Racing games can be a lot of fun on a phone: you can tilt the phone to steer your car and with newer graphics and OLED displays, games can really shine. And of course, it’s easy to take your gaming everywhere with you on a phone.

So what are the best racing games that you can play on your iPhone, iPad or Android device?

We take a look at some cool racing games, from the very realistic ones to the ones that will have your car flipping and flying in all sorts of crazy tricks.

Asphalt 9

Free with IAP, Download for iOS| Android

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Asphalt 9 Legends is without a doubt the most popular racing game out there: with its arcade style gameplay where you can jump off platforms, turbo-boost your driving with nitro power-ups and perform impressive drifts, it’s clearly not realistic, but still a lot of fun. Asphalt starts you on a journey to get faster and better-performing cars, and Asphalt 9 is not only a joy to play, but also looks great. Just make sure you turn off those automatic driving controls and switch to the good old manual controls to enjoy the game a bit more.

GRID Autosport

$10, Download for iOS

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One of the most expensive games on this list, the $10 GRID Autosport is worth every penny if you are looking for a game with a bit more realism. Coming straight from the popular original GRID racing game series that were all the rage in the nineties, this mobile version features surprisingly great graphics and focuses on high-performance cars. It still walks the thin line between a purely arcade game like Asphalt and a super realistic one, striking a good balance between the two. There are over 100 cars and a hundred circuits and the game itself is big, weighing over 6 gigabytes. Of course, it’s not just about the cars and the graphics, but most of all, about the gameplay and the controls, and GRID Autosport excels in both.

F1 2016

$2, Download for iOS | Android

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F1 2016 offers a similarly great driving experience at a much more affordable price than GRID. At just 2 bucks, this game is about well-crafted car models that look very detailed on screen, but we were most impressed with the responsive controls. You tilt to turn left and right, and handling your car works very subtly, and overall the gameplay is really satisfying.

Neon Drive

$4, Download for iOS

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More of a game where you avoid the obstacles rather than a true racing game, Neon Drive looks and feels different than all the other games we have talked about so far. It takes places in a retro-futuristic world filled with everything from stunning cityscapes to ocean roads and spaceships. Neon Drive takes its inspiration from eighties arcade racing games, but dresses that atmosphere in beautiful modern graphics. What’s cool about Neon Drive is that your perspective changes multiple times as you play and keeps you on the edge as you need to dodge obstacles and avoid dead-ends. Last but not least, you have an uber cool custom retro music track for each level that just adds to the fun.

Need for Speed No Limits

Free with IAP, Download for iOS | Android

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Do we really need to give an introduction to a Need for Speed game? An iconic game that 90s kids love and cherish, this latest edition for phones comes from the same guys that developed another legendary title: Real Racing 3, so you can expect similarly great visuals and similarly great gameplay. In No Limits, your goal is to become the king of the underground racing world, create and maintain that reputation and meanwhile have fun with plenty of muscle cars that you can customize in every aspect imaginable. Race Ferraris, Lambos, Porsches, and more, jump off platforms, smash into traffic and go into super high speed nitro zones. Need for Speed No Limits is all about the adrenaline.

Real Racing 3

Free with IAP, Download for iOS | Android

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How can we do a best racing games list without Real Racing 3? Of course, we’ve included it. The game that has set a new standard for mobile racing games a few years ago, is still a lot of fun to play. It places its bets on realism and on incredibly beautiful car models and tracks, combined with a very precise handling system. You can race one of more than 200 realistic car models at 18 real-world locations, and in addition to the standard races against the computer, you can also play time-shifted multiplayer against real-life players. Or have up to 8 friends for real-time multiplayer racing.

Horizon Chase

Free with IAP, Download for iOS| Android

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We love the way Horizon Chase creators describe their game in their own words: “a love letter to all retro gaming fans”. The games does indeed feel that way. Inspired by games like Lotus Run and Out Run, you will feel playing an 80s arcade cabinet game when you take control of the car in Horizon Chase. The graphics are in beautifully pixelized 16 bits, and the gameplay takes you to a different spot of the world in every cup: from sunny deserts to rainy landscapes, snow, and volcanic ashes. In addition to that you have a hypnotizing retro track by the same musician who wrote the tracks for Lotus Turbo Challenge.

Riptide GP2

$2, Download for iOS | Android (GP1)

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This is a game that has been around for a long while, yet it is still so much fun to play. The second edition is still only available on the iOS platform and it still looks beautiful. The jets racing on water with players performing tricks while crashing the waves and the competition, there is something in this that does not get old. You can race the hydro jets in single player against the computer and master the 25 different tricks on your own, or go online with 4-way multiplayer against friends and people from all over the world.

Reckless Racing 3

$3, Download for iOS | Android

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Another timeless classic that is worth a look is Reckless Racing 3. The familiar cars driving across dirty racetracks with epic power slides are really quite the addiction, especially for those who likes to master the almost endless drifts around twisty roads. You can race cars and trucks, play a long career mode with over 60 events in 9 different seasons, but the real fun might be the gymkhana precision stunt driving mode, where you test your skills to the maximum with a special set of rally cars.

Asphalt Xtreme

Free with IAP, Download for iOS | Android

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Speaking of offroad rally racing, Asphalt Extreme is a game that you should definitely play. It takes you on a journey through sandy dunes, canyons and across various mud challenges, all great places for a rally car. Pick between a muscle car, a typical rally drive or a monster truck, or just go wild with a buggy or a pickup truck. You have a total of 7 different car types, each with its own characteristics that will change the gameplay profoundly. Apart from the traditional single-player mode in exotic locations across the globe, you also have support for real-time multiplayer with up to 8 players.

This looks cool. I remember learning some game programming and it had to do with the velocity of the car.
It's crazy to think of how these things are made and the time put into it.