24 Best Off Road PC Games of All Time

Racing games, much like many other genres of video games, have many different forms. And one of the key differences for some is the concept of staying on road to race on tracks, or, going off road in order to just drive around the world. So…let’s focus on that later one and show you the 20 Best Off Road PC Games of All Time.

#24 Motocross Madness 2

Ok, we’re going WAY back on this one. But we’re sure you can handle it. Because Motocross Madness 2 was a game released all the way back in 2000! Yes, before consoles were truly “modern”, before PCs became the “Master Race” for many, and when Motocross wasn’t as popular gaming-wise as it is now.

In MCM2, there are six types of racing: Stunts, Enduro, Baja, Supercross and Nationals, and the campaign-style Pro-Circuit Mode. So that shows you how even back then, they made games to be robust and playable for a long time.

They even had a special editor using PhotoShop of all things to help you make new tracks. So while it may not hold up to the “graphical power” of modern games, this one definitely deserves a look and your respect.

#23 MX Bikes

If you’re looking for motocross games out there, there are plenty. But if you are looking for ones that truly FEEL like motocross? Then you need to try out MX Bikes. Why? Because this title was built with a physics engine that was designed to mimic everything that goes on with these bikes as they go on the track and “interact” with other bikers.

You’ll also be able to host your own events and race with friends or others online. And when you’re done? You’ll get data on how everything went so you can learn and grow from your experience.

Add to that customization for your bikes and the tracks you race on, VR support, and all sorts of ways to battle with other players, and you have a lot to do here.

#22 The Crew

The Crew was built to give you two things: freedom and excitement. Because the game lets you be the avatar not through yourself per se, but through your car. It is the vehicle through which everything will happen. And the best part is that your vehicle will be able to go through 5 massive regions of the United States, ensuring that the fun never stops.

But of course, you don’t have to do it alone. The reason it’s called The Crew is that you’re meant to build up a squad of fellow car “enthusiasts” and test out how well you can work together or compete with one another in missions, races, and more.

The US is your playground, and no matter the vehicle you ride on, you’ll never want to slow down.

#21 Nail’d

Heading back to the PS3 age now, Nail’d had a singular goal to be the “fastest off-road racer of them all!” To do that, they not only gave you the vehicles by which to go fast, they wanted to make sure the very tracks that you raced on were “maxed out” for excitement and thrills, so you never really knew what was going to be coming up.

And these aren’t just random tracks either, many of them are built on actual locations in the US…but given an “arcade game spin” to let you have a lot more fun with them. And we can’t blame them for doing that.

You can race up to 11 people, and go for speed as well for tricks. So, think you’re up to the challenge?

#20 Pure Rock Crawling

There are plenty of high-octane racing games out there for you to get as you’ll see later one. But if you want one that is a bit more methodical, you need to get Pure Rock Crawling.

Why? Because this title puts you in the role of a jeep builder who has the simple goal of making a ride that has the best kind of suspension so that it can tackle huge rocks, overcome tight spots, and traverse over the very rugged terrain of the areas you’ll be in.

Then, you’ll get to go and prove your technical expertise as you go through various gates in order to get points without touching key points. Think you can do that? Jump in and find out!

#19 Off Road Drive

What’s one way to try and ensure you’re having an “authentic off road experience?” That would be to based it off something that happens in the world. And Off Road Drive gives you that via the The Russian trophy, Off-Road Trial, Thai Trophy and more events that have one singular goal: to put you through the absolute worst driving conditions possible, and expects you to act like a champ every single time.

Good luck with that!

You’ll have battle through these international courses against others as well as using various vehicles to get through the terrain. And make no doubt, the terrain will try to screw with you, so do your best to screw with it back!

#18 Gravel

If you want a racing game that is just as much a battle as it is a race, then you’ll definitely want to try out Gravel. Because this game wants you to not just go off road, but to thrive in it as you battle other players and try to have memorable clashes every single time you can go on the course.

What’s more, you’ll have four different ways you can play the game, including doing cross-country racing, doing specialized races in key offroad spots, do epic tracks or battle in epic stadiums!

No matter how you look at it, the game is meant to be off road in the best way.

#17 V-Rally 4

Rally car racing is easily one of the most difficult kinds of racing in the world, and V-Rally 4 aims to be a “simulation” that fully embraces that difficulty and turns to you to try and survive it. Good luck with that!

All the while, you’re not just trying to survive the road, you’re trying to survive the 7 other players or AI you’re racing against. A single wrong turn or move can send you careening into another spot you don’t want to be in. So…don’t do that.

Learn the terrain, learn to tame your vehicle, and make sure your reflexes are razor-sharp so that you can win!

#16 Mudrunner

As you can guess, many racing games focus on the…well…racing side of things. But not all those who race are in need of competition. For in the world, there are people who are racing against the clock because they need to get to their destination quickly to deliver things and get to their next jobs.

Which brings us to Mudrunner, a game that drops you in the wilds of Siberia, and gives you nothing but a map and a compass to try and get to your destinations.

You’ll have a set of vehicles and attachments that you can use to try and get to your goal and then some. You can play alone to survive, or, you can bring up to 3 friends to help you on your journey to get the job done!

#15 Art of Rally

While many games go for the most realistic graphics possible, Art of Rally takes things in a different direction. Mainly in that they give you a more artful and stylized reason to go and race through the world rally car style.

With its unique art palette, you’ll go across 72 stages from Finland to Sardinia, Norway, Japan, Germany and Kenya. Learning the history of rally car as you gleefully drift, turn 180 and go as fast as your car can in order to come out on top.

While it might be stylized, the game’s handling is meant to be an accurate representation of things. So go try this different visual spin on matters and see what you think!

#14 Snowrunner

A different version of a game from before, Snowrunner puts you in the cockpit of some of the biggest and beefiest trucks out there in the world, and for good reason.

Because your mission isn’t about racing, it’s about completing jobs in some of the worst terrains out there. Ones that are full of mud, packed with snow, or crossing massive bodies of water that risk drowning your vehicle.

You’ll need to complete tasks to not just advance, but to upgrade your vehicles as a whole. The more you do, the better off you’ll be. And do enjoy the environments as you barrel through them, they are quite special if you give them a chance.

#13 WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship

It’s always a good thing when an official race circuit endorses a game, and WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship is arguably the best version of the WRC games as a whole. Because not only does it give you an extensive and accurate version of rally car, it allows you to take a deep dive into the history of rally car itself as you’ll find out.

Plus, on top of a widely-praised campaign, you’ll get a level editor to where you can go and enjoy creating your own unique tracks to test both yourself and your friends.

Add to that, dozens of cars, tracks and teams to inhabit? You’ll be playing for a while.

#12 Overpass

Many racing games as you all know focus on certain kinds of vehicles. But with Overpass, they finally go and give respect to ones you might not expect. In this case, quads and buggies.

That’s right, the perfect off road vehicles are now your vehicles of off road glory in this game. And the best part is that they made the game respecting these vehicles. Because the goal is to NOT go fast, but to master the terrain itself. You’ll have to deal with realistic physics and obstacles in order to get by, and it won’t be easy given some of the terrain you’ll deal with.

Over 40 tracks await you, and you’ll need to do your best to drive them with true technical skill!

#11 Dakar 18

We’ve been showing you a lot of rally car games in the last 5 or so, but there’s a reason for that. These rally games showcase a lot, and what’s more, they can at times do different tracks or feels for you to enjoy. Which brings us to Dakar 18.

Because this game is one where you’ll be taking part in a version of the world’s biggest cross-country rally car event out there. One that takes place in South America and has you going across 12,000km2 of open terrain via many vehicles. With 14 stages within the race itself, you’ll be challenged every single time, and that’s not including when you are playing against others.

This race is meant to test you, so will you pass?

#10 BeamNG

There are several racing games that dare to be different in terms of what KINDS of realism they show you in the racing they do. And while BeamNG is indeed a racing game you can go and have a lot of fun with. Their claim to fame is their engine that allows the game to showcase the very accurate damage that your cars take when you hit something.

Once you have that under your grasp, you’ll get to explore 12 very unique open world environments and get to push dozens of cars to their limits in order to see all that’s out there waiting for you.

So if you’re looking for an accurate and unique driving experience, get BeamNG.

#9 FlatOut

When it comes to games that are quite frankly insane to play and yet insanely fun to play, you need to check out the FlatOut series. Because this is one of many series out there that emphasizes the ability to just crash into things in such a spectacular way that you’ll want to do it over and over again just for the heck of it.

From the first game to the most recent ones, you’ll get to put yourself up against the AI of the title or other real players in order to see who can win and survive in their insane races. All the while, upgrading your car so that it can better match the kind of racer you want to be.

#8 Mad Max

The Mad Max movies showed you the post-apocalyptic world where gas is everything, and the road is full of fury.

But in the Mad Max video game, you’ll find out just how furious it can be in the best way possible. As you’ll get to be Max yourself, and have to travel across the wastelands in order to find supplies to live, find parts to outfit your car for vehicular combat, and complete missions in order to survive against those who would want you dead.

Arguably the most barbaric of the off road games on this list, Mad Max is high-octane, high action, and a ton of fun.

#7 Monster Jam Steel Titans 2

The Monster Jam series is as simple as it can be in both the real world and the virtual one. You’ll get to pilot some of the biggest and baddest monster trucks out there, and figure out just how grand it is to be behind that much steel.

In Monster Jam Steel Titans 2, you’ll get to choose from almost 40 unique and special monster trucks from the real world and then use them to do trick, win races, and explore five special “Monster Jam worlds” in order to see what madness can be had, and what secrets can be found.

This is a game for those who want to just let loose and have lots of fun, so get in your monster truck and jam!

#6 Wreckfest

Sometimes…you just really need to wreck stuff. Like, full-tile, you need to wreck it. And yes, we’ve shown you other games where you can wreck things, but Wreckfest is arguably the best of the bunch. This game was built to be a “soft engine demolition derby” title where you can race, crash, and do whatever else you want as you try and have the most fun and carnage as possible.

The true fun here is the physics engine ironically enough. You’ll get to see true real-time carnage that is beyond what most games can offer.

So jump into the title and see just how insane things are going to get for you!

#5 The Crew 2

Typically, racing games give you a large, or somewhat very large, place or places to go and race in. But in The Crew 2, they give you basically an entire nation to go and have fun in. No, really, they give you a “coast to coast” game that you can go and enjoy. Plus, they give you not just cars to go and drive, but boats and planes to go and have fun with as well. That way you can go “coast to coast” in whatever you way you prefer.

But wait, there’s more! While many racing games demand that you stop doing something before you switch out a vehicle, this time around, you’ll get to swap on the fly.

So go and enjoy what is out there, any way you want to get there.

#4 Dirt 5

Dirt 5 is meant to be your “arcade racing experience” in the best way possible. As it takes you all over the world to show you many different kinds of courses and lets you pilot over 70 different kinds of vehicles in order to give you a fresh experience every single time you race.

And that’s all before you go and do the campaign mode, where you’ll be trained by an icon of the racing world to try and take their place and make their own legend.

Plus, when you jump online? The fun continues like never before. The team at Codemasters did their best to honor the previous Dirt games when making this one. So go and jump in and see if they lived up to the hype!

#3 Dirt Rally 2.0

As we’ve already talked about rally car racing is one of the hardest things to do in racing. The courses are incredibly difficult, if you make one wrong move you’ll get put into the ditch, and the cars are both light and fast.

Dirt Rally 2.0 puts you into the rally car seat and gives you one of the more authentic experiences you can have in this genre.

Eight official circuits in the Rally Car world are there for you to enjoy, and over 50 different off road cars can be used within the game to further your experience.

It won’t be easy, and you’ll need to refine your skills as you go, but if you last…you might just make a name for yourself.

#2 Forza Horizon 5

As we’ve already shown you, there are many different ways you can interpret the “off road genre”. Some go for gameplay, and some go for realism. And for Forza Horizon 5, they definitely try and enforce that this is one of the best looking off road games that you can drive in.

In this version of Horizon, you’ll be taken to Mexico, and allowed to go on road or off road in a score of vehicles so that you can enjoy the lush and richly detailed landscapes. And yes, you can still go racing alone or with friends, but this is one of those titles that enjoys being just as much about the visual experience as it is about being a driving game.

#1 Riders Republic

In many ways, Riders Republic is the epitome of what is intended with these off road games. Why? Because the whole concept isn’t about making the “best racing game ever”, it’s about the community. Because in Riders Republic, you’ll get to have fun with a huge group of players and do all sorts of off road activities on the ground, in the snow, in the air, on dirt, mud, and everything in between.

They made this game to be a “living, breathing world” and they want you to enjoy it with up to 50 players per session.

Add to that fun the ability race one another and just shred it up, and you can see why it’s so popular.