10 Games With The Best Drifting Mechanics (2024)

Drifting is one of the most fun parts of racing games, but there aren't too many games that solely focus on this aspect of racing. It is extremely tough to create realistic drifting mechanics in any title, as most cars in real life don't necessarily have the same capacity for drifting as their virtual replicas.

Yet as unrealistic as it might be, drifting around sharp turns and corners and then speeding off after is a feeling that gives you the utmost satisfaction. Here are some of the best games that contain the best and most fun drifting mechanics.

10 Need For Speed: ProStreet

• Released: 2007
• Developer: EA Black Box

Any car game list is impossible to make without including a Need For Speed. NFS ProStreet, released in 2007, may not be the favorite of most players, but we still believe that its drifting system was one of the best. Unlike most NFS titles, cars in this one feel a lot more natural to drive and drifts felt tougher yet much more satisfying to pull off.

It is also tougher to get your cars to slide here when compared to others in this list, but enough practice and tuning your cars will make that part a little easier.

9 Forza Horizon 5

• Released: 2021
• Developer: Playground Games

Forza Horizon 5 might look extremely realistic, but its arcadey mechanics make drifting a lot easier and more fun. Like most racing games, all you need to do to drift is pull the handbrake while turning at a decent speed, and you will be able to initiate a drift.

How long you can hold your drifts requires you to work on your technique, put in a lot of practice, and have the best settings and the best cars. The Drift Zones in Forza Horizon 5 are some of the best modes to get some drifting practice and gain some skill points as well.

8 CarX Drift Racing Online

• Released: 2017
• Developer: CarX Technologies, LLC

CarX Drift Racing Online is probably the best option for players who just want to drift. With one of the best tuning systems in any racing game ever, you can set up your car to handle exactly as you want and drift as well as you like.

Although racing is also a big part of CarX Drift Racing Online, its drift modes are some of the most fun. Chaining them together and competing with other players to get to the top of the leaderboards makes the game feel extremely competitive.

7 BeamNG. Drive

• Released: 2015
• Developer: BeamNG

BeamNG. Drive is another racing game known for its realism, which means drifting isn't necessarily the easiest. But if you have the proper setup and the right cars, then you can still do it, especially once you put a few hours into it.

It is also known for its custom mods and maps and there are plenty of drifting car mods that you can use to make your life easier. These mods will allow you to hold your drifts for much longer without the need to put in so much practice.

6 Live For Speed

• Released: 2015
• Developer: Scawen Roberts, Victor van Vlaardingen, Eric Bailey

Although its graphics may not look too impressive, the physics of Live For Speed are incredibly realistic, and its drifting mechanics are incredible as well. Once you have tuned your car properly, there are several ways you can drift in this game.

From basic Swaying Drifts to Faint Drifts and Kansei Drifts, there are a lot of techniques you can easily pull off in Live For Speed. The number of custom drifting tracks made solely for the game also helps you get better at drifting.

5 Inertial Drift

• Released: 2020
• Developer: Level 91 Entertainment

Inertial Drift is a unique drifting game that provides a refreshing change to the racing genre. This game works on twin-stick controls, which give you a lot more precision to execute longer and much smoother drifts. While the left stick allows you to steer your vehicle, the right stick gives you full control of your drifts, which is a mechanic we rarely get to see in other games.

The futuristic vibe of this game along with its many cool drifting modes and maps also make it a great choice for drifting fans who are looking for something different.

4 Dirt Rally 2.0

• Released: 2019
• Developer: Codemasters

Drifting isn't just limited to solid tracks and Dirt Rally 2.0 is the perfect example of that. This game has some incredible drifting mechanics that truly test your skills on the dirt tracks. With various iconic off-roading cars and different terrains and weather, Dirt Rally 2.0 is one of the most challenging yet rewarding games for drifting fans.

There are also a lot of different methods to drift in this game depending on the setup of your car and which driving style you use, which makes for an even more realistic experience.

3 Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

• Released: 2019
• Developer: Beenox

A Crash game may not necessarily seem like a great choice for drifting, but Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled has some of the best and toughest drifting mechanics to master. Standard drifting in this game is pretty easy to learn and pull off, but the fact that you can also boost while drifting is what makes it so cool.

If you manage to chain together consecutive drifts, it gives you a boost that propels you even further and can let you overtake the competition with ease. In fact, most races in Crash Team Rumble are spent with players trying to drift whenever possible, even through straight tracks.

2 Absolute Drift

• Released: 2015
• Developer: Funselektor Labs Inc., FlippFly

We don't get to see too many top-down racing games these days, but Absolute Drift is a rarity. This game is all about drifting and lets you master it through a variety of tracks and events. Although this game may not feel as realistic as some of the others on this list, its drifting is very smooth and intuitive.

The Drift Line mode in Absolute Drift challenges you to drift through certain dots, which is a true test of driving skills and a dream for any drifting fan. The online system of this game lets you compete with other players on the leaderboard to become the top drifter.

1 Assetto Corsa Competizione

• Released: 2018
• Developer: KUNOS-Simulazioni Srl

Like most realistic racing simulators, the base version of Assetto Corsa Competizione is not too great for drifting. But once you add the required mods, such as the World Drift Tour Pack or the many other drift packs available online, you can have a very enjoyable drifting time.

The realistic driving mechanics, mixed with the fun drifting cars from these mods combine to make a great drifting experience. Although there will be a slight learning curve when you are starting out, once you get used to it, there might not be too many better realistic drifting games out there.