The subject of the best Android racing games might be a controversial one. And we’re laying down the ground rules straight off.

Let’s get this out of the way: CSR 2 is not on this list. Neither is Forza Street, nor any drag racing game. Yes, you could argue that these are the quintessential mobile racers. The genre was born on mobile, after all. And they’re great, ingeniously retooling the format around the demands of players who frequently only have a single spare digit to play with. 

Perhaps we’ll write a list of the best mobile drag racers one day, but for our money they’re not proper racing games. In DG Towers, steering still matters. 

And so does variety. We’ve covered everything from graphically breathtaking, mechanically impeccable racers like Real Racing 3 to Mario Kart Tour and Hill Climb Racing 2, at the other end of the realism spectrum.

As ever, please tell us what we got wrong in the comments below. 

The Best Android Racing Games

Real Racing 3

It’s hard to overstate the impact of Real Racing when developer Firemint unleashed it upon the world way back in 2009. Real Racing looked like a console game. It played like a console game. It was mind-blowing. While other studios have mostly caught up, Real Racing 3 remains one of the prettiest and most playable racing games on mobile. It’s free, too.

Asphalt 9: Legends

Gameloft is a curiously divisive studio, with a very long record of mostly solid games that belies its indifferent reputation among mobile game fans. But there’s no arguing with Asphalt 9: Legends. Sure, it’s derivative, but it’s also huge, gorgeous, and lots of fun, taking advantage of the home terrain to beat Need for Speed at its own game.

Rush Rally Origins

The latest version of the Rush Rally series is the greatest. It’s fast and furious, it looks stunning, and there’s a whole raft of courses and cars to unlock and play.

The game captures the frantic, split-second drama of rallying almost perfectly. And on top of all that it’s a premium release, so what’s not to love?

GRID Autosport

A slick and super good-looking racer with premium content that’s all yours with one purchase. Tons of cars and lots of different modes. Perfect if you don’t want to be hounded for in-app purchases and just want to enjoy your game.

Reckless Racing 3

There are those who would argue that top-down racers are altogether a better fit for mobile. Reckless Racing 3 puts forward a compelling case.

This gorgeous and frantic racing game from Pixelbite sees you steering a variety of vehicles around 36 different routes and six different environments. There are 28 vehicles to choose from, a ton of modes and events, and all the powersliding you can eat. 

Mario Kart Tour

Is Mario Kart Tour the best kart racing game on mobile? Probably not. Nintendo has had a decent stab at making games for smartphones, but you can tell its heart isn’t really in it. Even so, come on, this is Mario Kart. On your phone. And thanks to a series of game-changing updates since launch you can now play it in landscape and against up to seven other players in real time. 

Wreckfest

For something a little more rough and rusty there’s Wreckfest, a destruction derby racer that refuses to take things too seriously. Perfect if you want to mow down opponents in a combine harvester… and who doesn’t want to do that? It’s Farmageddon!

KartRider Rush

Is KartRider Rush the best kart racing game on mobile? Yes. Nexon’s contribution to the genre, released last year, is everything you could ask for in a kart racer, with console-quality visuals, tons of modes, over 45 tracks, and regular updates and events. It may not have the branding of Mario Kart Tour, but it has everything else. 

Horizon Chase

Sometimes you just need to do one thing really well, and developer Aquiris absolutely nailed it with Horizon Chase. This classic arcade racer walks a fine line between retro and modern, with a Out Run-esque aesthetic and gameplay style brought up to date with slick, stylish 3D graphics.

It’s a joy to behold, and an even greater joy to play. There are 92 tracks, ten cups, 40 cities, and a soundtrack from the guy who wrote the Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge music. 

Rebel Racing

Yet more evidence that your smartphone can do it all, Rebel Racing is another stunning, meaty arcade racer that looks sensational and plays like a dream.

Set in a variety of sunny West Coast locations, Rebel Racing sees you tearing around on highways, beaches, mountain tracks, narrow roads, and race tracks, with a Burnout-esque emphasis on arcadey recklessness. 

Hot Lap League

A super slick, time-trial-based racer that looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s addictive too, with the tracks only taking a few minutes to complete and the urge to shave a few tenths of a second off your time becoming compulsive pretty quickly. Best of all, it’s a premium release. There are shades of Trackmania and Ridge Racer here, and it’s loads of fun.

Data Wing

Data Wing might just be the most acclaimed title on this list, with an average user rating of 4.8 from over 280,000 reviews. Not bad for a game that doesn’t even look like a racer.

Dan Vogt’s stylish modern classic sees you racing a little neon arrowhead against other neon arrowheads in a slick, minimalist, utterly beautiful game world. Not all of the 40 levels look like tracks, and you can do unusual stuff like thrusting off walls, but this is a racer through and through, and a brilliant one at that. 

Final Freeway

If Horizon Chase pays tribute to arcade racers of yore, Final Freeway straight up recreates them.

Taking inspiration from Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge 2 and other games of that ilk, it sees you racing a fancy red sports car through a variety of environments, and while it’s not the best or most comprehensive racing game on this list, it is the most authentic recreation of the Commodore Amiga era. A buck well spent. 

Dirt Trackin 2

Dirt Trackin 2 goes deep on a very specific type of NASCAR-style stock car racing, in which you tear around and around a single dusty circuit. It might be dull if it weren’t for the frantic Max Max-esque jostling for position in a crowded pack.

This is a simulation with an arcade-y feel. There are five different car models, a career mode, and a mixture of real-world and fictional drivers and tracks. 

Hill Climb Racing 2

And now for something completely different. Hill Climb Racing 2 is the only racing game on this list that you play from the side. This vaguely Trials-esque racer is both anarchic and challenging.

Races see you flipping, bouncing, and backflipping through a variety of environments, trying to use the chaotic terrain to your advantage. With tons of vehicle customizations, online multiplayer, weekly activities, and more, Hill Climb Racing 2 is a racing game for people who don’t like racing games. 

Now you’ve seen our picks of the best Android racing games, want to try another genre? Take a look at our feature on the best Android fighting games.