Have Your Say: Your First Racing Game

Mark Aalberts · Sep 24, 2017

Grand Prix Circuit by Accolade. I had to dig deep to figure out which game I always played at a friends house but I am pretty sure it was this one. Cant remember exactly whether it was the PC version or if it was on commodore. My own sim career started much later and took off with GP3,GP4 from Geoff Crammond and then later on the EA F1 games etc.

Victor Jimenez · Sep 24, 2017

My first racing video game was Sega rally championship.

Mitja Bonca · Sep 24, 2017

Anyone remembers Screamer 1 and 2?

fastfab · Sep 24, 2017

Yep I remember "trying" to play Screamer 2 and Screamer Rally on my Pentium 75 ^^

Auratox · Sep 24, 2017

My first game I played would have been Pole Position but I would say my first sim would have been Ridge Racer Arcade as that's the first game I played in bumpercam and with a wheel back in 92.

Edivad82 · Sep 24, 2017

And...Grand Prix Legends? A Must Have!

Gargos · Sep 24, 2017

My first... non-arcade... racer I guess you can say was NASCAR Racing (2001?)... on a keyboard

That and NASCAR Heat (the original) are where I got my start.

stbreaker · Sep 24, 2017

My first racing game was honestly Super Mario Kart...

However, I did upgrade pretty quickly to Indycar Racing by Papyrus. Since I grew up with a Commodore 64 in my room (no racing games though), I was familiar with UNIX and basic code structure. I remember hacking into the game files to try and change my livery/number/etc. My childhood home was in Long Beach, CA so I really was pumped up about being able to race in the Long Beach Grand Prix against AI versions of Andretti, Unser, and Tracy. (I used to LOVE Michael Andretti)

On a side note: I actually also had Grand Prix Unlimited by Accolade which came in one of those multi-genre game multipacks around the same time, but I didn't know any of the cars, tracks, or drivers. (I didn't actually see F1 on TV here with any regularity until 2006). I also found the cheesy background music and graphics so inferior to Indycar Racing that I probably played it less than 10 times.

theravenousbeast · Sep 24, 2017

A demo of Test Drive 6 that had a Viper GTS on a city point to point track. There was a bit where you'd jump off the road (think San Francisco bits) that I thought was the coolest thing as a 6 year old.

Of course my father had already implanted the love for cars even before that but this certainly helped. Not too long after he bought NFS3 and the rest is history

Theo Berrekeman · Sep 24, 2017

I have to say....
Not my first, but one of the best F1 games ever for me:

F1 1997 on the PlayStation 1

The gameplay was amazing and high-end graphics for its time.
In my opinion the first "Real-like" F1 game with the real commentary and the real TV-style HUD and overlay.

Played it so much with friends. Complete competitions for whole nights long!

TheSourceOfTheNile · Sep 24, 2017

Paul Jeffrey said:
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Everyone remembers their first love, and racing games are no different. With such a wealth of content on offer today, can you cast your mind back and remember the very first?

No doubt about it, "sim racing" has advanced practically beyond imagination since those tentative first days of Pole Position back in the early 1980's. With highly polished graphics, detailed physics, multi car grids, online racing and all the other bells and whistles of modern gaming, a sim racer today is spoilt for choice when it comes to the wonderful pastime of driving digital racing cars.

So for our question today I ask, which game (on what platform) was your very fist foray into the world of racing?

Have fun reminiscing and enjoy the weekend!

My first sim was NR2003 and my first racing game was the first Need For Speed.

Márk Lintner · Sep 24, 2017

Idk maybe Gran Turismo 2 ehat I remember

Maxell · Sep 24, 2017

First racing game I played - Rollcage (don't remember 1 or 2) on friend's PS1
First racing game on my own computer - NFS Underground 2
First simulator - RACE - The WTCC Game (aka RACE '06)

VirtuaIceMan · Sep 24, 2017

Mitja Bonca said:
Anyone remembers Screamer 1 and 2?

Of course I do, both have been released on Steam recently too (as well as GOG)! Don't forget Screamer Rally too (which is less available now); those were the start of Milestone.

Boris Barzotto · Sep 25, 2017

Top Gear !!

michelforest · Sep 25, 2017

In 1989, there was a game for the Mac called "Grand Prix Circuit" (I believe). It was in black and white and it featured 8 tracks from the 1988 season. I think you could race 3 cars... That's all I remember. Anyway, that was my first game. There was also a game based on the Indy 500, I can't remember the title. After that, it was F1 by Geoff Crammond and then Indycar by Papyrus. Those were the days...

bigdirtyjase · Sep 25, 2017

For me my first racing game was Grand Prix Circuit on PC

Facundo Estevez · Sep 25, 2017

My first console racing game was F-1 Race for the NES. Before that, probably a racing game in B&W from a chinese portable "All-In-One" game console.
My first PC racing game, was Colin McRae Rally. So many good memories. It's a shame what Codies grew up to be today.

F_B · Sep 25, 2017

Has to be this one:

Grimmsel · Sep 25, 2017

My first racing game?
In the verry early 1980s, a game called Autorennen (engl. Car Race) on a Interton VC4000, a german console (1978-1982). A very simple racing game.

My first "sim" was Revs Plus on C64.