Car classes in racing games
The word car covers a wide range in racing games. The class of vehicle decides how the game feels: how fast it turns, how hard it brakes and what surfaces it likes.
Road cars
Production-style cars of every size, from small hatchbacks to sports cars. Handling follows the car's weight, power and which wheels are driven.
Open-wheel cars
Single-seaters with exposed wheels, built for downforce and braking. The F1 games use this class.
Rally cars
Production-based cars prepared for gravel, tarmac and snow, with long-travel suspension. EA Sports WRC and Dirt Rally are built around them.
Karts
Small, low and nimble, with no suspension to speak of. The Mario Kart series is built around karts.
Derby and banger cars
Older, heavier cars made for contact. Wreckfest uses them for banger racing and demolition derby.
Buggies and off-roaders
Tall suspension and big tyres for rough ground, common in hill-climb and open-world games.
Hover craft
Vehicles with no wheels at all, found in anti-gravity racers such as F-Zero and WipEout.
Stats to understand
- Power and weight. A light car with moderate power can be as quick as a heavy car with a lot of it, especially through corners.
- Drivetrain. Front-wheel drive tends to push wide in corners, rear-wheel drive is easier to slide and all-wheel drive finds grip on loose surfaces.
- Tyres. Grip depends on the compound and the surface. Many games let you change tyres before an event.
- Class or performance rating. Games often group cars by a rating so races are matched. Read the class limit before you buy or tune a car.
Matching a car to a track
A tight street circuit favours a nimble car with strong brakes. A fast, open track favours top speed and stability. For loose ground, a car with long suspension travel and good traction is usually easier to keep under control.