Best racing games with a wheel on PS2 and PS3

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Tristan H

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I have been searching the internet trying to find the best games on the PS2 and PS3 to play with a racing wheel, but I haven't found anything that gives me a satisfactory answer. I thought the GTPlanet community would be the perfect people to ask for advice (it could even make a good article :P). Please direct me to the right place if this has already been covered in your forums.

There is plenty of information about the best current games for a wheel, but there are no cheap racing wheels available for current consoles. You can however pick up old PS2s and PS3s with games and a Driving Force GT wheel for dirt cheap, less than the price of a new wheel. But what games should you get with it?

There are lots of lists of the best racing games for the PS2 and PS3, but not all of them are wheel compatible. Of those games that are compatible, there are huge differences in the amount of force feedback information provided, and just how the game feels on a wheel. Some games are just made for a gamepad, while others feel great on a wheel.

I'm just now building up my collection of PS3 racing games so I don't feel like I can comment on those yet, but I can recommend these PS2 games:

- Gran Turismo 3 feels great with a wheel. GT4 has great force feedback too, but I personally enjoy the more arcadey GT3 feel.

- TOCA Race Driver 3 (or V8 Supercars 3 where I am) is really fun with a wheel. It is nice to really feel the difference in handling between the different vehicle classes. The cockpit view also helps with immersion. Personally I prefer a cockpit view without a steering wheel and hands as I already have those in front of me.

- Richard Burns Rally, even the vanilla version on the PS2, gives you so much information through the force feedback. The force feedback is so much more detailed than any other game I have played on the PS2. I'm terrible at the game but it is still fun.

- Formula One 06 feels really tight. How I expect that a 2006 F1 would feel.

So what can you recommend as the best racing games with a wheel on the PS2 and PS3? Think outside the box for all kinds of driving games that might not normally be on a top racing game list but are great to drive with a wheel.
 
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kikie
A quick google search gave me this list. Not all games are for PS3 though. Click on the thumbnails to see which racing game is for the PS3.

https://www.gamespot.com/genre/driving-racing/ps3/
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Thanks kikie. The problem is that the list doesnt tell me if the games are good to play with a wheel.

I know that Driver: San Francisco and the first few Motorstorm games do not have wheel support. Some other arcade racers like Ridge Racer 7 and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit have wheel support, but are they good to play with a wheel?

I assume that Codemasters' games and Slightly Mad's Need for Speed: Shift games have good wheel support, but it would be nice to have it confirmed which ones are best with a wheel.
 
Tristan H
Thanks kikie. The problem is that the list doesnt tell me if the games are good to play with a wheel.

I know that Driver: San Francisco and the first few Motorstorm games do not have wheel support. Some other arcade racers like Ridge Racer 7 and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit have wheel support, but are they good to play with a wheel?

I assume that Codemasters' games and Slightly Mad's Need for Speed: Shift games have good wheel support, but it would be nice to have it confirmed which ones are best with a wheel.
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Let me help you as much as I can. :D

  • Dirt 2 and Dirt3 are a very good game to play with a wheel. I have Dirt 2 and Dirt3 (PC) and I still play it with my old G27. Dirt Showdown almost 100% certain this is also very good to play with a wheel.
  • I used to have Grid (PC) and it was a very good arcadish hame to play with a wheel so I guess that Grid 2 is a good game to play with a wheel as well
  • The Motorstorm franchise I'm not so sure about. I had the very first Motorstorm on PS and it was a game to play with a controller. It was possible to play it with a wheel but it was not completely compatible with a wheel. I have no idea about the second iteration of Motorstorm though.
  • Codemasters F1 2011, F1 2012 and 2013 are almost 100% very compatible with a wheel.
  • FlatOut 2 and FlatOut Ultimate Carnage are a blast to play with a wheel. I have FlatOut UC and it is very addictive.
Need for Speed Shift, I'm not so sure about that. I have NFS Shift for PC and it is a disaster to play properly with a wheel without the correct mods. NFS Shift 2 is probably much better though. I don't have NFS Shift 2, so I can't say for sure.
 
Thanks. That's what I was after.

Good to hear about Grid and Dirt 2 as I have them coming in the post.

I have the original FlatOut on the PS2. I haven't played it with a wheel yet but I am looking forward to it. I got the original game as I prefer its folkrace/demolition derby aesthetic. The sequels appear to be trying too hard to be cool like Burnout.

I am tempted to get F1 2013 as the classic content looks really good.
 
Tristan H
I assume that Codemasters' games and Slightly Mad's Need for Speed: Shift games have good wheel support, but it would be nice to have it confirmed which ones are best with a wheel.
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Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends by SMS worth a try, not much different in feeling than pCARS.
 
Saidur_Ali
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends by SMS worth a try, not much different in feeling than pCARS.
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Looks pretty good on the PS3, & has great sounds too. They even have reflections on the windscreen! Lots of aliasing though...

 
Thanks people. These are the kind of games you won't find on a normal "best driving/racing games" list, so it is great to be directed to them.

I do have some more specific questions:

Grand Prix Challenge comes up as a good F1 game on the PS2, particularly with a wheel. How does this game compare to Formula One 06? Is it better or is it just the best PS2 F1 game that came out in the US?

Similarly, how does Formula One Championship Edition compare to Formula One 06 and the Codemasters F1 PS3 games?

RBR is the king of rally on the PS2, but as a more gamey option, how are the Colin McRae Rally games and WRC games using a wheel? Is there a particular entry in each series that is the best?

Also, are there any decent pure rally titles on the PS3? I've heard Dirt 3 has some rally (more than 2) but the stages are still very short.

Finally, are there any more arcadey PS3 driving games that are good with a wheel?
 
I played the first WRC game & absolutely loved it at the time, from the second onwards the series started to move away from realism IMHO (by the time the 3rd game came out I gave up). It's no sim, & RBR blows it out of the water in the physics & FFB department, but they do recreate the sport very well; the vibe & atmosphere is correct. They also use the same graphics as the TV shows of that era, & I found the first two very entertaining back in the day.

Can't help you with arcade style games, as generally speaking I don't like them. The only exception is a little fun game called Wild Wild Racing, but I don't know if it works with a wheel or not as I only played it with a pad at the time.


 
F1:CE is basically the HD version of Formula 1 06. It has the same game structure, same UI design (more or less), same everything pretty much. It was a big deal when it was new, but I can't contend how well it stacks up to the Codemasters games released towards the end of the generation.


Grand Prix Challenge is an excellent pick up and play F1 sim-ish game, but it absolutely doesn't have the depth of the Sony F1 games so while it's great fun if you go into it expecting anything like those you'll be disappointed.
 
Total Immersion Racing on ps2 I vaguely recall feeling pretty good on my DFP wheel.


Kaido Racer 2 also on Ps2 as well.


Ferrari Challenge/Supercar challenge was great.


Arcade wise, Sega Rally 2006, Blur, Outrun 2006.
 
Scaff
Dirt 3 I will mention, as well as Grid: Autosport, both actually rather good with a wheel.
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Grid Autosport is amazing. Loved that game to pieces, keep meaning to buy it on xbox so I can play it on backwards compatibility. Best touring car game of recent times. Just released at the wrong time to be a smash hit.
 
MagpieRacer
Grid Autosport is amazing. Loved that game to pieces, keep meaning to buy it on xbox so I can play it on backwards compatibility. Best touring car game of recent times. Just released at the wrong time to be a smash hit.
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Yeo, it a great one, still replay bits of it on my old PS3 from time to time. Solid track list as well.
 
MagpieRacer
Grid Autosport is amazing. Loved that game to pieces, keep meaning to buy it on xbox so I can play it on backwards compatibility. Best touring car game of recent times. Just released at the wrong time to be a smash hit.
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It's great on backwards compatibility. Looks better, loads faster, I love it :)
 
MagpieRacer
Total Immersion Racing on ps2 I vaguely recall feeling pretty good on my DFP wheel.


Kaido Racer 2 also on Ps2 as well.


Ferrari Challenge/Supercar challenge was great.


Arcade wise, Sega Rally 2006, Blur, Outrun 2006.
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@Tornado mentioned 'Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2' which is the US name for 'Kaido Racer 2'. I did pick that one up cheap back in the day so I will have to test it with the wheel.

I would love to play Outrun 2006 with a wheel, but the PS2 version does not support it, and you can no longer download Outrun Online for the PS3 :(

Blur on the PS3 does not have wheel support as far as my internet searching says.
 
VBR
I played the first WRC game & absolutely loved it at the time, from the second onwards the series started to move away from realism IMHO (by the time the 3rd game came out I gave up). It's no sim, & RBR blows it out of the water in the physics & FFB department, but they do recreate the sport very well; the vibe & atmosphere is correct. They also use the same graphics as the TV shows of that era, & I found the first two very entertaining back in the day.

Can't help you with arcade style games, as generally speaking I don't like them. The only exception is a little fun game called Wild Wild Racing, but I don't know if it works with a wheel or not as I only played it with a pad at the time.




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The vehicles in Wild Wild Racing seem to have a surprising amount of weight to them. Normally those kind of offroad arcade racing games feel really floaty.

I can't find any comments online regarding wheel compatibility for it.
 
Tristan H
@Tornado mentioned 'Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2' which is the US name for 'Kaido Racer 2'. I did pick that one up cheap back in the day so I will have to test it with the wheel.

I would love to play Outrun 2006 with a wheel, but the PS2 version does not support it, and you can no longer download Outrun Online for the PS3 :(

Blur on the PS3 does not have wheel support as far as my internet searching says.
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Yeah my bad I'm sure I'd played Blur with a wheel but your right I clearly imagined that :dunce:
 
Tristan H
The vehicles in Wild Wild Racing seem to have a surprising amount of weight to them. Normally those kind of offroad arcade racing games feel really floaty.
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Yeah, they sure do. They also feel very satisfying to drive, & dare I say "realistic" for an arcade game. IMHO it's worth playing even without a wheel.
 
Just thought of another one (which I think has PS3 wheel support - the HD version on PS4 did), which is Baja Edge of Control.
 
IMO, Enthusia still has an edge over at least some of today's sims in terms of overall handling dynamics. It's actually still better than any that I've played, including PCARS2, but I haven't tried them all.

What dates it as a sim are its relatively few simulated details (eg. no tire temps/wear) and slower-running physics simulation (calculations per second) which means it isn't as "crisp" as a newer sim on more powerful hardware. It also has its weaknesses, but it's still close to as realistic as it gets.
 
Wolfe
IMO, Enthusia still has an edge over at least some of today's sims in terms of overall handling dynamics. It's actually still better than any that I've played, including PCARS2, but I haven't tried them all.

What dates it as a sim are its relatively few simulated details (eg. no tire temps/wear) and slower-running physics simulation (calculations per second) which means it isn't as "crisp" as a newer sim on more powerful hardware. It also has its weaknesses, but it's still close to as realistic as it gets.
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Have you tried RFactor2?
 
Wolfe
IMO, Enthusia still has an edge over at least some of today's sims in terms of overall handling dynamics. It's actually still better than any that I've played, including PCARS2, but I haven't tried them all.

What dates it as a sim are its relatively few simulated details (eg. no tire temps/wear) and slower-running physics simulation (calculations per second) which means it isn't as "crisp" as a newer sim on more powerful hardware. It also has its weaknesses, but it's still close to as realistic as it gets.
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Having fired up EPR a short while ago I would have to disagree.

It was way ahead of the pack in its day, and it took a long time for manner to catch up, but the limits of its tyre model and aero model are now far more obvious. That's without the advances that have allowed for track surface changes to he taken into account, etc.

On console alone I would rate both AC and PC2 above it as a more realistic package.

Still however OT for this thread.
 
TheRealRacer
Have you tried RFactor2?
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Nope, not my kind of sim.

Scaff
Having fired up EPR a short while ago I would have to disagree.

It was way ahead of the pack in its day, and it took a long time for manner to catch up, but the limits of its tyre model and aero model are now far more obvious. That's without the advances that have allowed for track surface changes to he taken into account, etc.

On console alone I would rate both AC and PC2 above it as a more realistic package.
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As a package, yes, of course! PCARS2 is clearly an order of magnitude more detailed and dynamic. 👍 What I'm talking about is how in spite of this, PCARS2's oversteer dynamics and low-speed physics do not quite match up to EPR. The substantial contrast between the two and the fact that they're both top-tier sims makes it a subjective call, for sure, but taking a roadcar on drifting laps around PCARS2's karting circuits reveals EPR's advantage in that area. On the other hand, PCARS2 is hands-down the more realistic sim for lapping the Nordschleife in a racecar.

Assetto Corsa is one I have not played, so that doesn't factor into my claim. And when I said "some of today's sims", I was including the likes of GT Sport.

Scaff
Still however OT for this thread.
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@TheRealRacer's motivations are, and PS4/PC sims are, but EPR isn't. I added my $0.02 for the sake of the topic, too.
 

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