Racing games and sims are built with endless hours of replayability in mind these days, but they are not released as frequently as they used to be – if that is for the better or the worse of the genre is up for debate. 15 years ago, this was different, but 2008 did not just spawn a bunch of low-quality titles – in fact, a few still hold up well to this day.
The racing world was much different in 2008: Lewis Hamilton only became a Formula One World Champion by the end of that season, taking his first of seven titles, the FIA GT Series was still in full swing before trying to become a World Championship (and subsequently folding), and open-top prototypes were still the car to have at Le Mans.
Interestingly, no new F1 games were released that year, as Codemasters only started their series in 2009 with a Wii-only version and previous rights owner Sony had last made a game in 2006. However, that does not mean there was not plenty of vehicles and tracks to race – and one title even is an important cornerstone of the sim racing genre to this day.
The racing world was much different in 2008: Lewis Hamilton only became a Formula One World Champion by the end of that season, taking his first of seven titles, the FIA GT Series was still in full swing before trying to become a World Championship (and subsequently folding), and open-top prototypes were still the car to have at Le Mans.
Interestingly, no new F1 games were released that year, as Codemasters only started their series in 2009 with a Wii-only version and previous rights owner Sony had last made a game in 2006. However, that does not mean there was not plenty of vehicles and tracks to race – and one title even is an important cornerstone of the sim racing genre to this day.
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Burnout Paradise
Far from a simulation, the Burnout series always focused on fun, and Paradise was no exception. The final main entry to the series put the spotlight on action-filled, super fast races with outrageous crashes, fittingly underscored by a high-energy punk rock soundtrack. Paradise is also the first Burnout title to have been released for PC.
Several updates and DLC packs that also brought new vehicles like motorbikes to the game followed, and it was even remastered in 2018 and brought to the Nintendo Switch in 2020. As a result, Burnout Paradise still remains a great racing game to play to this day whenever you feel like an overdose of adrenaline is in order.
Race Driver: Grid
A successor to the popular TOCA (or DTM, or V8 Supercars depending on location) series, Race Driver: Grid took the next step in not just graphics and presentation (remember the tire barriers that would fall apart on impact?), but also in terms of gameplay. Players start out as a driver but soon run their own team across several disciplines, including endurance races at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Race Driver: Grid also introduced a feature that many racing titles have copied and are still using today: Flashbacks were first introduced in this 2008 title, meaning players could rewind the action in case they made a mistake and try again in offline modes. Despite its age, the game's graphics still hold up reasonably well – just be prepared for an overload of motion blur as was en vogue at the time.
The title even inspired a revival of the series after five years in 2019, as the simply-named Grid brought back much of the spirit of the 2008 title. The series' most recent entry called Grid Legends was released in 2022.
GTR Evolution
One of the most popular endurance simulations has been released in 2006 – GTR2 started numerous sim racing careers or expanded them to the online world. Developer SimBin then went on to release Race 07, which focused on the World Touring Car Championship.
As an expansion to the WTCC game, GTR Evolution was released in 2008 and brought back the popular GT cars of the time while also adding the Nürburgring-Nordschleife to the track roster – a big deal at the time, as the Green Hell was not featured in racing titles as frequently as it is today.
GTR Evolution and Race 07 are both still available on Steam, and you can find hundreds of downloads for the title in the RaceDepartment download section to extend the fun even further, including modern tracks and even an oval track pack.
iRacing
We have saved the biggest name for last: On August 28th, 2008, iRacing was first made available to the public. The sim took the aim for realism to a new level and also introduced a multiplayer system that is unmatched to this day.
Rooted in the NASCAR Racing series of Papyrus, iRacing is still the go-to simulation for oval racing but has much more to offer than that: Road and street course racing, dirt ovals and even rallycross are among the portfolio. Today, more than 150 race cars and tracks each offer something for everyone – although the server and competition structure have their price, of course.
While iRacing's subscription-based model with added one-time cost for each piece of content is frequently the topic of heated debates, it cannot be denied that the sim raised the bar for realism and especially multiplayer competitions. Multiple special events aligned with their real-life counterparts make up an exciting calendar each year – not to mention the numerous racing series for the various license classes that are available year-round.
Honorable Mention: Euro Truck Simulator
Not strictly a racing game, Euro Truck Simulator does enjoy undeniable popularity with many sim racers. A wheel and pedal setup lends itself well to truck driving, too, and the initial release of the simulation happened on August 6th, 2008.
This was the cornerstone for the immensely popular sequel Euro Truck Simulator 2, which was released in 2012 and followed by a parallel sequel set on the other side of the Atlantic, namelyAmerican Truck Simulator.
