Best Racing Games for Mac

SnowRunner

SnowRunner isn’t a racing game per se, but it’s a unique driving experience nonetheless, hence why it found its place on our list. The game’s like if someone decided to make a trucking simulator but forgot to leave out the muddy, snow-choked hellscapes. But that’s also the game’s unique selling point – the merciless terrain that will force you to strategize every journey and wisely pick your vehicles and routes. The gameplay is methodical (some may call it masochistic) and every victory against the elements feels hard-won.

Game	SnowRunner
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now
Platforms and operational systems	macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Genre	Racing, Off-road Simulation
Multiplayer	Yes (Online Co-op, up to 4 players)
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes (No modding available on consoles)
Performance on Mac	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story	N/A (Each map offers a set of contracts and challenges that provide a sense of purpose)
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

SnowRunner excels in its detailed environments, but what really lets it stand out visually is its realistic vehicle physics and weather effects. Mud will splatter over your truck, snow will accumulate on top of it, and water will splash convincingly every time you go through a puddle or a shallow stream. The game’s basically an immersive slog, which feels and plays great – we like and we bet you’ll like it too.
SnowRunner challenges the player relentlessly. Planning is the winning strategy and raw speed takes a back seat. Your instincts will tell you to dash to your final destination, but. The faster you go in SnowRunner, the slower you’ll get where you need to be. It’s a slow burn game – each mile passed and mission completed is like a true accomplishment against nature’s worst.

Road Redemption

Road Redemption is a madcap homage to the classic Road Rash. It injects the old-school vehicular combat formula with rogue-lite elements and thus creates a chaotic experience with endless replayability. If the combination of high-speed racing and brutal melee combat sounds like your type of thing, you owe this title some of your attention.

Game	Road Redemption
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	GeForce Now
Platforms and operational systems	macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS
Genre	Racing, Vehicular Combat
Multiplayer	Yes (Supports online multiplayer and local split-screen)
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes (No official modding support for Mac. The PC version might have a small modding scene)
Performance on Mac	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The gameplay is fast and frenetic (what a surprise!) with tight controls to ensure maximum satisfaction when smashing foes off their bikes. The rogue-lite structure means each run plays differently so you have all the more incentive to play again and try with different upgrades and weapons. However, it can be punishingly difficult – it’s a skill-intensive game so you better be ready for some restarts.

Road Redemption isn’t a stunner when we look at its graphics, but its visuals are colorful and stylized enough to complement the unhinged action. Too bad the environments can be a tad repetitive, but you aren’t here to look at forests and meadows anyway. The atmosphere is pure adrenaline and the pounding soundtrack will perfectly get you in the mood for mayhem.

What truly distinguishes Road Redemption is its unabashed embrace of over-the-top violence and speed that will make every race a thrillingly unpredictable brawl.

Rocket League

Rocket League breaks genre conventions by merging soccer with acrobatic car stunts. two teams of rocket-powered cars try to hit a massive ball into their opponent’s goal. The game is the epitome of chaotic elegance and that’s what we love about it. 

Game	Rocket League
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now, CrossOver; GPTK/Whisky, Parallels, Bootcamp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows
Genre	Racing, Sports, Soccer
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes (matches with bots)
Modding support	Yes
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story	N/A
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio	The game is free-to-play, but there are cosmetic microtransactions.

Every Rocket League match is a dazzling display of physics-based mayhem. The simple controls let you get the hang of it quickly only to then realize that mastering your car’s movements to outmaneuver your opponents is anything but easy. This is what we like about this game the most – its gameplay is super accessible yet, in execution, it can get very deep and advanced, especially once you introduce teamwork and tactics to the mix.

On the topic of teamwork, Rocket League is all about multiplayer experience. Matches last no longer than 5-10 minutes, so you must be quick and take the initiative as soon as you hear the starting signal. But remember the end score will be determined by your team’s ability to work together regardless of your own personal skill. 

Ultimately, the thing that has allowed Rocket League to retain its popularity all these years since its release is its balance between accessibility and depth. You can be playing for the first time or the millionth time and it will always feel like you are both good and bad at it at the same time.

Grid Legends

GRID Legends makes a bold attempt to stand out in the crowded racing genre by combining a story-driven career mode with an eclectic mix of race types. It’s like a bizarre mashup of Fast & Furious melodrama and actual racing skill – not everyone’s cup of tea, for sure, but we liked it and we hope you do too.

Game	Grid Legends
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud
Platforms and operational systems	macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S
Genre	Racing, Simulator, Sports
Multiplayer	Yes (NO multiplayer for the Mac App Store version)
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No official modding support.
Performance on Mac	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

“Driven to Glory” – the game’s career mode – is its unique selling point. It features live-action cutscenes that somehow manage to be both corny and captivating. In other words, your mileage with “Driven to Glory” may vary. Think soap opera with cars, but a bit less melodrama and more rubber-burning action.

But enough about the story/career mode; what about the gameplay? You could say the gameplay in GRID Legends straddles the line between arcade and simulation. Think snappy controls that offer an approachable entry point for newcomers, but with enough demand for skillful execution so that seasoned racers can also get some enjoyment. It’s a solid attempt to find a middle ground, but this balancing act means the gameplay excels at neither. 

In the graphics department, the cars look fantastic: sleek and shiny, like they’ve just rolled out of a showroom. Too bad that the tracks and environments can often look as exciting as a beige carpet convention. Once again, can’t have it all.

Multiplayer in GRID Legends’ is, fortunately, solid. The cross-platform play means you’ll never be short of opponents and will be able to play versus PC and console players from your device, making it one of the best racing games for Mac M1. But the true crown jewel here is the Race Creator mode – a sandbox for your most chaotic racing fantasies.

So what’s the conclusion about GRID Legends? It’s not bad. It may not be the best racing game of all time, but it’s not without its advantages and the fact it’s native to Mac machines is something we greatly appreciate.

Dirt Rally 2.0

Dirt Rally 2.0 is the racing game for hardcore players who think “casual” is a dirty word and prefer their victories served with a side of blood, sweat, and tears. This title distinguishes is all about brutal realism and unforgiving difficulty. You’ve got to be precise or the game will punish your mistakes with the glee of a sadistic gym teacher. Every turn, bump, and slide demands pinpoint precision and every victory is a hard-fought trophy and not a participation ribbon.

Game	Dirt Rally 2.0
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now, CrossOver, Parallels, Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre	Racing, Simulation
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs.)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

Dirt Rally 2.0 excels in the graphics department. The meticulously detailed environments will take you from the muddy tracks of Wales to dusty Argentina trails. Just don’t think that the weather effects are just for cosmetic flair – they will directly impact your handling so driving skills alone won’t get you first through the finish line unless are also able to adapt on the fly. The cars themselves look and sound fantastic, with engine roars that could wake the dead.

Too bad that the multiplayer is a mixed bag. Racing against real people can be thrilling, but not when you’re constantly up against obsessive perfectionists who spend more time tuning their setups than you do actually racing. And this all comes from the lack of structured leagues or comprehensive matchmaking. But if you are willing to eat the dust of the tryhards until you inevitably become a tryhard yourself, then you’ll have a solid racing experience with Dirt Rally 2.0.

Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 has many standout features, but the thing that impressed us the most is how the game literally and figuratively drops you into a vibrant, sprawling rendition of Mexico. The game’s environment is so lively you’d think the game itself had a pulse. This aspect of the game alone is enough of a reason to give it a try, but we’ll also talk about its gameplay in a bit.

Game	Forza Horizon 5
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud, Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
Genre	Racing, Open World
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

Beautiful sights aren’t everything we need from a racing game, so let’s talk gameplay. We are glad to say that Forza Horizon 5 delivers in that department too. The driving is responsive and snappy and it strikes the sweet spot between challenging and enjoyable. The game offers a mix of high-speed races, and off-road chaos so the gameplay never gets stale or repetitive. It’s a playground for petrolheads that balances accessibility with just enough realism to make you feel like you’re doing something more than just pressing buttons.

As far as graphics go, Forza Horizon 5 is like a vacation brochure. The Mexican landscapes are stunningly detailed and you’ll get to see arid deserts, lush rainforests, and everything in between. The dynamic weather and time-of-day cycles are a nice touch that’s not just for show; the weather conditions and time of day will actively influence your races and will often turn familiar tracks into new challenges. Every car is a work of art, detailed meticulously to the point where you might feel guilty about getting them dirty.

Forza Horizon 5 is what happens when you give your racing game a solid foundation grounded in enjoyable and challenging driving and then you enhance it with the atmosphere of a vacation in a tropical paradise. This makes it undoubtedly one of the best driving games on Mac.

Assetto Corsa Competizione

Assetto Corsa revs into the racing genre with hyper-realism that’ll have sim enthusiasts swooning. The secret sauce here is the physics engine But how real are we talking? Well, let’s just say that the tire grip in Assetto Corsa varies not just by surface, but also by temperature to give you an immersion as nerve-wracking as defusing a bomb with your teeth.

Game	Assetto Corsa Competizione
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now, Crossover, Parallels, Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, Xbox One/Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5
Genre	Racing, Simulation, Sports
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The game’s graphics are a visual treat even 10 years after it got released. The key here is that everything is rendered with an obsessive eye that captures every sunbeam dancing on meticulously modeled car bonnets. Each race track is recreated with an attention to detail that could only be described as ‘pedantic’. Even the car interiors offer an almost absurd level of dashboard detail to the point where you feel like you can smell the faux leather.

Gameplay-wise, AC5 sticks its landing with a variety of dynamic weather conditions that will affect your driving experience in real-time and make each race thrilling and unpredictable. You’ll need to master shifting gears like a street-racing savant if you hope to compete, let alone win. Even if you are not looking to go to the multiplayer stage, the AI competitors offer plenty of challenge. These NPC racers are unforgiving and seem to employ strategies that evolve mid-race. You’ll have to adapt constantly or be prepared to eat their dust.

In summary, Assetto Corsa is a high-octane, adrenaline-pumping commitment to motor realism that set a standard for the simulation genre that few other titles have managed to replicate to this day.

Need for Speed Heat

Need for Speed Heat is what you’d expect from a NFS game, complete with its more accessible and arcadey driving and a lot looser grip on realism. But where the game diverges from the standard formula is in its day-and-night cycle. It splits the gameplay between sanctioned daytime races for cash and illicit nighttime sprints for street cred. It’s basically like having a split personality; one that obeys traffic laws, and another that flings molotovs at police cars.

Game	Need for Speed Heat
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.
Genre	Racing, Open World
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(The game runs well on higher-end Macs. It can also run on older and weaker ones, but only if you use the lowest settings.)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

One of the things we really like in Heat is its visuals – it’s a neon-soaked spectacle that’s asking to be played in 4K. The game struts its stuff when the sun sets and lights up Palm City’s streets with a vibrant palette so every midnight chase feels like a rave. When the sun’s up, you get a crisp and inviting-looking world, but come sundown and it’s all about the underground. The glow of streetlights and neon signs are reflected in the slick cars, which themselves are not just tools for racing but pieces of moving art.

So the game’s pretty and atmospheric but how’s the gameplay? We’d say it’s solid for a NFS game. It’s a mix of risk and reward that encourages a push-and-pull between building up your ride in legal races and risking it all in high-stakes police pursuits after dark. The cops here are as relentless as always and their tactics evolve as you up the ante, so be ready for some split-second decisions when you start feeling the heat. We have to admit that the driving will probably not satisfy those looking for realism or an overwhelming challenge, but then again the NFS series has never been about that, so we won’t criticize this aspect of the game too much. 

“Need for Speed Heat” is not just about fast cars and it’s certainly not about realistic driving. The game’s about the exhilarating duality of racer life in an environment that keeps both visuals and adrenaline sharply dialed up.

Descenders

Descenders is an extreme downhill mountain biking game spiced-up by procedurally generated tracks. This means that no two spills will be the same, which is this game’s way of hurling a curveball into the mundane predictability of the racing genre. Descenders is more than racing through familiar tracks you’ve learned by heart. It’s about surviving the increasingly treacherous courses that challenge your ability to think quickly and adapt as you descend.

Game	Descenders
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
Genre	Racing, Sports, Cycling
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes (plenty of mods)
Performance on Mac	(The game runs great even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The graphics in this one aren’t as spectacular compared to other entries in the list, but the vivid tour through woodland, desert, and snowy landscapes more than makes up for that. And let’s not forget the dynamic weather that can turn a pleasant downhill jaunt into a mud-slicked nightmare in seconds. So maybe the game’s graphics don’t just dazzle, but they certainly respond to the chaos of the sport and we think that’s more important.

The gameplay here hinges on a risk-reward system that tempts you to perform reckless stunts for points, against the threat of brutal wipeouts that set you back significantly. Mastering the controls and timing is crucial to the experience. The bike handling is pleasant with its tight and responsive controls but it does take some getting used to. The thing we like most about Descenders is how it incorporates rogue-like elements of track variation and permadeath so every ride teeters on the brink of triumph or total wipeout.

Art of Rally

Art of Rally feels like a stylish ode to the golden age of rally racing. Its top-down perspective makes it stand out – it elevates it from a racing simulation to a serene driving experience. The game’s not so much about the brute force of speed but about the poetry of precision.

Game	Art of Rally
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	GeForce Now
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Genre	Racing, Physics, Sports
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes (Limited official modding support)
Performance on Mac	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

Art of Rally sports a minimalist graphics style. It’s vibrant and splashes broad strokes of color across diverse landscapes. You’ll go from sun-drenched African savannas to misty Norwegian woods and more. But the environments aren’t just pretty backdrops, but active participants in the race. They challenge you to adapt your driving style to varying terrains and weather conditions.

The gameplay here is about finesse and not frantic action. You must use smooth, thoughtful inputs to control your car. Perfect timing and awareness of your car’s movements through space will be rewarded. The game really wants you to “feel the road”. Learn to master the drift, and to dance on the edge of control. Just be careful because a single misstep could mean a tumble down the leaderboard.

The essence of “Art of Rally” is a unique zen take on the racing genre. It invites players to lose themselves in the rhythmic flow of its deceptively simple driving that you’ll only master if you are able to control both the car and yourself.

Notable Mentions

There are a couple games we would be foolish not to mention, even if they don’t outrank the other games on this list. They are in no particular order here. If you’ve exhausted the main games here or they didn’t catch your attention enough, check these out:

• Asphalt 9 legends
• Asphalt 8 airborne
• Absolute drift
• Dirt 5
• F1 2017 

Some of these are pretty old or obscure, but they certainly deserve a mention for their longevity in the best car racing games Mac scene. Some are even available on Apple Arcade games.

Frequently Asked Questions