12 Best Xbox One Open-World Driving Games

While there have been plentiful driving games over the years, what advancements in technology have granted developers in recent years has served the expansion of the genre well. One of the main beneficiaries is the scale of the worlds we can navigate, leading to greater numbers of open-world driving/racing titles – and the Xbox One platform played host to some of the absolute best of these titles. So with that, these are the 11 best Xbox One Open World Racing/Driving Games

#12 The Crew Motorfest

Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: September 14, 2023

Epic | PlayStation | Xbox

In racing titles, it’s often about having the best car possible as you blitz down the road or track to get the best result. In The Crew Motorfest, you’ll have numerous car options from the past and present to pick from as you race down the numerous tracks and areas that Hawaii has to offer.

If you want specifics, classic cars are begging to be tried out, or you could go the electric route and see what it’s like to drive without using gas.

Once you have your car, go racing down the track or hook up with friends and see how fast you can race down the state’s wild side.

#11 Dakar 18

• Publisher: Deep Silver
• Developer: Bigmoon Entertainment
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Sep 2018

We hadn’t seen a Dakar rally game in over a decade, but when it finally arrived there was plenty to like. Dakar 18 does a great job of capturing the feeling of rally driving, emphasising the smaller details of the event. There may be a lack of polish in a number of areas, but Dakar 18 is a type of racing game that doesn’t come along often enough and must be experienced.

#10 Assetto Corsa

• Publisher: 505 Games
• Developer: Kunos Simulazioni
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Aug 2016

Assetto Corsa looks and sounds the part. The striking visuals and realistic audio effects are just the start though. Assetto Corsa is a meticulously designed racer that, despite being a difficult gamer to master, gives so much to the hardcore racing fan.

#9 SnowRunner

• Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
• Developer: Saber Interactive
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Apr 2020

A simulator at heart, and a gigantic improvement on the Mudrunner titles, Snowrunner sets a bar for others in its sub-genre. Snowrunner is a unique brand of title, that blends truck simulation and off-road exploration in a way that will keep you entertained for hours to come.

#8 Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered

• Publisher: EA
• Developer: Criterion Games
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Nov 2020

Hot Pursuit is one of the most beloved Need For Speed games, and for good reason. A decade later, and in remastered form, the game feels just as sensational as it did then, the visuals are updated to make the game look today like you’d once remembered it. There wasn’t much in the way of additions to the experience, rather it was just a cosmetic overhaul, but that alone was enough to make it one of the best driving games of the generation

#7 The Crew 2

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Developer: Ivory Tower
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Jun 2018

The Crew 2 is a beautiful follow-up to a pretty lackluster original attempt from Ubisoft. For players of all levels of experience, there is a lot to love about the game. The world is huge, the things you can do are plentiful (despite all being clustered in the same spaces), and its design makes it a game you can easily come back to on and off for years.

#6 Need For Speed Heat

• Publisher: EA
• Developer: Ghost Games
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Nov 2019

Many of the modern Need For Speed titles have failed to recapture the same magic that earlier entries once had but Need For Speed Heat was a step in the right direction. It looks great, plays superbly well, and despite there being a bit of a late-game grind, the game has longevity like few games in the genre have.

#5 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition

• Publisher: Take-Two Interactive
• Developer: Rockstar & Grove Street Games
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Nov 2021

Of course, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy Definitive Edition launched with its issues last year. It was quite egregious the state that the game was in upon launch. Thankfully, 99% of those issues have been cleared up and we can go back to looking at the games as what they are, exceptional open worlds rife with opportunity. Whether it’s the streets of Liberty City, Vice City, or even San Andreas, there’s potential around every corner, good or bad. The games were classics on their original platforms, and are just as exceptional all these years on.

#4 Burnout Paradise Remastered

• Publisher: EA
• Developer: Criterion Games
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Mar 2018

Burnout Paradise wasn’t the Burnout that Burnout fans wanted when it first launched, but eventually it grew to be a beloved entry, but when we got a remaster of it for the Xbox One, the performance of the game was improved further to make it the definitive Burnout experience. It merged arcade racing with realistic racing aspects in a way that still to this day feels unique.

#3 Forza Horizon 4

• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Developer: Playground Games
• Platform: Xbox One
• Release Date: Oct 2018

Following the stellar launch of Forza Horizon 3 and its Aussie setting, the expectations for the next title were through the roof. Thankfully, Forza Horizon 4 delivered with it’s exceptional Great Britain setting, and a feature set that was genre leading when it launched. It was so good that even LEGO got involved, yes, the maker of everyone’s favourite toy bricks featured prominently in the LEGO Speed Champions DLC as you took off to LEGO Valley to explore.

#2 Grand Theft Auto V

• Publisher: Take-Two Interactive
• Developer: Rockstar
• Platform: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
• Release Date: Nov 2014

The undisputed king of the open-world genre, GTA V is also a force in the open-world driving space as well. While not the primary focus, the driving feels great, in third, or first person, the streets you navigate are filled with life and possibilities while taking the game online opens up the real insanity. 9 years since the original release and GTA V continues to grow, giving players more to do, and more fun behind the wheel.

#1 Forza Horizon 5

• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Developer: Playground Games
• Platform: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
• Release Date: Nov 2021

How to you follow up Forza Horizon 4, the greatest ever open world driving game? By making Forza Horizon 5 of course! By dropping into Mexico even more open world options were available; the terrain and the weather were additive to the experience on a level past entries hadn’t yet achieved, while the core gameplay experience was polished to an incredible sheen. Horizon 5 is the current genre leader