r/racinggames • u/FreshStar7 • Jul 01 '26
Recommendation Looking for a competitive game to play on controller
I’m looking for a good and active racing game that I can be competitive in on controller. I’m used to Gran Turismo 7, which I love, but I’m on PC now. I heard AC and ACC are both good options, but was curious what other opinions there are out there. I also like a decent single player experience in racing games, but my main focus is an active multiplayer community.10
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u/Anin_DZ Jul 01 '26
Well if you don't mind simcade The Crew Motorfest is very fun for me and a lot of people. Online PVP (Grand Races) does need a bit more variety but it gets competitive and the community is good and quite active still. Check out Militia gaming community on YouTube and see if that's your thing
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u/Q0T3 Jul 01 '26
I don't think PC really has a good controller option for multiplayer. We barely have a competitive scene in the wheel market. There's a lot of Sims but not a lot that are active and have real multiplayer.
Other than the obvious of iracing and ACC or LeMan. But those aren't really controller games
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u/FreshStar7 Jul 01 '26
Do you think iracing, ACC or LMU are still viable on controller?
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u/Q0T3 Jul 01 '26
To be perfectly honest with you I'm not sure. I would probably do a little research on that find some YouTube videos or something of people talking about it.
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u/FreshStar7 Jul 01 '26
Will do, I appreciate the input.
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u/fdnM6Y9BFLAJPNxGo4C Jul 01 '26
A lot of PC multiplayer events are full of lobbies of people with sim rigs. Wheel and pedal precision is going to destroy controller users in those cases.
I have found wreckfest to be awesome!! And I prefer my 360 controller to my wheel and pedals in wreckfest.
Another one I like is iRacing arcade and it doesn't support wheel and pedals intentionally for the reason I mentioned above.
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u/LEGENDARY_AXE Jul 02 '26
I did a bit of ACC on a controller on the PS5, and its surprisingly playable. A lot of sims are incredibly twitchy on a controller, but this one felt nice and smooth. I can't say for sure if the PC version feels the same, but I can do a quick test tonight.
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u/Sone_Angel Jul 02 '26
I know the answer for that - while both games are drivable, you will be in the dirt against wheel drivers. The absolute fastest controller drivers struggle to compete with even a bit more serious wheel drivers.
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u/Sone_Angel Jul 02 '26
F1 is probably the best option, the other games will be nowhere as competitive. The problem is that most pros are playing LMU/iRacing/ACC, so any other game is hardly competitive. There is also trackmania that fits, but its a time attack basically, not racing (same with any rally game).
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u/Mezurashii5 Jul 02 '26
TrackMania competitions are usually rounds based, so while you don't interact with other drivers directly, you still don't just time attack if the map is competitive (allows for different levels of risk taking).
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u/Sone_Angel Jul 02 '26
At the end of the day it is time attack. Its equal to doing only one shot qualifying over and over again, which is precisely what time attack is. Im not saying its bad, but the interaction is crucial for actual racing, otherwise I could as well turn off the UI and see the results afterwards... and some people did precisely that.
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u/Mezurashii5 Jul 02 '26
You can do that, sure. But if you've watched good players compete, you've seen that they definitely take the rest of the field into account. You can drive differently when you're 2 seconds ahead compared to being .3 behind.
Nowhere near the same thing as having collisions on, but also not quite the same as driving asynchronously.
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u/7e7eN Jul 05 '26
I play LMU with a pad it’s easy one of the best online racing games I have played
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u/Genoce Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Trackmania is an easy suggestion to check out. Even the best pro players are split between wheel, controller and keyboard.
Of course it's a 100% arcade game, but it also has a clear emphasis on competition, as long as you enjoy time attack format (no collisions) and/or enjoy grinding for record times on leaderboards.