{"id":24137,"date":"2026-08-01T11:11:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=24137"},"modified":"2026-08-01T11:11:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:11:42","slug":"why-does-nobody-like-racing-video-games-anymore-readers-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=24137","title":{"rendered":"Why does nobody like racing video games anymore? &#8211; Reader&#8217;s Feature"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_307015362-9028.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29270859\" alt=\"Forza Horizon 6 key art of two cars in front of Mt. Fuji\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Forza Horizon 6 \u2013 the last of a dying breed (Xbox Game Studios)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Surprised by the fact that <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/05\/14\/forza-horizon-6-review-arcade-racing-homeland-drifting-28367590\/\">Forza Horizon<\/a> is now the only widely successful racing game, a reader tries to explain why the genre has fallen out of fashion.<\/p>\n<p>Before I started writing this, I had no idea the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/07\/14\/need-speed-shelved-ea-forza-horizon-5-ps5-sales-hit-2-million-23658880\/\">Need For Speed franchise<\/a> was 32 years old. That\u2019s what Wikipedia says, but I\u2019m not going to pretend I played the original in 1994. The first one that I definitely remember playing was Need for Speed: Underground in 2003 on the PlayStation 2.<\/p>\n<p>At that point they were knocking out yearly sequels, and it was one of the biggest franchises around. All my friends played them and it was one of the biggest things around for casual gamers in particular. It\u2019s pretty obvious why: who doesn\u2019t fantasise about driving fast cars, without having to actually be all that good at driving.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the appeal of arcade racers and back in the 2000s it made total sense that Need For Speed, and things like <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2021\/08\/11\/burnout-voted-video-game-franchise-most-in-need-of-a-revival-15075129\/\">Burnout<\/a>, would be some of the biggest games around. But then those sort of games slowly started to disappear, replaced by boring sims like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, until things got so bad that Need For Speed doesn\u2019t exist anymore.<\/p>\n<p>I never understood why you couldn\u2019t have both arcade and driving sims at the same time but for years Gran Turismo and its sort were dominant\u2026 until they went away as well. It\u2019s hard to tell how much that\u2019s to plan, given how long Gran Turismo games take to make usually, but Forza Motorsport definitely isn\u2019t coming back, because <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/microsoft\/\">Microsoft<\/a> has <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/07\/02\/xbox-cancels-perfect-dark-reboot-lays-off-half-forza-motorsport-developer-23563701\/\">laid off most of the developers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But now we\u2019re in a situation where both arcade and serious racing games aren\u2019t being made. They do still exist, but they\u2019re much more niche than the used to be, and a lot of them are PC and\/or indie only. The only exception is Forza Horizon, which is massive. And that only makes me even more confused as to why there aren\u2019t more.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Forza Horizon is great but it\u2019s not original or so amazingly better than any similar game that you can understand why it has no other rival. It\u2019s probably fairly expensive to make, which could explain things to a degree, but I still find it very hard to understand how one of the most dominant genres two decades ago is represented by basically one game now.<\/p>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/23\/star-wars-galactic-racer-hands-on-preview-this-not-just-podracing-28894176\/\">Star Wars: Galactic Racer<\/a> is coming out in a few months, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be a big hit, not so much because Star Wars is in decline but because arcade racers are!<\/p>\n<p>Game genres go in and out of fashion and I miss real-time strategy games too, but at least there you could understand that people were getting fed up with the lack of innovation \u2013 and they didn\u2019t work very well on consoles.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CLUTCH \/\/ Official Announce Trailer\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4ZaP524jcy8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But driving is such a basic pleasure I don\u2019t understand why it\u2019s not bigger. I guess nowadays, with open world games it\u2019s maybe seen as just a side thing you do in other, bigger games. It\u2019s not like anyone wants a dedicated horse racing sim, despite that being a thing you do in so many role-playing games.<\/p>\n<p>Ignoring the fact that the driving isn\u2019t very good in GTA Online, there\u2019s not really that many open world games where you can drive that it seems like it would wipe out a whole genre. And again, how does Forza Horizon remain popular?<\/p>\n<p>Ther are some new racing games coming up that I\u2019m interested in, like <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/02\/forza-horizon-6-rival-clutch-many-devs-writer-skins-28620049\/\">Clutch<\/a>, by some former Forza Horizon devs, and the new <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/07\/spyro-persona-6-crazy-taxi-best-trailers-xbox-games-showcase-2026-28686588\/\">Crazy Taxi<\/a>. But it\u2019s slim pickings. With Need For Speed dead and Burnout too, presumably \u2013 since it\u2019s also owned by <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/electronic-arts\/\">EA<\/a> \u2013 I just don\u2019t think things are ever going to turn around.<\/p>\n<p>If there was going to be a sudden flood of Forza Horizon clones it would\u2019ve happened years ago and instead racing games are only getting more and more rare.<\/p>\n<p><strong>By reader Eddie<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_302547920-64d4.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28894307\" alt=\"Star Wars: Galactic Racer screenshot of racing\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Star Wars: Galactic Racer \u2013 at least future racers aren\u2019t entirely dead (Secret Mode)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>The reader\u2019s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><em>You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><em>Just contact us at <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/01\/nobody-like-racing-video-games-anymore-readers-feature-29270818\/mailto:gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a> or use our <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page<\/a> and you won\u2019t need to send an email.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/01\/ps5-going-last-console-sony-know-readers-feature-29270115\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">The PS5 is going to be the last console and Sony know it &#8211; Reader&#8217;s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/26\/playstation-handled-news-going-all-digital-readers-feature-29217883\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">How PlayStation should have handled the news about going all-digital \u2013 Reader\u2019s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/26\/10-best-arcade-archives-games-modern-consoles-readers-feature-29217808\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">The 10 best Arcade Archives games on modern consoles &#8211; Reader&#8217;s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--gaming\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>GameCentral<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forza Horizon 6 \u2013 the last of a dying breed (Xbox Game Studios) Surprised by the fact that Forza Horizon is now the only widely successful racing game, a reader tries to explain why the genre has fallen out of fashion. Before I started writing this, I had no idea the Need For Speed franchise&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_307015362-9028_1785517712.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}