5 iOS Racing Games Packed with High Speed Thrills

Smartphones are leading the way in pioneering handheld games. With modern advancements, we are lucky enough to have realistic roads and great looking cars in our mobile racing games, things once only present in the arcades. Many apps also utilize the touch sensitivity of and the accelerometers within our phones, adding dimensions to mobile gaming that would have been unthinkable around 15 years ago.

That said, fans of fantastical karting games, ones where you knock your opponent out the way with various power-ups ups, are also covered on iOS. 

Here at GameSkinny, we've selected a mixture of five iOS driving games perfect for your morning commute or lunch break.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

Publisher: SEGA
Where to Buy: App Store
Price: $3.99 

Any gamer who grew up with Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing will enjoy SEGA's Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Playable characters include Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Aiai from Super Monkey Ball, and Amigo from the Dreamcast rhythm game Samba de Amigo. The tracks are colorful, the announcer is fantastically cheesy, and each character has a special “All Star” move they can use if they are struggling in the race. The game was also released on PC, Mac, Wii, Android, and Blackberry.

Real Racing 2 

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Where to Download: App Store
Price: $4.99

Real Racing 2 is for people who want a more realistic driving experience. Developed by Firemint, the innovative integration of the iPhone’s motion sensitivity (you basically tilt the screen to go left or right) makes this racer stand out from the crowd. The graphics are on a par with the likes of Gran Tourismo, and unlike the fantasy lands of Sonic, you can drive in 15 different locations across the world.

CSR Racing

Publisher: NaturalMotion
Where to Download: App Store
Price: Free

This free game, which has more than 130 million downloads, takes some inspiration from The Fast and The Furious franchise. You street race against CPU “racing crew” members in order to upgrade your car and progress in the story. You have to time your taps on the screen just right to accelerate when needed and change gear, which is a neat touch to the genre.

You are awarded coins for a perfect start and perfect shifts to upgrade your car. There is also a regulation race mode and a ladder race round, where the difficulty spike increases incrementally for a big pay out if you are successful.  I liked the feel of the game and the reward when you timed your acceleration just right.

Angry Birds Go! 

Publisher: Rovio
Where to Download: App Store
Price: Free

This karting spin-off from the Rovio physics-based hit sees you using a slingshot at the start of each race to get the kart to run downhill on Piggy Island! However, unlike other touch-based racing games like CSR Racing, you have to tap the screen to get the car to move left or right.

There is more of an emphasis on micro-transactions in this game compared to the others on this list, as you only start out with one character. That said, the shortcuts in different tracks add variety and the game is very easy to come to grips with. Also, in Fruit Splat mode, all the coins you collect to power up your kart are replaced with fruit, which is a novel touch, and quite possibly a jibe at rival popular iPhone title, Fruit Ninja.

GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience

Publisher: Gameloft
Where to Download: App Store
Price: Free

This photo realistic driving sim has support from Ferrari and more than 67 different car manufacturers. The controls are similar to Real Racing 2, and you have the option to either tilt the phone to steer left and right or touch a button on the screen. 

The only major downside to this game is you have to save a lot of cash in order to purchase a higher end car. To fit upgrades to your car, you need to buy a mechanic. At the start of the game, there is only one to choose from, so your options are quite limited. Personally, I preferred the feel of this game to Real Racing, and the quality of the graphics is pretty impressive for a free game.

I hope you enjoyed this roundup of five driving games for iOS, which showcased the best the Apple App Store has to offer. And as always, make sure to stay tuned to GameSkinny for all of your iOS and racing game news!