Colin McRae Rally

Colin McRae Rally is one of only a few rally car sims on the market, but it's both the most popular and one of the best. Unlike most racing sims, Colin McRae Rally has you racing against yourself. Instead of going head to head against other cars, you're running the course trying to beat the times of your competition.

But that doesn't mean there won't be a level of challenge here. The courses themselves are hazardous. Dips, bumps, and rocks are just the start of the hazards you'll face in course that veer from typical urban streets or neatly manicured tracks. And you'll have to adjust your behavior depending on the courses too. Racing in the mud is very different from racing in the snow, and success means bringing both your skills and the right vehicle to the track with you. Inexplicably, this isn't a game that looks to replicate any courses from the real world, but it does provide you with eight exotic locations from all around the globe.

Even if this game doesn't have the licenses for specific tracks, the name Colin McRae is a big draw in the world of rally car racing. The developers have done a great job of leveraging their licenses. Colin McRae himself guides you through the tutorial stage of the game, and there's a full stable of rally car celebrities you can compete with over the course of your career.