Most of us use our favourite racing titles for a few specific things, but there are additional modes in many sims that you should check out.
Game developers have to strike a balance between loading enough features into a game release to keep us interested and adding features that will go unnoticed. In the latter case, often the features lose out in popularity to the main mode of the game.
Below are some racing sim features that you may not have tried yet, or modes that you have simply forgotten. None of these are hidden within the title, they’re just not discussed as much as the main modes of play.
Drag Racing in Assetto Corsa
Assetto Corsa is arguably the best racing sim for driving supercars. Ferrari, Lamborghini McLaren, Pagani and countless other exotic car manufacturers feature prominently in AC. While most users choose to rip these cars around tracks like Nordschleife, Spa, and Monza, there’s another way to test the wild performance of them: drag racing.
Quarter mile times are still a common data point auto manufacturers use to brag about their newest models. And AC lets you test those figures for yourself. And not only can you drag race exotic road cars, you can also see how your favourite supercar stacks up against race cars in straight line acceleration. Bonus tip: use the AccelTest app to record your 0-100, 0-200 etc. times.
How to access it: Simply choose one of the five drag tracks (under Italy if you sort by country) and add one AI car
Hotlapping in BeamNG
When you think of BeamNG, odds are that you think of a scenario like a pickup truck rolling down a hill with pieces flying off, or a generic performance car splitting nearly in two after hitting a pole at highway speeds. But the same level of attention to detail in the physics makes the time trial mode a pleasant surprise.
BeamNG doesn’t come stock with any major auto brand names or world class tracks, but the generic version of either that’s included with BNG are well designed. Combined with the wheel and pedal sets many of us have, this becomes a rewarding and realistic hotlapping / hotstint sim.
How to access it: From the main menu, choose Drive and then Time Trial, then choose a car and track and number of laps.
Rallycross in Project CARS 2
Project CARS 2 tried to cover many bases with its stock content, including both race cars and road cars. Mixed among the many race cars were several Rallycross cars. And Slightly Mad Studios wisely thought to add rallycross tracks as well, which made full RX races possible.
Tossing each of the Rallycross cars around the short, tight, off-road race circuits is surprising fun. PC2 has a mixed legacy for many in the sim community, but the Rallycross experience holds up nicely.
How to access it: Choose a car by sorting by class first, then choosing an RX car. Then choose a track with Rallycross in the title.
Rally and Drift in Automobilista
Reiza Studios’ first Automobilista title was a hardcore sim racer’s dream and is still well-loved to this day. It has become synonymous with the South American track racing scene, but there are some additional driving modes to check out.
Automobilista includes two modes that are less publicized than the circuit racing. Reiza has included dirt and drift cars and tracks for us to enjoy. Not unlike BeamNG, the underlying physics in AMS mean that it’s going to feel awesome in almost any driving scenario.
How to access it: Choose a DIRT or DRIFT class car from the main menu. Your track selection screen will be filtered in kind.
Have you tried any of these additional driving modes? Let us know your thoughts on them, or share your own way to enjoy a racing title that people might not be currently familiar with.
Game developers have to strike a balance between loading enough features into a game release to keep us interested and adding features that will go unnoticed. In the latter case, often the features lose out in popularity to the main mode of the game.
Below are some racing sim features that you may not have tried yet, or modes that you have simply forgotten. None of these are hidden within the title, they’re just not discussed as much as the main modes of play.
Drag Racing in Assetto Corsa
Assetto Corsa is arguably the best racing sim for driving supercars. Ferrari, Lamborghini McLaren, Pagani and countless other exotic car manufacturers feature prominently in AC. While most users choose to rip these cars around tracks like Nordschleife, Spa, and Monza, there’s another way to test the wild performance of them: drag racing.
Quarter mile times are still a common data point auto manufacturers use to brag about their newest models. And AC lets you test those figures for yourself. And not only can you drag race exotic road cars, you can also see how your favourite supercar stacks up against race cars in straight line acceleration. Bonus tip: use the AccelTest app to record your 0-100, 0-200 etc. times.
How to access it: Simply choose one of the five drag tracks (under Italy if you sort by country) and add one AI car
Hotlapping in BeamNG
When you think of BeamNG, odds are that you think of a scenario like a pickup truck rolling down a hill with pieces flying off, or a generic performance car splitting nearly in two after hitting a pole at highway speeds. But the same level of attention to detail in the physics makes the time trial mode a pleasant surprise.
BeamNG doesn’t come stock with any major auto brand names or world class tracks, but the generic version of either that’s included with BNG are well designed. Combined with the wheel and pedal sets many of us have, this becomes a rewarding and realistic hotlapping / hotstint sim.
How to access it: From the main menu, choose Drive and then Time Trial, then choose a car and track and number of laps.
Rallycross in Project CARS 2
Project CARS 2 tried to cover many bases with its stock content, including both race cars and road cars. Mixed among the many race cars were several Rallycross cars. And Slightly Mad Studios wisely thought to add rallycross tracks as well, which made full RX races possible.
Tossing each of the Rallycross cars around the short, tight, off-road race circuits is surprising fun. PC2 has a mixed legacy for many in the sim community, but the Rallycross experience holds up nicely.
How to access it: Choose a car by sorting by class first, then choosing an RX car. Then choose a track with Rallycross in the title.
Rally and Drift in Automobilista
Reiza Studios’ first Automobilista title was a hardcore sim racer’s dream and is still well-loved to this day. It has become synonymous with the South American track racing scene, but there are some additional driving modes to check out.
Automobilista includes two modes that are less publicized than the circuit racing. Reiza has included dirt and drift cars and tracks for us to enjoy. Not unlike BeamNG, the underlying physics in AMS mean that it’s going to feel awesome in almost any driving scenario.
How to access it: Choose a DIRT or DRIFT class car from the main menu. Your track selection screen will be filtered in kind.
Have you tried any of these additional driving modes? Let us know your thoughts on them, or share your own way to enjoy a racing title that people might not be currently familiar with.
