This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/steamdeck by /u/No-Estimate-362 on 2024-12-08 14:19:50+00:00.

Since I'm an avid sim racer, the first thing I did with my new Steam Deck was, of course, fill it with racing games. Here's what I learned so far.

What I'm looking for:

• Handling: Realistic, but controller-friendly feeling. I want to catch slides, manage weight transfer, and balance application on corner exit, but not struggle with snap oversteer.
• Content: Hotlapping, AI racing, online racing, missions and scenarios, sandbox environments … anything goes as long as it's fun.
• Convenience: Easy to set up, easy to start, easy to play.

Art of Rally

Beautiful indie rallying. Steam.

Handling

Challenging. Compared to the almighty RBR, these cars slide beyond realism and require careful work with throttle and steering. Getting a corner right feels great when it works, but I never got the controls configured to feel "just right".

Content

Diverse environments, stages, and types of cars from the history of rallying. Seasons, competing against online ghosts and unlocking new content - great.

Convenience

Easy to install; runs well with low-mid settings and lowered resolution.

Conclusion

Always fun to jump into a quick session. ✅

BeamNG.drive

The one and only vehicle physics sandbox. Steam.

Handling

Wonderful. I remember that FFB and feeling for the edge of grip have been lacking in my sim rig, but handling is just fine with a controller. YMMV with faster cars, but rally cars handle just fine.

Content

I mostly did time trials so far, but it's BeamNG.drive and there's a lot of everything.

Convenience

Use a custom controller layout with the right trackpad for mouse input. Loading levels takes a while. Performance is between 45-60 FPS with low-ish settings and high battery drain, but some scenarios dips below 30 FPS and didn't feel playable.

Conclusion

Great for casual driving and scenarios, as long as I don't have to be careful with the battery. ✅

Dethkarz

A sci-fi racing gem from 1998. Steam.

Handling

I love it. All inputs are digital and there's barely any oversteer, but throwing the car into corners feels great. Curbs are dangerous and bumps unsettle the car; it feels wonderful when you get it right. Mastering the handling is the key to winning which sets Dethkarz apart from similarly themed racers like POD or Megarace.

Content

Four cars with three variations each, four environments with three track variations each. Could be more, but the hard mode is unforgiving enough to keep you busy with what is there. Also the only game on this list that let's you shoot opponents.

Convenience

Installation via Steam is easy, just choose 3DFX/Glide on first start. You'll need a custom controller layout and mapping to use the triggers.

Conclusion

Man, I want to beat the game in hard mode so badly. ✅

Race Driver: GRID

Successor to TOCA, first of the GRID motorsports titles. Steam (delisted) or GOG.

Handling

It's an arcade racer, but cornering feels credible, especially the oversteer on corner exit. The Dallara F3 doesn't like to turn, but any car that is supposed to slide a bit more is just great.

Content

LMPs, GTs, stock cars, open-wheelers, street circuits, Le Mans, Spa, time trials, career mode, destruction derby... all presented in a very polished package with even a detailed damage model. There's a lot to explore and beating the highest-level AI in a tight street circuit feels very rewarding.

Convenience

Performance on highest settings is great; I even reduced the CPU clock to 600MHz to reduce battery usage. If you didn't buy it via Steam before delisting, you'll need to install the GOG version and install the multi-threading patch.

Conclusion

Love the handling, aggressive AI, and premium polish; can't believe I only started playing this 16 years after release! ✅

F1 2020

A fan favorite in the official F1 game series. Steam (delisted)

Handling

Managing oversteer on exit with the Deck's triggers is a challenge, but doable. There's some oversteer when turning and braking which feels good. Unfortunately the in-game wheel rotation is way too slow to properly take many corners which ruins the experience. See Convenience below for a workaround which makes the controls actually fun to use.

Content

Career mode, grand prixs, time trials, current F1 and F2 cars and legendary classic cars. It's a good package.

Convenience

Performance is great on low-mid settings. You need to apply a rather complicated fix to fix the terrible default control behavior. Starting a game session is very easy.

Conclusion

Fixing the steering was a mess, but now I'm happy to to some hotlapping every now and then. ✅

Grand Prix 4

The last iteration of the legendary sim series. Community-made installer.

Handling

A bit disappointing. Controlling oversteer and snaps work okay on the Steam Deck, but there's not feeling for the edge of grip. You can slam the brakes even while turning without oversteering. A review mentioned the competing 2002 title F1 Career Challenge to feature better physics which came as a surprise to me giving the legendary status of the Grand Prix series.

Content

Time trials or racing AI.

Convenience

Use Bottles and this tutorial for installation. Setting up controller layout and in-game controls is messy, the entire user interface is inconvenient not only by today's standards.

Conclusion

Disappointing. Handling seems bland. ❌

Gran Turismo 4

You know what it is.

Handling

Heavy, understeery cars, optimized for controllers. I'm currently enjoying GRID's oversteery cars more, but GT4 still is as great as ever.

Content

The ultimate CarPG.

Convenience

EmuDeck makes setting up emulators easy, you can even create a launchable Steam entry for particular games. Performance is fine with constant 60 FPS, but player reported slowdowns e.g. on Seattle circuit.

Conclusion

None needed, it's just such a classic. ✅

Live for Speed

Probably the oldest active sim. Official installer.

Handling

Good! All cars I tested felt believable and controllable. Steering inputs map to the steering angle 1:1 and I couldn't find a way to modify linearity, so you need a steady left thumb.

Content

Time trials and AI racing is fine, but there are also online servers with lots of mod content where people just cruise in open environments. I didn't fully grasp all the hotkeys and settings yet, but it looks like fun.

Convenience

Use Bottles and the official installer. You need to set up an online account. The user interface and presentation feel dated and you need to use mouse input. Performance is great on highest settings.

Conclusion

Great for some hotlapping, maybe I'll try it online more often in the future. ✅

Trackmania

The latest free-to-play entry of the series. Steam.

Handling

Being fast means finding the ideal line and sliding the car just the right amount. Handling is arcadey, but allows for controlled sliding makes you feel like you're in control.

Content

Seasonal free content plus lots of subscription-only content.

Convenience

Smooth 72 FPS on low settings. Ubisoft's custom launcher is annoying and requires you to use a Ubisoft account. After that, starting the game for a quick session is easy.

Conclusion

A fun and unique concept, and it's so easy to go for a quick session. ✅

Wreckfest

The more serious successor to the Flatout series. Steam.

Handling

Simcade as it should be. Negotiating corners in stock cars feels authentic, the car does what you want it to do.

Content

Races, destruction derbies, scenarios, cars, buses, trucks, lawnmovers, couches on wheels ... There's a lot do in the single player mode alone, and online lobbies are even more fun.

Convenience

Smooth 50-90 FPS on low-mid settings, depending on the situation in the game. Initial game load takes a bit, but after that, joining an online session or starting an offline one is easy. This is what a state-of-the art game UI looks like.

Conclusion

Amazing game, amazing online mode. ✅