On your marks, Get-Set-GO!!! — here are the biggest upcoming racing games of 2026 that every speed junkie needs in their radar.
This year has one thing going for it — and honestly, it has several — it’s that racing game fans are absolutely in for a treat. From roaming around in open-world Japan to mainstream Motorsport we have covered all upcoming racing games of 2026, So… Helmet on. Seatbelt clicked. Let’s get the wheels running.
1. Forza Horizon 6
Every few years, Playground Games picks a country, throws 500+ cars into it, and somehow makes the rest of the gaming industry look underworked. This time, the lucky destination is Japan — a location Forza fans had been requesting since roughly the dawn of time. And to their credit, Playground has gone absolutely all in. The open world map is the franchise’s most ambitious yet, with the Tokyo City area being larger than any previous Horizon city. You’ll be cruising Shibuya Crossing, tearing through mountain passes, and battling all four seasons in one of the most technically ambitious racing games ever made. With plethora of real-world cars, including JDM legends that will make any car enthusiast weep actual tears of joy.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 19, 2026 (Xbox/PC) — PS5 Later in 2026 |
| Genre | Open-World Racing |
| Platforms | Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS5 (later) |
| Co-op | Yes (Online Co-op) |
| Developer | Playground Games |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
2. MotoGP 26
Milestone’s annual tradition of launching a new MotoGP game before most people have recovered from the previous one continues in 2026 — and this time they’ve actually done something genuinely interesting with it. The headline addition is the Dynamic Rider Ratings system, which is exactly as cool as it sounds. Each rider is assigned a rating card based on four key attributes — lap time, pace, head-to-head performance and reliability — and these values update constantly based on real race results. So if your favorite rider is absolutely cooking it in the real-world championship, they’ll be cooking it in your game too. The physics have also been completely overhauled with a rider-based handling system that actually simulates body weight and movement on the bike. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re about to low-side at 180km/h from the comfort of your sofa, MotoGP 26 is your moment.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | April 29, 2026 |
| Genre | Motorsport Simulation |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC |
| Co-op | Yes (Online Multiplayer, up to 22 players) |
| Developer | Milestone S.r.l. |
| Publisher | Milestone S.r.l. |
3. Endurance Motorsport Series
KT Racing — the studio behind the WRC games before Codemasters swooped in and nicked the license — is back with something genuinely unique. Endurance Motorsport Series lets you not only drive the race car, but also manage its strategy from the pit wall, seamlessly switching from driver to engineer. Yes, you can be both the person driving the car AND the person panicking at the pit wall about tire wear. This is multitasking as a motorsport discipline. The game supports three players sharing a single car in collaborative online races, with grids of up to 24 players— which means you can argue about pit strategy with your friends in real-time while also trying not to bin the car into a barrier. The physics are described as “sim-lite” — realistic enough to feel authentic, accessible enough that your mates won’t quit after lap one. A genuinely fresh concept in an increasingly crowded genre.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2026 (Exact Date TBC) |
| Genre | Endurance Racing / Strategy Simulation |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC |
| Co-op | Yes (up to 24 players online) |
| Developer | Kylotonn (KT Racing) |
| Publisher | Nacon |
4. FlatOut 4: Total Insanity VR
Remember FlatOut? The beautiful, chaotic demolition racer where you could literally launch your driver through the windscreen like a very fleshy projectile? Well, someone looked at that game and thought “you know what this needs? For all of that to happen directly in front of your face in virtual reality.” And honestly, they were right. Since FlatOut 4 was originally a third-person game, Flat2VR artists created the car interiors from scratch — every single one — just to make the VR cockpit experience possible. That’s a commitment to carnage that deserves genuine respect. It’s the first title under Flat2VR Spark — a creator-led label that pairs expert VR modders with official IP holders to turn ambitious VR conversions into commercial releases. Launching in Early Access on SteamVR first, with full PSVR2 and Meta Quest releases to follow. If you’ve got a headset and a high pain threshold, this one’s for you.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | April 23, 2026 (Early Access, SteamVR) |
| Genre | Arcade / Demolition Racing (VR) |
| Platforms | PC (SteamVR), PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest (Full Release TBC) |
| Co-op | Yes (Online Multiplayer, up to 8 players) |
| Developer | Strategy First / Flat2VR Studios |
| Publisher | Flat2VR Studios |
5. Star Wars: Galactic Racer
There is a nonzero chance that Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the most exciting game on this entire list — and it’s being made by the people who built Burnout and Need for Speed, so that’s not as wild a statement as it sounds. Developed by Fuse Games and set in the New Republic Era, the game follows Shade through an unsanctioned underground racing circuit in the lawless Outer Rim. Think Fast & Furious meets Star Wars, which is a sentence I cannot believe I got to type. Vehicles include landspeeders, skim speeders, speeder bikes, and — yes — podracers, which officially makes this a spiritual successor to the beloved 1999 Star Wars Episode I Racer that nobody asked for but absolutely everyone needed. The studio’s pedigree is exceptional, Lucasfilm Games is involved in creative decisions, and the gameplay trailers look exactly as wild and spectacular as you’d hope. The galaxy’s underground racing scene has never looked more inviting. May the fastest pilot win.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2026 (Exact Date TBC) |
| Genre | Arcade Racing / Adventure |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC |
| Co-op | Yes (Online Multiplayer, up to 12 players) |
| Developer | Fuse Games |
| Publisher | Secret Mode (in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games) |
6. CarX Drift Racing Online 2
The original CarX Drift Racing Online sits at an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam with nearly 40,000 reviews. That is an absolutely absurd level of goodwill to walk into a sequel with, and CarX Technologies knows it — so they’re not rushing. The plan is to enter Early Access around Q2 2026, with a full launch roughly at the end of the year, using the Early Access period to refine the game based on actual player feedback rather than just shipping it and hoping for the best. The physics have been enhanced in collaboration with the CarX Motorsport team and pro drifters from the RDS series, which means the tire model should feel more authentic than ever. Career mode is in, competitive multiplayer is in, and console versions are expected to follow the PC launch. The drift community has been waiting for this one for a while — and from what we’ve seen so far, the patience looks like it’ll be worth it.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Q2 2026 Early Access — Full Launch Late 2026 |
| Genre | Drift Racing Simulation |
| Platforms | PC (Steam, Early Access); Consoles TBC |
| Co-op | Yes (Online Multiplayer) |
| Developer | CarX Technologies |
| Publisher | CarX Technologies, LLC |
7. Tour de France 2026
Before you scroll past thinking “a cycling game, really?” — hear us out. Tour de France 2026 faithfully recreates all 21 stages of this year’s Grand Tour, letting you race as real-world riders like Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, complete with official jerseys and teams. And this year, Cyanide Studio has finally added something the series has always desperately needed — dynamic weather conditions powered by Unreal Engine 5, forcing players to rethink strategies on the fly as rain and changing skies hit mid-race. This isn’t just a peloton-shaped screensaver. It’s a legitimately tactical experience about positioning, timing your sprint, and knowing when to burn a teammate’s legs for your own glory. Cycling might be a sport where the biggest drama is someone’s water bottle, but in game form? It’s surprisingly gripping. Yes, we’re defending the cycling game. No, we’re not sorry.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | June 4, 2026 |
| Genre | Cycling / Sports Simulation |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC |
| Co-op | Yes (Online Multiplayer, up to 6 players) |
| Developer | Cyanide Studio |
| Publisher | Nacon |
8. IndyCar 26
IndyCar fans have been waiting over 20 years for a dedicated, standalone console game. Not an add-on. Not a DLC pack. A proper, full-fat, built-from-the-ground-up IndyCar game. iRacing Studios will release the IndyCar title for PlayStation, Xbox and Steam in the second half of 2026. The pedigree here is exceptional — iRacing’s predecessor Papyrus Racing Games created the original landmark IndyCar simulations back in the 90s, and now the torch has been passed back to people who genuinely know what they’re doing. The game will feature a robust, multilevel career mode, licensed drivers from the NTT IndyCar Series and Indy NXT, and online multiplayer — all built on iRacing Studios’ proprietary Orontes engine.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Second Half of 2026 (Exact Date TBC) |
| Genre | Racing / Simulation |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam) |
| Co-op | Yes (Online Multiplayer) |
| Developer | iRacing Studios |
| Publisher | iRacing Studios |
