It's safe to say 2020 definitely wasn't the grand start to the new decade as many may have hoped, for reasons obvious, but one area 2020 certainly didn't slack was in its incredible wealth of new and exciting games.

From cute island getaways with Animal Crossing, fast FPS action with DOOM Eternal and CoD Warzone, grand single player experiences such as The Last of Us Part II, Spider-Man Miles Morales Ghost of Tsushima and Cyberpunk 2077, or fun indies like Hades and Fall Guys - 2020 was a year like none other, especially when you factor in the launch of next-generation hardware.

With that said, racing games were very much so on the lacklustre side. While we did receive two fantastic Codies games - DIRT 5 and F1 2020 - and a remaster of a decade old NFS title, that was really it.

We didn't get the next Forza Motorsport title that we were all expecting to launch with the Xbox Series X|S, nor Gran Turismo 7 for PlayStation 5, and well we all know how Need for Speed Heat turned out...

But looking ahead to 2021, what's currently slated and rumoured to be in the pipeline, I honestly believe we're in for a year of racing game content on a level we've not seen in years ...at least, that's if things go to schedule in this pandemic-struck world.

Need for Speed 2021

Developer: Criterion Games

Let’s talk about the major racing game for us – the next mainline entry into the Need for Speed series and arguably the biggest racing game currently slated for 2021.

There’s a mixed sense of excitement and optimism in the air surrounding this title, with former Need for Speed developer now at the reigns of the franchise again following Ghost Games’ sudden closure last February. Many are excited to see what Criterion can do to improve the struggling franchise, while the rest are (rightly) concerned what direction they’ll take it in based on their previous NFS titles.

So far all we know is that Criterion plans to use Need for Speed Heat as a “base” for the next game which most likely means everything we enjoyed from Heat will be present and built upon for Need for Speed 2021.

EA revealed a snippet of in-development footage of the title back at EA Play 2020 showcasing a customized Nissan 180SX and stock Porsche 911 GT3, and later revealed the title is “bringing some astounding visual leaps” which instils some confidence Criterion will continue on from Ghost’s legacy.

While we’re still months out from release, we’re fairly confident this game will launch in its usual November window, what remains to be seen is what the content will look like on day one and what the rollout of content afterwards be like.

Gran Turismo 7

Developer: Polyphony Digital

After three solid years of post-launch support with Gran Turismo Sport, we’re getting a proper numbered Gran Turismo entry which is already shaping up to be a true return-to-form for the series after many folk’s disappointment with the direction Polyphony took with Sport.

Fan-favourite features such as Used Cars, purchasable vehicle tuning parts, GT Auto, Trial Mountain, a GT4-inspired main menu map and many more are returning with Gran Turismo 7, while still retaining a lot of what made Gran Turismo Sport great like its Scapes Mode and large line-up of ‘built from the ground up’ vehicles in Brand Central.

What’s better is that Gran Turismo 7 will most likely be the first proper showcase for what racing games can be on next-generation hardware - with Polyphony leveraging all of the PlayStation 5’s tech innovations such as ray-traced reflections, 4K visuals, DualSense adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, instantaneous load times and more.

Though when Gran Turismo 7 will release remains a mystery, with a PlayStation ad originally suggesting an “early half of 2021” release window now mysteriously changed to “In Development for PlayStation” which could suggest not only is the release window unknown but could also mean Gran Turismo 7 might come to PlayStation 4. Personally, I’m hoping it still launches early this year as a PS5 exclusive.

The next Forza title (Motorsport/Horizon 5)

Developer: Turn 10 Studios/Playground Games

After over 2 years (?!) at this point since the release of Forza Horizon 4, its safe to assume that a new title in the Forza franchise will launch this year, the real question is …what?

Earlier in 2020, we finally got the formal announcement of the next Forza Motorsport title from Turn 10 – simply called ‘Forza Motorsport’ at this point. Most surprising was its lack of “Holiday 2020” release window, which many expected after the annualized franchise missed a year in 2019 only to miss it again with 2020.

Fast forward to the end of 2020, and the rumour mill suggests that not only is Forza Horizon 5 in development but that it will launch in 2021 BEFORE Forza Motorsport. While it is worth taking that with a grain of salt, the news itself came from a trusted journalist who correctly revealed the PS5 showcase date and NFS Hot Pursuit/Mass Effect remasters, so there is some plausibility to it.

A year where we get both a Need for Speed title AND a Forza Horizon title would be unlike what we’ve seen before, considering Forza Motorsport titles typically launch in NFS years, so to get two of the biggest arcade open-world racing game titles in one year would be insane and harken back to classic Call of Duty vs Battlefield level rivalry years.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown

Developer: Kylotonn Racing

After being merely a hope and dream for so many years to people in the racing game space, especially since 2018 when Nacon/KT Racing revealed they owned the Test Drive license, the next Test Drive Unlimited was finally revealed in 2020.

While not much has been revealed about the title, at all really, the title sounds promising. For starters, Alain Jarniou - who had previously worked on both Test Drive Unlimited titles at Eden Games - returns as creative director, and revealed Solar Crown will have all the elements of a TDU game including a 1:1 scale open island map, avatar customization, exotic vehicles and potentially even the casino.

Based on a leak we covered this time last January, KT Racing were allegedly targeting a late 2020 release date but its current state back then made it seem unlikely. Depending on how far along the title is in development, especially since being forced to work in the covid climate, the possibility of Solar Crown releasing in 2021 is seeming likely but not 100% certain.

F1 2021

Developer: Codemasters

Unsurprisingly, we’ll definitely be getting a new F1 game in 2021 and is probably already close to completion over at Codemasters considering their typical late June to mid-July release windows for F1 games.

What we can expect with F1 2021 is unsure. With F1 2020 introducing the well-received MyTeam mode, 2021 will no doubt receive some fan-requested changes and innovations to the mode. We’ll also get an updated roster of tracks, drivers and vehicles which is standard with yearly titles like this, and will no doubt be the first F1 game to launch for next gen consoles.

What’ll be most interesting is to see what changes happen to the game over its life. With EA expected to purchase Codemasters for $1.2B by March 2021, it’ll be the first Codemasters title published with the EA seal on the box but will have had no input on development. Will we see some Ultimate Team style overhaul heading towards the F1 2021 season, or will we have to wait until F1 2022 to see what EA-influenced changes?

While those five games might not sound like a lot, in the grand scheme of things it would make 2021 one of the biggest years for racing games in a while. 2017 was the last year we saw a Need for Speed, Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport title all launch in one year, with DiRT 4, Project CARS 2 and WipEout Omega Collection all also releasing that year.

Since then, we had – excluding the yearly F1 titles - Forza Horizon 4, The Crew 2 and Onrush in 2018, DIRT Rally 2.0, Need for Speed Heat and Grid in 2019, and DIRT 5, Project Cars 3 and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered in 2020.

While we’ve had some solid games, I don’t think anyone could deny 2017 was a banger of a year for racing games, and its looking like 2021 could top that. Even more so if Forza Horizon 5 and Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown come out this year, meaning three big open world arcade racers will be going up against one another.

We’ll also be getting more racing game content in the form of continued seasonal updates for The Crew 2 and the DLC season of DIRT 5 too, which is promising at minimum 12 new cars and 60 new career events plus the potential of new creation tools for Playgrounds mode.

Besides the mainstream games, we still have ambitious indie racing titles to look forward to in 2021 including the extremely faithful and promising Night Runners game and CarX Street. There could even be games in development we don’t know about yet which could potentially launch this year too, like the next DIRT Rally game from Codemasters.

Only time will tell for certain how well 2021 will shape up for racing games, but for the here and now, with a new mainline Need for Speed title, a new numbered Gran Turismo title, a brand new Test Drive Unlimited game and the potential of a new Forza Horizon game, I’d say we’re in for one of the best years of racing games yet.

Could 2021 Be The Best Year for Racing Games Yet? | Need for Speed 2021, Gran Turismo 7, Forza and More