The best PC games of 2013

RACING

Grid 2

Publisher: Codemasters

Release: May 27

Link

Codemaster's latest racing title offers a three-way split between track, dirt and street - and an ambition to garner wide appeal while delivering a deep driving simulation. Oh, and lovely menus. You can't forget the lovely menus.

Distance

Publisher: Refract Studios

Release: TBC 2013

Link

The developers behind the unique and fun free-to-play racer Nitrionic Rush took to Kickstarter to fund their next project - Distance. Freed from the shackles of a publisher, the studio is aiming to take their futuristic survival racing to the next level.

Race The Sun

Publisher: Flippfly

Release: August

Link

A hazardous landscape is procedurally generated before you as you attempt to keep pace with the globe's orbit and escape the onset of dusk. It's is fast, fun and right now you can play the demo version for free.

Trackmania 2 Valley

Publisher: Ubisoft

Release: July 4

Link

Trackmania's Valley expansion takes the racing-game construction kit off-road, with a slew of dirt tracks and rugged rallies to test your tyres. It isn't the the most outlandish of the Trackmania releases, but it looks a treat.

Trackmania 2 Stadium

Publisher: Ubisoft

Release: February 27

Link

Trackmania 2 Stadium, goes in quite the opposite direction from the grit of Trackmania 2 Valley, introducing ludicrous loops, huge jumps and other stunt-bait to the racing-game construction kit's grab bag of components.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Publisher: Sega

Release: January 31

Link

Until a few years ago you wouldn't have thought Sonic had it in him to create a great racing game – and to be fair, Sumo Digital may have helped a bit. This imaginative, thrillingly fast racer shoves all your Sega favourites – Tails, the cast of Jet Set Radio, er, a Shogun – into one hyperactive karting game, and the result is far more compelling than it has any right to be. The belated PC version added characters from TF2, Total War and Football Manager, as if things weren't weird enough already.

TOPICS