5 Forgotten PS2 Racing Games You Need To Play

The PlayStation 2 era produced some of the greatest racing games of our time. Think Gran Turismo 4, NFS Most Wanted, pretty much the whole Burnout series… we can go on.

Given that it’s estimated that the PS2 had around 4,200 or so games published for it, though, it’s inevitable that some gems will have fallen through the mainstream cracks. Looking to dust off your old console (or playing via other means…)? Here are five forgotten PS2 racing games you need to check out.

Auto Modellista

Another opportunity to shake your collective heads and remind you that Auto Modellista is a game that existed. The cel-shaded racer was released in 2002 across Japan and Europe, before finding its way to the US a year later.

Although it was reviewed poorly at launch, as a result of tricky handling and a lack of depth, it has gained a cult following in the years since. We think largely because no other mainstream racing game has attempted to replicate its art style. 

It was a rare find when new, so used discs are surging in price. We’d suggest acting fast, and please don’t offer to buy ours for anything less than £100k.

Road Trip Adventure

We’re pretty envious of anyone in Japan who had a childhood filled with Choro-Q. This toy line cartoonified pretty much every car on the market, leading to some of the coolest little pullback racers we’ve ever seen.

Throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, the toy line even got its own video games. One of those came to Europe under the guise of Road Trip Adventure, and we’re willing to bet you’ve never seen it.

Albeit a kid-focused game, it’s still quite a wholesome thing to revisit today. The open-world game has you helping out the vehicular residents of various towns, taking on races across multiple surfaces and all in adorable recreations of real-world cars. Or a duck, if you feel so inclined.

Enthusia Professional Racing

Attempting to beat Sony at its own game and on its own console in 2005, by releasing a competitor to the mammoth Gran Turismo 4, would’ve always seemed like an uphill battle.

As proved the case for Konami with Enthusia Professional Racing, which was so not very successful that it’s on this list.

Enthusia aimed at being even more realistic than the convincing-for-its-time GT4, and the physics model was genuinely incredible. Perhaps a bit too much so, coming off as unapproachable and tied up in a strange career mode that penalised you for changing cars or having crashes.

Worth revisiting today, though? We reckon so.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer

We hope you’re very familiar with Tokyo Xtreme Racer, now that the series is alive and well with a sensational reboot release this year.

The series stretches much further back than 2025, though, and gained real popularity in Japan and North America throughout the PS2-era. It was available in Europe, but truthfully, it never really hit the mainstream.

Released in 2001, Tokyo Xtreme Racer (known as TXR Zero for those of you in America) had you taking on highway battles, attempting to conquer various rivals, and ultimately becoming the king or queen of the Shuto Expressway. That’s pretty much the same premise as its modern counterpart, but respect your elders and all that.

Extreme-G 3

Although Wipeout pretty much held a monopoly on the subsection of “PlayStation racing games that didn’t use cars but instead some bonkers futuristic alternative vehicles”, there are quite a few compelling options out there.

Like Extreme-G 3, which had you riding bikes that could defy gravity and came equipped with weapons, all while progressing through a full career mode.

It reviewed well at launch, but clearly that wasn’t enough to keep the series going. Extreme-G 3 would prove to be the third and final entry, and one we think deserves a little more love.