courses, 20 cars per race and strategic pit stops. When Lotus came out it was the best arcade-style racer on Western home computers.
Magnetic Fields subsequently released Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 for ST/Amiga in 1991; it was also coded by Shaun Southern. And Lotus 2 was also excellent. Lotus 2 featured full-screen single-player mode (not split-screen single-player mode), better graphics and a more professional presentation than its predecessor.
Lotus 3: The Ultimate Challenge was released by Magnetic Fields in 1992 on ST/Amiga, and in 1993 on IBM PC MS-DOS, but Lotus 3 was inferior to the first two Lotus games. Again, Shaun Southern coded the ST/Amiga versions whereas the PC conversion was coded by Jon Medhurst of Cygnus Software.
Note how ST/Amiga hosted Lotus in 1990 whereas the PC did not get a Lotus game until 1993.
Celica GT Rally IBM PC 1990
Gremlin Graphics released Celica GT Rally for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1990.
Turbo Outrun IBM PC 1990
Sega Enterprises released Turbo Outrun for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1990. This is another terrible arcade conversion.
1991 Racing Games
Formula One Grand Prix IBM PC 1991
Team Suzuki Amiga 1991
Gremlin Graphics released Team Suzuki for Atari ST, Amiga and IBM PC MS-DOS in 1991. Fast and smooth rendering engine, but does not render the riders. The ST/Amiga version was coded by Karl West; the PC version by Mark Robinson.
Moonshine Racers IBM PC 1991
Millennium / Peakstar released Moonshine Racers for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1991. This game has awful controls.
1992 Racing Games
Jaguar XJ-200 Amiga 1992
Core Design released Jaguar XJ-200 for the Amiga in 1992. Programmed by Mark Avory, Jaguar XJ-200 is a Lotus-like game that lets players create their own tracks.
No Second Prize Amiga 1992
Thalion Software released No Second Prize for ST/Amiga in 1992. No Second Prize was coded by Christian Jungen. No Second Prize features 20 racetracks, six racers and accurate mouse-controlled steering.
Lamborghini American Challenge IBM PC 1992
Titus released Lamborghini American Challenge for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1992. On the Amiga this is known as Crazy Cars 3.
1993 Racing Games
IndyCar Racing IBM PC 1993
1994 Racing Games
Vroom IBM PC 1994
Lankhor released Vroom for IBM PC MS-DOS and Amiga in 1994. Vroom features a good framerate even on the Amiga 500; the game has a great sense of speed.
NASCAR Racing IBM PC 1994
1995 Racing Games
IndyCar Racing 2 IBM PC 1995
Need for Speed IBM PC 1995
Electronic Arts released Need for Speed for IBM PC MS-DOS/4GW in 1995.
Destruction Derby IBM PC 1995
Reflections released Destruction Derby for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1995. DOS/4GW.
Screamer IBM PC 1995
Screamer was released by Graffiti for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1995. Screamer was coded by Antonio Miscellaneo. The Screamer 3D rendering engine was coded by Antonio Martini. Software-rendered. DOS/4GW.
1996 Racing Games
NASCAR Racing 2 IBM PC 1996
Grand Prix 2 IBM PC 1996
Screamer 2 IBM PC 1996
Screamer 2 was released by Milestone for IBM PC MS-DOS and Windows 95 in 1996. Screamer 2 was coded by Stefano Lecchi. The Screamer 2 3D rendering engine was coded by Antonio Martini. DOS/4GW.
1997 Racing Games
Screamer Rally IBM PC 1997
Screamer Rally was released by Milestone for IBM PC MS-DOS 6.0 in 1997. 3dfx Voodoo or software-rendered. DOS/4GW.
Carmageddon IBM PC 1997
Stainless Games released Carmageddon in June of 1997 for IBM PC MS-DOS 6.2 4GW Protected Mode run-time and Windows 95 DirectX 3a. Recommended specs are Pentium 70 MHz, 32 megs of RAM, 2 megs of vRAM and 264 megs of HDD space for full install. Carmageddon displays in 256-color VGA 320x200 or SVGA 640x480 via hires.bat.
Carmageddon allows users to customize the following graphics settings: Car Complexity, Car Textures, Shadows, Wall Textures, Road Textures, Scenery Cut-off, Scenery Pop-up, Sky Texture, Darkness / Fog, Track Accessories and Special Effects.
Supports 3dfx Voodoo. Sprite-scaler.
Grand Theft Auto IBM PC 1997
In November of 1997 DMA Design released Grand Theft Auto for IBM PC MS-DOS 6.0/4GW 32-bit Protected run-time v2.00 and Windows 95 DirectX 5.0. Grand Theft Auto displays in 256-color VGA 320x200 or square-pixel 15-, 24- or 32-bit SVGA 640x480 or 800x600 via UNIVBE.DRV.
GTA requires an Intel DX4 100 MHz CPU, 16 megs of RAM, 1 meg of vRAM and 20 megs of HDD space. GTA also supports 3dfx Voodoo (3dfx Glide 2.42).
1998 Racing Games
Grand Prix Legends IBM PC 1998
1999 Racing Games
Grand Theft Auto 2 IBM PC 1999
DMA Design released Grand Theft Auto 2 for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1999. DMA Design became Rockstar North.
Other launchpads:
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- History of Turn-based Strategy Games PC (TBS)
- History of Real-time Strategy Games PC (RTS)
- History of Combat Flight Simulators
- History of Shoot 'em ups
- The First Flat-shaded Computer Games
- The First Texture-mapped Computer Games
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