History DuelingWorks / RacingGame

|| ''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || ''VideoGame/H2Overdrive'' (2009) || Racing games based on boats. || ''Hydro Thunder'' appeared in the arcade and as an early Dreamcast game. ''[=H2Overdrive=]'' was only available in the arcades. || ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in arcades and on the Dremcast, spawining Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, as well as a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}. ''[=H2Overdrive=]'' Never got any sequels. ||

|| ''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || ''VideoGame/H2Overdrive'' (2009) || Racing games based on boats. || Hydro Thunder'' appeared in the arcade and as an early Dreamcast game. ''[=H2Overdrive=]'' was only available in the arcades. || ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in arcades and on the Dremcast, spawining Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, as well as a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}. ''[=H2Overdrive=]'' Never got any sequels. ||

''VideoGame/CruisnUSA'' (1994)\\
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''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. While the other games listed focus on cars, ''Hydro Thunder'' focused on racing boats. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same, and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''[=H2Overdrive=]''. ||

''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. While the other games listed focus on cars, ''Hydro Thunder'' focused on racing boats.|| The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same, and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''[=H2Overdrive=]''. ||

''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' (a racing game [[RecycledInSpace in the water]]) was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same, and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''[=H2Overdrive=]''. ||

''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' (''Daytona USA'' itself [[RecycledInSpace in the water!]]) was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same, and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''[=H2Overdrive=]''. ||

\\''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' (''Daytona USA'' itself [[RecycledInSpace in the water!]]) was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same, and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''[=H2Overdrive=]''. ||

''VideoGame/CruisnUSA'' (1994) \\ ''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' (''Daytona USA'' itself [[RecycledInSpace in the water!]]) was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same, and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''[=H2Overdrive=]''. ||

''VideoGame/CruisnUSA'' (1994) \\ ''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' (1999) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' (''Daytona USA'' itself [[RecycledInSpace in the water!]]) was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same, and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''[=H2Overdrive=]. ||

''VideoGame/CruisnUSA'' (1994) \\ ''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' (''Daytona USA'' itself [[RecycledInSpace in the water!]]) was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same, and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, [=PlayStation=], and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''[=H2Overdrive=]. ||

''VideoGame/CruisnUSA'' (1994) \\ ''VideoGame/HydroThunder'' || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch, ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, and ''Hydro Thunder'' (''Daytona USA'' itself [[RecycledInSpace in the water!]]) was an early UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels, and ''Hydro Thunder'' was a hit in both arcades and the Dreamcast. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes, ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same and ''Hydro Thunder'' also spawned Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and PC ports, a sequel for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, and a SpiritualSuccessor for the arcades in the name of ''H2Overdrive''. ||

''VideoGame/CruisnUSA'' (1994) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch and ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the Saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes and ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same. ||

''Gran Turismo Sport'' was first announced at the 2015 Paris Games Week. Originally meant for a 2016 release, it was however delayed to October 17, 2017. The game's main selling point is the online/esports platform, featuring two full FIA-sanctioned world championships running at the same time - the Nations Cup and the Manufacturers Cup. However, the offline component isn't left untouched, with Arcade Mode and the infamous License Tests and Driving Missions returning full-force. The game also features an entirely revamped photo mode, called Scapes Unlike ''5'' and ''6'', the game doesn't feature a dynamic time-of-day/weather cycle, although players are free to modify the race's time of day before entering. There are 177 cars divided into six classes - N[[note]]Production cars, the class is further divided into subclasses determined by the cars' engine power[[/note]], Gr.4[[note]]Equivalent to the real-life [=GT4=] class[[/note]], Gr.3[[note]]Equivalent to the real-life [=GT3=] class[[/note]], Gr.1[[note]]Roughly equivalent to [=LMP1=] and [=LMP1-H=][[/note]], Gr.B[[note]]Rally cars[[/note]] and Gr.X[[note]]Cars that do not fall into any of the previous classes[[/note]] - and 19 locations to race on, numbers that will only rise up as time goes as Polyphony has announced a free DLC program. This is also the very first ''Gran Turismo'' game to feature Porsche vehicles, as EA lost their exclusive rights to the brand back in 2016. || ''Horizon 3'' by default, since ''GT Sport'' was delayed to 2017 and (more fittingly) went up against ''Forza Motorsport 7'' instead. That said, ''Horizon 3'' garnered an even better reception from gamers and critics alike than ''Horizon 2'' (gaining ''universal acclaim'' based on its Metacritic score of 91 and winning Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2016), becoming the best entry of its series... [[SerialEscalation until its sequel]] ''Horizon 4'' came out. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/{{Forza}} Forza Horizon]]'' (2012) || ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed: [[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted Most Wanted]]'' (2012) || 2012 British-developed production car racers held in {{Wide Open Sandbox}}es with an emphasis on multiplayer, nonlinear progression, and killer soundtracks with EDM, indie rock, and alternative rock. Also use Kinect voice commands on Xbox 360 in single-player. || The other similarities between these two games are a few shared cars (including their DLC cars), speed traps that could tell how fast a car was going upon passing them by, and having the same song in their soundtracks: "The Power" by DJ Fresh and Dizzee Rascal; they also share a few artists, such as Skrillex, Nero, Madeon and The Maccabees. They both also received a good deal of DLC from their respective fanbases. That's where it ends though. ''Horizon'', being a spinoff of the ''Forza Motorsport'' games, was a Xbox 360-exclusive semi-sim racer developed by a newly-formed developer called Creator/PlaygroundGames, containing employees with racing game experience (including those previously from [[Creator/CriterionGames the developer of the competing game]]), with some collaboration by the series' main developer Turn 10. ''Most Wanted'', which was released on several consoles, was a reinterpretation of the beloved 2005 game of the same name. The arcade-styled racer was made solely by Creator/CriterionGames, a veteran racing game developer known for the ''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'' series who previously made the unanimously-acclaimed 2010 reboot of ''Hot Pursuit''. ''Horizon'' took place in a fictionalized version of Colorado, but the free-roaming was mostly stuck to the roads. ''Most Wanted'' took place in a fictional city called Fairhaven, which has inspirations from Boston, Massachusetts and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and contained more free-roaming areas off the main road. ''Horizon'' had many cars in a decent variety of body styles, though they had to be bought at a showroom using in-game currency or optional microtransactions. ''Most Wanted'' had way less cars by comparison, but a wider variety of body styles, including street-legal open wheel cars, and all but ten cars (fourteen counting DLC) could be found resting in various spots all over its (single-player) world and driven immediately from there; the rest, called the "most wanted" vehicles, had to be beaten in special unlockable races. ''Horizon'' had realistic car modifications that not only affected performance, but the class the cars were allowed to race in; ''Most Wanted'' had car mods that could be added instantaneously with no effect on the cars' pre-defined classes, but they emphasized one aspect of performance over another. ''Most Wanted'' has (single-player only) police and crashes have an effect on gameplay, mostly from ''Burnout''-style takedowns; ''Horizon'' has no cops and only cosmetic damage. ''Most Wanted''[='=]s multiplayer had racers competing in multiple events within various five-event playlists, chosen at random in public sessions and by players in friends-only sessions. ''Horizon''[='=]s multiplayer events could be chosen completely by the player, whether by joining or hosting a public or private session. Among their DLC outside of cars, ''Most Wanted'' added a new area (an airport) and a couple new single-player-only race modes, while ''Horizon'' added rally races and a free expansion that provided additional optional goals for players to do in each and every car in the game. || Both were well-received by critics, each winning various racing game of the year awards, and both did supposedly well sales-wise. ''Most Wanted'' outsold the previous year's ''Need for Speed'' game (''The Run''), was the seventh-best-selling game in the US in November 2012, and was the fifth-best-selling game in the UK on its week of release. ''Horizon'' sold well-enough be on the top 20 most played games on Xbox Live for the first two months after its release. However, going over their hatedoms, ''Horizon'' was disliked by core ''Forza'' fans for dropping the traditional racing day events of the main games, disabling some of the more realistic aspects of ''Forza'' such as performance-affecting car damage, and running only at a locked 30 frames per second throughout. Since it was a spinoff though, the hatred simmered down as the months went by and ''Forza Motorsport 5'' was released the following year on UsefulNotes/XboxOne.\\\\
The same could not be said for ''Most Wanted'', which received a large backlash from the majority of the ''Need for Speed'' fanbase for being almost nothing like [[SacredCow the 2005 EA Black Box game they remember]] and too much like ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise''. Likewise, core ''Burnout'' fans also did not like the ''Paradise'' similarities. The backlash was so big that it affected the reputation of both Criterion and the following year's ''Rivals'' (mainly developed by a new developer called [[Creator/EAGothenburg Ghost Games]], who have several people originally from Criterion in their staff) and later prompted EA to decide not to release a new ''NFS'' game in 2014.[[note]]''Rivals'' received a ''[[GameOfTheYearEdition Complete Edition]]'' re-release that year, which has never been done before in the series' history.[[/note]] With ''Horizon'' spawning a series of [[EvenBetterSequel increasingly lauded sequels]] (see below), and the ''Need for Speed'' series eventually receiving [[ContinuityReboot yet another reboot]] in 2015 (which ended up getting a mixed reception from critics), the winner is Playground Games' ''Forza Horizon''. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/SplitSecond Split/Second]]'' (2010) || ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' (2010) || Arcade-style [[DrivingGame racing games]] with a major gimmick. || Said gimmicks are player-controlled explosions and ''VideoGame/MarioKart''-esque weaponry, respectively. || ''[[VideoGame/SplitSecond Split/Second]]''. The explosion-packed racer has sold over a half-million units worldwide, while ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' has yet to reach that milestone. Not only did ''Blur'' fail to sell well (and the game's TakeThat to ''Mario Kart'' in its marketing campaign [[InsultBackfire blew up in their faces, adding to the problems)]], Creator/{{Activision}} shuttered developer Bizarre Creations because of it. However, by 2011 Disney also had to close down ''Split/Second'' developer Black Rock Studio after developers' claims of Disney's ExecutiveMeddling after the game's release. ||
|| ''[[VideoGame/SplitSecond Split/Second]]'' (2010) || ''VideoGame/{{Motorstorm}}: Apocalypse'' (2011) || Arcade-style [[DrivingGame racing games]] focused around over-the-top destruction. || The destruction in ''Split/Second'' is controlled by the player and is in the context of a GameShow, while that in ''Apocalypse'' is caused by earthquakes and other natural disasters that the player must work around or evade. || ''Motorstorm: Apocalypse'' had the incredible misfortune of being released just ''days'' after the 2011 Japanese earthquake, and just over a month after another earthquake in New Zealand. [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents As a result, its release in those two countries -- the former of which is the mecca of gaming]] -- was [[NoExportForYou canceled]], releases in North America and Britain were delayed by almost a month, and the Australian release, while on time, saw all advertising pulled from the airwaves and all new shipments halted. ''Split/Second'' wound up winning this contest by a country mile, with its half-million-plus sales dwarfing ''Apocalypse'''s roughly 125,000 worldwide units. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/SplitSecond Split/Second]]'' (2010) || ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' (2010) || Arcade-style [[DrivingGame racing games]] with a major gimmick. || Said gimmicks are player-controlled explosions and ''VideoGame/MarioKart''-esque weaponry, respectively. || ''[[SplitSecond Split/Second]]''. The explosion-packed racer has sold over a half-million units worldwide, while ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' has yet to reach that milestone. Not only did ''Blur'' fail to sell well (and the game's TakeThat to ''Mario Kart'' in its marketing campaign [[InsultBackfire blew up in their faces, adding to the problems)]], Creator/{{Activision}} shuttered developer Bizarre Creations because of it. However, by 2011 Disney also had to close down ''Split/Second'' developer Black Rock Studio after developers' claims of Disney's ExecutiveMeddling after the game's release. ||

''VideoGame/CruisnUSA'' (1994) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch and ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes and ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same. ||

|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/SplitSecond Split/Second]]'' (2010) || ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' (2010) || Arcade-style [[DrivingGame racing games]] with a major gimmick. || Said gimmicks are player-controlled explosions and ''VideoGame/MarioKart''-esque weaponry, respectively. || ''[[SplitSecond Split/Second]]''. The explosion-packed racer has sold over a half-million units worldwide, while ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' has yet to reach that milestone. Not only did ''Blur'' fail to sell well (and the game's TakeThat to ''Mario Kart'' in it's marketing campaign [[InsultBackfire blew up in their faces, adding to the problems)]], Creator/{{Activision}} shuttered developer Bizarre Creations because of it. However, by 2011 Disney also had to close down ''Split/Second'' developer Black Rock Studio after developers' claims of Disney's ExecutiveMeddling after the game's release. ||

|| ''VideoGame/TestDrive'' (1987) || ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' (1994) || Racing games focused around exotic cars raced on open-road circuits. || The first ''Test Drive'' came out in 1987, while the first ''NFS'' was made in 1994 with a tie-in from ''Road & Track'' magazine. As ''NFS'' became popular, ''Test Drive'' was brought out of retirement by Accolade. The two series diverged in 2003 when ''NFS'' switched its focus to tuner car racing. || ''NFS'', hands down. It was one of Creator/ElectronicArts' flagship series in the '90s and well into the 2000s, while ''Test Drive'', for much of that same period, was seen as playing FollowTheLeader. While the ''Test Drive'' series came back with its best game, ''[[VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited Unlimited]]'', in 2006 (just as ''NFS'' was entering its DorkAge), its [[ObviousBeta buggy]] sequel damaged the goodwill that the series had earned. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/SplitSecond Split/Second]]'' (2010) || ''VideoGame/{{Motorstorm}}: Apocalypse'' (2011) || Arcade-style [[DrivingGame racing games]] focused around over-the-top destruction. || The destruction in ''Split/Second'' is controlled by the player and is in the context of a GameShow, while that in ''Apocalypse'' is caused by earthquakes and other natural disasters that the player must work around or evade. || ''Motorstorm: Apocalypse'' had the incredible misfortune of being released [[TooSoon just]] ''[[TooSoon days]]'' [[TooSoon after the 2011 Japanese earthquake, and just over a month after another earthquake in New Zealand]]. As a result, its release in those two countries -- the former of which is the mecca of gaming -- was [[NoExportForYou canceled]], releases in North America and Britain were delayed by almost a month, and the Australian release, while on time, saw all advertising pulled from the airwaves and all new shipments halted. ''Split/Second'' wound up winning this contest by a country mile, with its half-million-plus sales dwarfing ''Apocalypse'''s roughly 125,000 worldwide units. ||

|| ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'' (1997) || ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}'' (2005) || First-party semi-simulation track racing series. || ''Gran Turismo'' started early on [=PlayStation=] while ''Forza''[='=]s first installment (''Forza Motorsport'') appeared one generation later on Xbox. || Another tie. Both games are flagship titles for their respective systems, are both critically acclaimed, enjoy frequent DLC support from their respective developers, and are officially endorsed by ''Series/TopGear''. It's more a matter of taste than anything; while ''Forza''[='=]s vehicle roster is heavily focused on American and European cars, ''Gran Turismo''[='=]s is just as heavily focused on Japanese cars. A typical samurai vs. knight debate. As for a technical winner, ''GT'' has been around longer than ''Forza'' and is second to the ''Need for Speed'' series in overall game sales. As for a quality winner, however, many people would say that ''Forza'' has outdone ''GT'' in its latest installments in pure game quality. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/{{Wipeout}} Wipeout Omega Collection]]'' (2017) || ''[[VideoGame/FastRacingLeague FAST RMX]]'' (2017), ''VideoGame/{{Redout}}'' (2017) || Futuristic racing games, primarily for consoles. || ''Omega Collection'' and ''RMX'' are both {{Updated Rerelease}}s of earlier titles in their respective series, and exclusive to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch respectively. ''Redout'', on the other hand, is an original, multiplatform game. || In terms of critical reception, it was practically a three-way tie (albeit with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne port of ''Redout'' being considered sub-par by many). In terms of sales, most likely ''Omega Collection'', which was the only one of the three to get a physical release, though exact figures aren't available.

The same could not be said for ''Most Wanted'', which received a large backlash from the majority of the ''Need for Speed'' fanbase for being almost nothing like [[SacredCow the 2005 EA Black Box game they remember]] and too much like ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise''. Likewise, core ''Burnout'' fans also did not like the ''Paradise'' similarities. The backlash was so big that it affected the reputation of both Criterion and the following year's ''Rivals'' (mainly developed by a new developer called Creator/GhostGames, who have several people originally from Criterion in their staff) and later prompted EA to decide not to release a new ''NFS'' game in 2014.[[note]]''Rivals'' received a ''[[GameOfTheYearEdition Complete Edition]]'' re-release that year, which has never been done before in the series' history.[[/note]] With ''Horizon'' spawning a series of [[EvenBetterSequel increasingly lauded sequels]] (see below), and the ''Need for Speed'' series eventually receiving [[ContinuityReboot yet another reboot]] in 2015 (which ended up getting a mixed reception from critics), the winner is Playground Games' ''Forza Horizon''. ||

|| ''VideoGame/TestDrive'' (1987) || ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' (1994) || Racing games focused around exotic cars raced on open-road circuits. || The first ''Test Drive'' came out in 1987, while the first ''NFS'' was made in 1994 with a tie-in from ''Road & Track'' magazine. As ''NFS'' became popular, ''Test Drive'' was brought out of retirement by Accolade. The two series diverged in 2003 when ''NFS'' switched its focus to tuner car racing. || ''NFS'', hands down. It was one of Creator/ElectronicArts' flagship series in the '90s and well into the 2000s, while ''Test Drive'', for much of that same period, was seen as playing FollowTheLeader. While the ''Test Drive'' series came back with its best game, ''[[WideOpenSandbox Unlimited]]'', in 2006 (just as ''NFS'' was entering its DorkAge), its [[ObviousBeta buggy]] sequel damaged the goodwill that the series had earned. ||

The same could not be said for ''Most Wanted'', which received a large backlash from the majority of the ''Need for Speed'' fanbase for being almost nothing like [[SacredCow the 2005 EA Black Box game they remember]] and too much like ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise''. Likewise, core ''Burnout'' fans also did not like the ''Paradise'' similarities. The backlash was so big that it affected the reputation of both Criterion and the following year's ''Rivals'' (mainly developed by a new developer called Ghost Games, who have several people originally from Criterion in their staff) and later prompted EA to decide not to release a new ''NFS'' game in 2014.[[note]]''Rivals'' received a ''[[GameOfTheYearEdition Complete Edition]]'' re-release that year, which has never been done before in the series' history.[[/note]] With ''Horizon'' spawning a series of [[EvenBetterSequel increasingly lauded sequels]] (see below), and the ''Need for Speed'' series eventually receiving [[ContinuityReboot yet another reboot]] in 2015 (which ended up getting a mixed reception from critics), the winner is Playground Games' ''Forza Horizon''. ||

Certainly a SpiritualSuccessor to the ambitious but ultimately flawed ''Test Drive Unlimited 2'' (with some elements of the ''Need for Speed: Underground'' games, and also a few ''The Fast and The Furious''-esque hints),[[note]]Funny thing about it, a ''Fast & Furious''-themed standalone expansion was released for ''Forza Horizon 2''[[/note]] ''The Crew'' takes place in the entirety of (a condensed version of) the continental United States of America, and is an MMO under all respects: players can create their four-player crew to take on driving missions and various challenges spread throughout the open world. As they complete these missions and challenges, players obtain various upgrade parts for their vehicle, and if they do well enough, they can get extremely rare and powerful upgrades. The vehicles can be modified to suit various needs, ranging from street racing and off-road driving to car combat. ''The Crew'' did not feature a dynamic weather system until the ''Wild Run'' expansion's release. Also, much like ''Horizon''[='=]s previous battle, it shares a commercial song with the competing game; this time it's "How You Like Me Now?" by Music/TheHeavy. || ''Horizon 2'' is currently having the upper hand as it is easily living up to the hype it received, getting rave critical reviews and unanimous fan acclaim, even being liked from the hatedom of the original ''Horizon''; it's even regarded as the best open-world racing game of recent memory, if not of all time. ''The Crew'', after a quite difficult beta stage, also had a satisfactory launch, but it received mixed reviews from critics and users.\\\\
Considering that ''The Crew'' is a multiplatform MMO (and successful [=MMOs=] tend to have long-lasting communities) while ''Horizon 2'' is just another yearly installment in the ''Forza'' series, time will tell who wins this battle, especially since a massive expansion for ''The Crew'' called ''Wild Run'' was released in late 2015. Still, many critics and gamers believe that ''Horizon 2'' is the better game by a long shot. ||

''Gran Turismo Sport'' was first announced at the 2015 Paris Games Week. Originally meant for a 2016 release, it was however delayed to October 17, 2017. The game's main selling point is the online/esports platform, featuring two full FIA-sanctioned world championships running at the same time - the Nations Cup and the Manufacturers Cup. However, the offline component isn't left untouched, with Arcade Mode and the infamous License Tests and Driving Missions returning full-force. The game also features an entirely revamped photo mode, called Scapes Unlike ''5'' and ''6'', the game doesn't feature a dynamic time-of-day/weather cycle, although players are free to modify the race's time of day before entering. There are 177 cars divided into six classes - N[[note]]Production cars, the class is further divided into subclasses determined by the cars' engine power[[/note]], Gr.4[[note]]Equivalent to the real-life [=GT4=] class[[/note]], Gr.3[[note]]Equivalent to the real-life [=GT3=] class[[/note]], Gr.1[[note]]Roughly equivalent to [=LMP1=] and [=LMP1-H=][[/note]], Gr.B[[note]]Rally cars[[/note]] and Gr.X[[note]]Cars that do not fall into any of the previous classes[[/note]] - and 19 locations to race on, numbers that will only rise up as time goes as Polyphony has announced a free DLC program. This is also the very first ''Gran Turismo'' game to feature Porsche vehicles, as EA lost their exclusive rights to the brand back in 2016. || TBD. While ''GT Sport'' was already announced in 2015, ''Horizon 3'' was only announced at the 2016 edition of the Electronic Entertainment Expo/[=E3=]. Despite ''Horizon 3'' getting an overall warmer reception from gamers and critics alike (gaining ''universal acclaim'' based on its Metacritic score of 91 and winning Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2016), ''GT Sport'' is also seen as a promising title dead-set on bringing ''Gran Turismo'' back to the forefront of (semi-)sim racers. However, since ''GT Sport'' has been delayed to 2017, it's likely that it will be going up against ''Forza Motorsport 7'' instead. ||

After spending some time in the Land Down Under, Creator/PlaygroundGames brings the Horizon Festival to their homeland of Great Britain, making the festival run all year-round (in-game) with changing seasons that affect the game world. Not only that, the festival is more social than ever with the open world shared between players on 72-player servers, although those who still want to drive alone offline have the option to do so. || ''Forza Horizon 4'' blew the three-months-older ''The Crew 2'' out of the water in terms of critical reception upon its release. On Metacritic, ''Horizon 4'' has managed to achieve a metascore of 92 on Xbox One, beating the highly-praised ''Horizon 3'' as the highest-rated entry in the ''Forza Horizon'' series and tying ''Forza Motorsport'' 1 and ''3'' as the highest-rated ''Forza'' game ever. ''The Crew 2'', however, got a very mixed critical reception with its metascores staying in the 60s (66 on PC, 64 on [=PS4=], and 69 on Xbox One), and was also especially hurt by Ivory Tower's decision to not provide [=PvP=] at launch (it will be added via an update coming by the end of 2018, a couple months after ''Forza Horizon 4''[='=]s launch). ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/SplitSecond Split/Second]]'' (2010) || ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' (2010) || Arcade-style [[DrivingGame racing games]] with a major gimmick. || Said gimmicks are player-controlled explosions and VideoGame/MarioKart-esque weaponry, respectively. || ''[[SplitSecond Split/Second]]''. The explosion-packed racer has sold over a half-million units worldwide, while ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' has yet to reach that milestone. Not only did ''Blur'' fail to sell well (and the game's TakeThat to ''Mario Kart'' in it's marketing campaign [[InsultBackfire blew up in their faces, adding to the problems)]], Creator/{{Activision}} shuttered developer Bizarre Creations because of it. However, by 2011 Disney also had to close down ''Split/Second'' developer Black Rock Studio after developers' claims of Disney's ExecutiveMeddling after the game's release. ||

''VideoGame/CruisnUSA'' (1994) || Early 3D arcade racing games with an emphasis on drifting. || The dueling continued on the home market, where ''Daytona USA'' was one of the launch game of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn while ''Ridge Racer'' headlined the UsefulNotes/PlayStation's launch and ''Cruis'n USA'' was an early UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title. || ''Daytona USA'' won in arcades, being Creator/{{Sega}}'s biggest arcade earner and one of the most successful arcade games '''ever'''. ''Ridge Racer'' instead took the lead in the home market with its faithful home port (the saturn port of ''Daytona USA'' was considered vastly inferior) and critically acclaimed console-exclusive sequels. In the end, ''Ridge Racer'' spawned a much longer series with [[LongRunner more than twenty]] sequels and spinoffs, while ''Daytona USA'' only had a single sequel and two remakes and ''Cruis'n USA'' fared about the same.||

|| ''[[Manga/WanganMidnight Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune]]'' (2001) || ''[[Manga/InitialD Initial D Arcade Stage]]'' (2001) || Competitive arcade street-racing games with drifting as a core mechanic, magnetic cards as storage media and [[ProductPlacement fully-licensed]] cars. || Both arcade series rolled out in 2001, and popularized competitive street racing for arcade machines. || Both have sizable markets and are the biggest titles of the genre patch. In the US and Europe, ''Wangan Midnight'' always had a clear lead. This is due to the ''Initial D'' games requiring more time to learn, and the larger initial investment required (the WMMT cards are around a third cheaper in those areas). However, in Asia, ''Initial D'' was initially far more popular due to the anime and movie, and that in Asia both game cards are practically identically priced. However, ''Initial D'' started losing market share to ''Wangan Midnight'' in the late 2000s due to the anime falling out of popularity. With Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity announced as the final entry of the game, the winner is now clearly '''Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune''' ||