Best graphic racing games on PS3 (after GT5) (2025)

Simple question, what are the top 3 racing games on Ps3 with the best graphics after GT5?

I have Dirt 2 and it looks good, F1 Championship Edition looks better than F1 2010 which is too low res like Grid. Ferrari The Race Experience by System 3 looks cheap and buggy.. Shift 1 doesn't look bad but has some frame drop here and there.. so, what's your opinion?

My list:

realistic (or sort of)
1- Dirt 3 & 2
2- F1 CE
3- SBK Generations

arcade
1- Wipeout HD
2- Need For Speed Hot Pursuit
3- Burnout Paradise

Y'know funnily enough I was comtemplating a bit earlier today about how to class Wipeout HD/Fury. I appreciate that it's a fantasy scenario so sim is possibly a contradiction in terms; but at the same time an aracde tag just feels too cruel.

I've played demos for F1 2010 and F1 2012 and I thought the former was better looking than the current title, though I haven't actually played the full games, so cannot really comment.

D3 was marginally better than D2 in vehicle looks - but D2 had better environmental graphics. I also quite like the way WRC3 looks if you drive from the cockpit.

For Arcade though:
1 - Grid
2 - NFS: Shift
3 - Midnight Club: Los Angeles (I like the day night transitions and atmosphere)

I would put several games ahead of GT5, the screen tearing I had really drove me crazy in GT5 along with all of the horrible non premium cars. I would much rather have no screen tearing and 5 really good looking cars and cockpits then screen tearing and some really good looking cars and cockpits and mostly really bad looking cars and no cockpit.

I would say my top 3 for graphics alone would be
1. Dirt 2
2. shift 2
3. GT5

Ferrari Racing Legend is decent enough

Shift: Unleashed is great overall

WRC 3 is just mind blowing

Gran Turismo 5 is just still the exemplar / benchmark / example / no.1 in terms of graphics

Hmm intresting, I think my top 3 would be :

1. SHIFT2 Unleashed
2. NFS Most wanted 2012
3. DIRT2

How is Wipeout HD not an arcade game? When did arcade become a negative word, it's certaintly not a driving or racing simulator, its a racing/shooting half mario kart game with simple handling physics and a futuristic style, aside from the fact that it isnt sitting in an arcade it could not be more an arcade racer.

Personally I think aside from GT5 and Wipeout HD, Need For Speed : Most Wanted (2012) is the best looking new PS3 racer.

As a pcgamer I will have to say wipeout and midnight club la. Those experiences I cant get on pc.
How do we know Wipeout is arcade?

midnight club la is the best story driven city racer l driven

Bigbazz

How is Wipeout HD not an arcade game?

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I'm guessing this is in response to my musing?

I don't think that the inclusion of shooting makes it arcade necessarily -all of the NFS titles have no shooting and they're arcade driving/racing games. Arcade as I understand the term is defined mostly by simplified physics. Wipeout HD/Fury has more complex physics than pretty much all arcade games I've played, but I still balk at calling it a sim - hence my debate.

I'm still not sure...

MeanElf

I'm guessing this is in response to my musing?

I don't think that the inclusion of shooting makes it arcade necessarily -all of the NFS titles have no shooting and they're arcade driving/racing games. Arcade as I understand the term is defined mostly by simplified physics. Wipeout HD/Fury has more complex physics than pretty much all arcade games I've played, but I still balk at calling it a sim - hence my debate.

I'm still not sure...

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I thought the physics we're fairly simplified like most arcade racers, to be called a sim it really has to be simulating something, hovering spaceship style pod racers do not exist, and if you're saying it's simulating that then really we might aswell call every racing game a sim of some sort. Wipeout HD could not be further from an arcade game, going back to the original Wipeout (which I own, on the saturn) it has been a standout and stereotypical arcade style game.

On the subject of the thread, Wipeout HD is perhaps in the top 5 games on the PS3 for excellent graphics, but it is an arcade racer through and through, if you have to question that then the next thing we will be debating is whether Mario Kart is a karting simulator.

Interesting answers folks,

@ MeanElf, you rated "Grid" as 1st one on graphics, I don't have the full version, I'm considering to buy it, but what's holding me is the aliasing and low resolution I found in the demo. Let's say, how is Grid graphics compared to Dirt 2? (PS3).

Racing game with best graphics after GT5 ?

Well WRC 3, before GT5 is wipeout HD no doubt about that.

Worse graphics, both F1 2011 and F1 2012, awful, hideous, repulse, filthy, sickening etc.

ussr

Racing game with best graphics after GT5 ?

Well WRC 3, before GT5 is wipeout HD no doubt about that.

Worse graphics, both F1 2011 and F1 2012, awful, hideous, repulse, filthy, sickening etc.

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What's your opinion about Grid? (Graphically speaking)

HKS racer

@ MeanElf, you rated "Grid" as 1st one on graphics, I don't have the full version, I'm considering to buy it, but what's holding me is the aliasing and low resolution I found in the demo. Let's say, how is Grid graphics compared to Dirt 2? (PS3).

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I think overall the graphics in Grid were pretty good for an arcade racer - clearly Codemasters in style with regard to the interiors though.

In general D2 is superior, richer with lusher textures but Grid has impressive damage visuals and physics which make it stick out in my mind.

BigBazz - I think you're taking my comments a little bit too seriously I did say that I just thought arcade was too harsh a tag for Wipeout, not that it isn't arcade - hence the original debate I was having with myself.

On the one hand, sure it's a fantasy environment so of course the physics can't be based on real racing - it is however based on real physics - the stuff that holds the universe together and it does that very well. A training simulator isn't the real thing but it does operate within the defining parameters of that which it is trying to simulate...arcade doesn't.

Now see what you've done, gone and made me take it all seriously too I'm sticking with sim therefore.

Interesting thread this 👍

It's a really difficult choice to make I think as different games do different things well, and I am not sure there are any that do everything right (though GT5 comes closest to that in front of my eyes anyway, well apart from those shadows!):

For my shiny two pence worth...

1. Need for Speed Most Wanted
2. WRC3
3. Dirt 2

But not really in any order as they all do different things very well.

Burnout Paradise and GRID get a mention as outsiders.

I think Dirt 2 is the best looking racing game. Dirt 3 just didn't have the same wow factor. here are a few pics for the people who haven't played it before.

MeanElf

Damn you...now I'll go and have to play some

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Lol I know sometimes when I look at em on my ps3 I find myself reaching for the game aswell. I got a crazy set of pics where I went between a digger and its bucket arm!

I dont think GT5 was that good looking, at least not ingame. I dont give a damn about a photo mode. The standard cars, the tearing, the horribly pixelated shadows, the bland surroundings, the same last gen geometry as in GT4 on most tracks... GT5s lighting is spectacular in some cases but overall just too much errors.

Shift 2 Unleashed (despite 720p and 30 fps), Dirt 2, Dirt Showdown, Motorstorm Pacific Rift, wipeout HD and NFS Most Wanted were better imho. All of them much more detailed, lively, atmospheric.

Burnout Paradise - it may be five years old on the dot (release was Jan 22, 2008), however it still holds up well. The polish put into the cars is excellent and all at a smooth 60fps which a lot of games don't hit. IMO no game has better damage modeling.

NFS Hot Pursuit/Most Wanted - both excellent looking games. Most Wanted does have some world loading issues though, but it looks great otherwise.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift - good damage modeling, tracks look great and have some pretty awesome scenery (I took loads of pictures with the photo mode in this game). They did a good job with the water and mud as well. The lava is the only noticeably ugly looking thing I can recall.

Wipeout HD/Fury is another one with excellent graphics. I'd say Dirt 2 as well, but I only rented it so I can't really remember it that well.

isn't it sad the all the non-exclusive listed titles here run and look better on the 360?

anyway, it is a better idea to focus on the best looking exclusives (that aren't gt5, which is hands down the best one).

avens

isn't it sad the all the non-exclusive listed titles here run and look better on the 360?

anyway, it is a better idea to focus on the best looking exclusives (that aren't gt5, which is hands down the best one).

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Well, yes and no. For instance a game could eventually run better on Xbox 360 but if you only have a PS3 you don't necessarly go buy another console, since the PS3 version looks good enough. If someone is looking for "the best" graphics he better go ahead and purchase a PC for gaming instead.

The point is with the the hardaware we actually have (PS3) what are the best looking racing games? The exclusive / non exclusive thing can be interesting but only the people with booth consoles will care about that.