Coming into 2022, the racing genre was already enjoying a moment in the sun. A genre that just a couple years ago felt like an afterthought at best and almost abandoned at worst came off a 2021 that included winning the game of the year award here on OS. Forza Horizon 5 was our Sports Game of the Year in 2021, and this year both simulation and arcade-style racing have continued to enjoy a rebirth, which has provided some excellent competition for the racing game of the year. With that said, the Operation Sports Best Racing Game of 2022 goes to F1 22.
Best Racing Game In 2022: F1 22
Racing fans got some excellent new additions over the past year — F1 Manager and Hot Wheels Unleashed I am looking at you. We also got the return of some familiar faces.
The long-awaited return of Gran Turismo finally happened, the first franchise entry since GT Sport in 2017. Gran Turismo 7 was surrounded by an insane amount of hype. While it fell a bit short in delivering everything it promised during the initial release, GT7 still provided an awful lot of fun on the track, in its career mode, and did it all in an immersive world.
We also saw Grid Legends make a significant impact in 2022 after a less-than-stellar effort with its initial reboot of sorts with Grid in 2019. Codemasters righted the ship and delivered an excellent hybrid of styles that combined awesome physics-based racing, stunning graphic fidelity, a fantastic damage model, and an extremely well done career mode that was worthy of at least one replay.
EA also threw its hat back into the ring as more than just a publisher with another release in the long-running Need for Speed series. Need for Speed Unbound delivered a unique graphical experience and adrenaline-fueled racing with over-the-top crashes that we have all come to love in the series.
While many of the best racing titles of 2022 were categorized as sim-cade style racers, a few pushed the boundaries into the more traditional style of simulation-based racing. The aforementioned GT7 is one of those titles, with the Assetto Corsa Competizione update and F1 22 joining right alongside in providing a very realistic experience while still allowing for customization and accessibility.
Assetto Corsa Competizione deserves a strong mention here, as KUNOS Simulazioni delivered in almost every way possible with the console release. Initially released on PC in 2018, the Italian-based developer set its eyes on a full console release in early 2022 and provided a combination of excellent racing, beautiful visuals, and a fully licensed GT experience.
If you did not want to get behind the wheel, Codemasters had you covered with F1 Manager, a game that gave you a chance to wear many hats while controlling all aspects of your race team. This title lets you dive into the minutia of the sport and feel the pressure of F1 racing from the GM chair both on and off the track.
And speaking of Codemasters, it all still comes back to the trendsetter: F1 22. The officially licensed racing simulation of F1, Codemasters took an already stellar experience and went even further with F1 22.
F1 22 found its way to the top by delivering a package that hit on all cylinders. It’s a beautiful game to watch in motion, and it has a deep career mode that provides an intense and satisfying experience both on and off the track. Consistency also matters here as F1 22 has been a reliable game for multiple years in a row now.
That same career mode, which asks you to jump behind the wheel each weekend and prove your worth, also requires you to be a media darling, build up an entire research-and-development department, build out your team, and do it all consistently in hopes of winning the ultimate prize, the F1 Drivers’ Championship.
F1 22 not only delivered on the track with a deep single-player experience but offered up the ability to jump online and have a remarkably similar journey. Online fans found themselves with many online options, including exhibitions, lobbies, full or partial Grand Prix, hot laps, and the ability to race with real opponents or a combination of real and AI opponents.
Codemasters delivered the best overall racing package on and off the track. They allowed for such a high level of customization that both newcomers and veterans found the ability to enjoy and adjust the experience in a way that kept the game relevant and fresh far beyond the retail release.
In a year where racing fans were inundated with quality racing options, Codemasters found a way to separate from the pack and deservedly take home the Operation Sports 2022 Racing Game of the Year Award.
Community Vote – Best Racing Game Of 2022 Goes To Gran Turismo 7
In an incredibly tight contest separated by just a couple percentage points, Gran Turismo 7 beat out F1 22 in the community vote. In such a close vote, it’s hard to say what separated the two games (Need for Speed Unbound came in a distant third), but it might simply be because GT7 is something we don’t get to see very often. Considering F1 22 is a yearly title, Gran Turismo is a rare treat. It’s also a racing series with an incredible amount of history, and it’s a game made for people who love cars of all kinds.
Whatever the reason was for the community going with Gran Turismo 7 as the winner, we can’t really argue with them as we think there were multiple worthy contenders this year.
