The world of Electronic Entertainment Sports is one of the fastest-growing pastimes in the modern world. From Call of Duty to Brawlhalla, there are plenty of different games that you can play for hours and hours. However, one game genre is gaining traction at a rapid pace: racing simulators.
Sim Racing has been around since 1990 with a game called Formula One Grand Prix. However, it was not until the release of Daytona USA by Electronic Arts in 1996 that a true racing simulator was created. Since then, there have been many other popular racing games and simulators, such as NASCAR Racing 2002, Need for Speed Carbon, and Assetto Corsa.
So what exactly is a racing simulator? A gaming term refers to a racing game where you can drive custom cars around real tracks in real-world locations from the past and present. Not only can you drive the car, but you can also use different strategies and tactics to win races.
This all sounds great, but what is the primary draw of these games? There are several, the most important being that they are very realistic. In some cases, such as Assetto Corsa and iRacing, you get to simulate racing in real-life locations like Monaco or Le Mans. These types of games allow the player to feel like they are actually driving the car on the best race tracks in the world.
But if you want to simulate racing on other racetracks, you need a game that is based outside of Europe or North America. Several games allow you to do this and simulate different vehicle settings such as an F1 car or even a drag racer in real-life locations.
So if you want to simulate racing on these different tracks, where do you start? Certainly, not all racing games are made equally. In fact, some have a much better physics engine than others. Physics engines allow the player to feel like they are driving the car on the specific track that they choose. It is why simulators such as iRacing have acorn graphics, and Need for Speed has high-definition visuals. A first-person perspective.