How to Make a Racing Game
A racing game is a video game genre that emphasizes speed and competition. Racing games may be based on real-world driving or take place in fantastical settings, and often involve vehicle customization and upgrades. Common features of racing games include races, time trials, and challenges.
If you’re itching to make your own racing game, we’ve got just the thing. Curated from across the web, this list of resources will help you get started on the right track. You’ll find everything from tutorials and tips, to code snippets and templates.
Essential Elements of a Racing Game
The first step to making a racing game is understanding the essential elements that make up the genre. Games in this genre typically involve:
- Vehicles: The most important element in a racing game is the vehicles. Without them, there would be no race! The player needs to feel like they are in control of a fast, powerful machine that can handle whatever is thrown at it. The vehicles need to be designed with care and attention to detail so that they look and feel realistic. They also need to handle well, so that the player can negotiate the course with confidence. If the vehicles are not up to scratch, then the whole game will suffer as a result. Therefore, developers must get the vehicle design right if they want to create a successful racing game.
- Competition: Racing games pit the player against other players or computer-controlled opponents. The goal is to be the first to cross the finish line or complete the course within the given time limit. This competition can be between individuals or teams, and it can be collaborative or individualistic. In order to be successful, players need to strategize, plan ahead, and make split-second decisions. The best racing games are those that give players a fair chance to win, regardless of their skill level. This way, everyone can enjoy the thrill of competition and the satisfaction of victory.
- Scoring and ranking: Most racing games keep track of your score and rank you against other players. his helps to keep the game feeling competitive and gives you something to strive for. Most racing games will keep track of your score and rank you against other players. This can help to add excitement and motivation to keep playing the game. In addition, it can also help to give you a sense of accomplishment when you finish in a higher ranking than others. Scoring and ranking is an essential part of what makes a racing game enjoyable and keep players coming back for more.
- Timed laps or rounds: This can add an element of urgency and make the game more challenging. It also means that players have to be strategic about how they race. They may need to take shortcuts or take risks in order to make it to the finish line in time. This can add an extra layer of excitement to the game. Timed laps or rounds are a great way to increase the challenge level of a racing game and make it more enjoyable for players.
- Lives: Some racing games give you a limited number of lives. If you crash or are otherwise eliminated from the race, you lose a life. Once you’ve used up all your lives, it’s game over. This encourages players to be more careful as they progress through the game. It also adds a sense of stakes and urgency to the gameplay. Players who are down to their last life will often be more aggressive in their approach, as they know that one mistake could end their game.
- Levels: In other racing games, the goal is to complete a certain number of laps or rounds. As you progress, the tracks become more difficult with more obstacles and opponents. This helps to keep the player engaged as they try to improve their time and skills. Without this progression, the game would quickly become boring and repetitive
- Checkpoints and finish line: Most racing games have a finish line that you must cross to complete the game. To get there, you must pass through a series of checkpoints. If you miss a checkpoint, you lose valuable time.
- Power-ups: A good racing game is one that is fast-paced and thrilling. In order to keep players engaged, there needs to be a sense of excitement and suspense. Power-ups like nitro boosters are one way to add this element of excitement. They provide an opportunity for players to get ahead in the race and make things more challenging for their opponents. By adding power-ups to a racing game, developers can ensure that players will be kept on their toes and that the game will be more enjoyable overall.
Tips to Get Started
Now that you understand the basics of what makes a racing game, it’s time to start development on your own title. Here are some tips and resources to help you get started:
- Start with the basics: When creating any game, it’s important to start with the basics and work your way up. Begin by thinking about the core gameplay mechanics you want in your game. For example, do you want players to compete against each other in real-time? Or should they race against the clock? Once you’ve decided on the basic gameplay, you can start fleshing out the details. You need to choose a game style:
- Arcade-style physics: This is where the focus is more on fun and less on realism. The cars feel weightless and can make impossible jumps and turns. This style is more common in older games and still has a strong following today.
- Simulation-style physics: This type of physics aims for a more realistic experience. The cars feel heavier and the laws of physics are more strictly followed. This style is becoming more popular as technology advances.
- Hybrid: Some games fall somewhere in between the two extremes. They may have some features of an arcade game but still maintain a feeling of realism.
- Think about the game world: Where will the races take place? In a realistic, city environment? Or in an imaginary world? Once you’ve decided on the setting, you can start creating the tracks or courses where the races will take place.
- Create interesting opponents: While it’s not necessary to create complex AI for your racing opponents, they should be challenging enough to make the game enjoyable for players. You can also add other features to make your opponents more interesting, such as special abilities or power-ups.
- Add excitement with power-ups: Power-ups are a common feature in racing games, and they can help add excitement and challenge to the gameplay. Think about what kinds of power-ups you want to include in your game, and how they can be used to give players an advantage.
- Make it beautiful: Racing games are known for their fast-paced action and beautiful graphics. Spend some time thinking about the art style you want for your game, and how you can use visuals to create an immersive and exciting experience for players.
Unity
Gamekits
The Racing Game Starter Kit is an easy way to create racing games. It includes a track editor, a smart AI system, and 7 different race types. The kit is designed to be quick and easy to set up, so you can start racing right away.
The editor is easy to use and lets you create custom tracks. You can also add names and Racers to your track. Once you've created your track, you can race against the AI or other players. The kit also includes a replay system so you can watch your races again.
You can create custom tracks and race against the AI or other players. You'll be able to keep track of your progress with the lap and positioning systems, and the custom editor makes it easy to set up your vehicles.
With multiple camera views, including a cinematic camera, you'll be able to get the perfect view of the action. The main menu system makes it easy to navigate, and you can even customize your vehicles to make them your own.
Assets
This pack consists of 32 vehicles, including racing cars, rally cars, and monster trucks, so you can create any type of racing game you like. Plus, its track building kit comes with over 50 pieces, 25 race-related props, and 4 buildings to get you started.
Add some excitement to your 3D racing games with this Arcade: Racing Cars Pack. This pack contains a variety of muscle cars, rally cars, supercars and more - 45 cars in total. Each car comes in 5 different colors, for a total of 225 vehicle variations. The cars use 2 materials and the texture atlas is 512px x 512px. The prefabs are ready to use, with or without colliders. This pack is perfect for third-person racing games and top-down games. It works with any car controller.
Unreal Engine
Gamekits
When it comes to high-speed racing, there's nothing quite like the thrill of piloting an anti-gravity vehicle. And with the AG Racing Kit, you can experience that thrill for yourself. The kit comes with everything you need to get started, including a physically based vehicle controller with fully customizable physics.
You can adjust the levitation height, thrust, airbrakes, stabilization, and drag forces to suit your driving style. Additionally, the kit features auto-align functionality, animated airbrakes, and dynamic camera movements to help you stay on course. Plus, with the spline-based autopilot, you can switch to automatic controls and set up simple AI ships to race against.
The Combat Racing Game Kit is a great way to get started on your next racing game. It includes all of the basic features you need, such as menus, health bars, armor bars, ammo bars, and more. It also comes with a multiplayer game mode, so you can race against your friends.
The guns and explosion effects are a great touch, and the recharge ammo feature is very handy. The spawn area for consumables is also well designed.
The HUD is clear and easy to understand. The position calculation is very accurate. The laps and checkpoints are well designed. The example racing map is also very helpful.
The Race Track Construction Kit provides everything you need to create your own professional-looking racetrack. With its custom spline blueprint, you can quickly and easily add roads and barriers. The landscape deformation option gives you the ability to create realistic-looking terrain, and the real-world scale 3D models help to break up the repetition of texture when the camera gets too far away.
The landscape material comes with special parameters that allow you to add tire skid marks and wear on the road, making your track look even more realistic. With all of these features, the Race Track Construction Kit is an essential tool for any budding race track designer.
It's a drop-in solution that makes it easy to add racing logic using 100% blueprints. Whether you're starting a new racing game or adding racing features to an existing action or open-world game, Race Kit has you covered. It works with any type of racer, on land, in the sea, or in the air!
Plus, it supports multiplayer and comes with plenty of race statistics so you can track your progress. Best of all, it's easy to use and set up.