The best racing games for Nintendo Switch

Horizon Chase Turbo is arcade racing bliss. Heavily inspired by arcade machines from the ’80s and ’90s, Horizon Chase Turbo is all about getting back to basics. You drive a fast car around a track and try to beat everyone else, no messing about with guns or banana peels. The vibe of the game is right, too, with Barry Leitch at the helm of the soundtrack. Leitch also worked on games like Top Gear and Rush. The game isn’t trying to be anything it’s not, and that’s why we love it. Instead of going in a realistic direction — par for the course with racing games — Horizon Chase Turbo uses a blocky aesthetic reminiscent of 16-bit era racers. Although simple, the visuals are stunning, with bright colors and a full weather system. They complement the Switch perfectly, too, favoring performance over the muddy “HD” textures seen in countless other Switch ports.

Time for a different perspective, literally. Gotcha Racing 2nd isn’t an obvious choice for a racer, but it’s a great one. Although the game looks like nothing more than a simple, fun top-down racer, it actually comes from Arc System Works, the same studio behind the Double Dragon and Guilty Gear series, as well as games like Dragon Ball FighterZ. Gotcha Racing 2nd is a top-down racer with some interesting courses and tight mechanics. The fun comes from customizing your vehicle, though. The game, fittingly, has a gacha system where you spend in-game currency to purchase new items. Unlike free-to-play mobile games, though, you don’t need to give Gotcha Racing 2nd a direct line to your credit card. There are almost 700 parts in the game, and you can earn them simply by playing, no microtransactions. Without the threat of an overdrawn balance, Gotcha Racing 2nd shows how effective gacha games are in keeping players engaged, and with a bargain-bin price tag, there’s no reason not to give it a shot.