Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (2025)

It's time for us to once again do a Top 10 list of racing games for one of your favorite videogame systems. Today we'll focus on the under-appreciated yet still much-loved Nintendo GameCube.
As the N64 seemed to leave a bad taste in the mouths of many developers, not too many third-party companies seemed to sign up to develop games for Nintendo's purple box. This was one of our toughest jobs yet, as it's hard to find any good (non-Nintendo-developed) game for the Cube, let alone a good racing game. We did our best though, and these are our results.

Once again: we went to the IGN Cube archives, found the ten higest-rated racing games as determined by Matt and crew, and re-posted the results here. If you disagree with this list, yell at Matt -- not us.

There are some definite treasures to be found here, though. As is to be expected, a few of the Top 10 titles come courtesy of Nintendo itself. Yeah, there aren't any "sim"-type racing games, and some of these games don't even use wheeled vehicles, but that doesn't make them any less fun.

As the Nintendo system is only loved by rabid fanboys and not the general gaming populace, most game shops should sell the following games for way cheap. You have no excuse for not owning these games. So head over to your local game shop and pick them up, already!

F-Zero GX
IGN Cube Score: 9.3
Old-school gamers will remember F-Zero as being Nintendo's first real racing franchise. Making its debut on the SNES, F-Zero stunned gamers with its blinding sense of speed, deep gameplay and most importantly, Mode 7 graphics. Hey... that rotating track was a huge technological development at the time! Anyway, as the technology got better, F-Zero got faster. Nintendo made the GameCube version of F-Zero the fastest racer yet. It's also one of the hardest -- so be prepared to throw your controller at the wall in frustration. Be sure to pick up a few extra controllers. But you can't stay mad at this game: it has R.O.B.! We love R.O.B., when we can get him to work, that is... This is the must-own racing game for the Cube.

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (1)

Wave Race: Blue Storm
IGN Cube Score: 9.2
Yeah, this was a launch title for the GameCube, so it's the oldest of the bunch. But that doesn't mean that Wave Race is a tired and dated game. While not as pretty as some of those Xbox 360 and PS3 tech demos, Wave Race is a silky smooth personal water craft-based racing game, filled with impressive water effects, massive waves, and oh yeah... great gameplay. But then, you wouldn't expect anything less to come out of Nintendo's own development house, right? You can probably pick this game up for 3 bucks used or something. Hold off on buying a cheeseburger today and add this classic to your collection.

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (2)


More on Page 2!

NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup
IGN Cube Score: 9.0
Here in the U.S., NASCAR will never have to worry about its audience waning. Already the most popular "sport" in the U.S., NASCAR keeps finding ways to expose its brand to the newer, younger demographic. One way NASCAR reaches its younger fans is through videogames. Duh. NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup has players start off as a street racer (wha?), get hired by a professional team, and then spend an entire race season turning left. Oh, we did not just go there!

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (3)

Need For Speed: Underground
IGN Cube Score: 8.8
NFSU:2 was the game to show off Brooke Burke -- not NFSU, so we can't mention how we got to hang out with Brooke Burke. Oh wait! We just did! Score! Anywho - Need For Speed Underground puts players into the world of underground tuner-car street racing culture. Think The Fast and the Furious, only without Paul Walker's acting. Hollywood special-effects guys were also brought on to give this game its sense of speed and style. Too bad you lose your car once you finish the game...

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (4)

XG3 Extreme G Racing
IGN Cube Score: 8.5
Think F-Zero or Wipeout -- but with futuristic motorcycles. While the N64 Xtreme G games were average, UK development studio Acclaim Cheltenham made this latest version a true competitor to the above mentioned futuristic racing games. It runs at a constant 60 fps, has tight gameplay and a soundtrack courtesy of The Ministry of Sound. The GameCube version supports 4-player spilt-screen action, so play this one with your friends.

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (5)

MX Superfly
IGN Cube Score: 8.5
The best Moto-X racer on the Cube, MX Superfly has players competing in freestyle big-air events, AMA Supercross-style races -- and even deliver pizzas (in one of its numerous mini games). 22 tracks are on hand to keep players busy. But if that's not enough, a robust track editor feature is included for gamers motivated enough to create their dream track. Fans of big-air games should have this title in their collection.

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (6)


Hurry on to Page 3!

Burnout 2: Point of Impact
IGN Cube Score: 8.5
GameCube owners weren't lucky enough to get the more-addictive-than-crack Burnout 3 ported over to their consoles. As much as that sucks, there's still some Burnout love available for the system. Burnout 2 still has the insane speed, massive crashes and mangled cars that make the series so loved by gamers. Burnout 2 is one of the best arcade racers out there, and gamers looking for a title that rewards reckless driving should be sure to give Burnout 2 a spin.

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (7)

Smuggler's Run: Warzones
IGN Cube Score: 8.4
It's not a "racing game" per se, but we couldn't leave this gun-running game off the list. Smuggler's Run is one of Rockstar's "non-GTA" franchises, but it still has players living on the "wrong" side of the law and allows players to go anywhere they like. Hell, if players can see an object way off in the distance of one of the game's massive environments, the player can drive right up to it and run it down. There are no "borders" or "invisible walls" to be found here. It's fun to just joyride and drive around the huge locales, and it's even more fun to try to outrun the authorities.

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (8)

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
IGN Cube Score: 7.9
Two exclamation points in the title means twice the action. At least that's what we were told... Mario Kart for the SNES is still one of the best racing games ever made, and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! brings that same fun to the Cube. (Don't mind Fran's "low" score of the game -- he doesn't know what he's talking about.) Having two characters per cart adds a new depth to the game, as some character combinations won't make for a good team. All the crazy power-ups, power slides and crazy locations are present and accounted for. If you don't have this O.G. kart racer in your collection yet, what the hell is wrong with you?!

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (9)

RoadKill
IGN Cube Score: 7.7
According to El Jefe himself, Chris Carle, RoadKill is a combination of Twisted Metal and Grand Theft Auto. As neither of those series ever made it to Nintendo's console, RoadKill would be a good way for Nintendo die-hards (the ones that would never own something that isn't Miyamoto-approved) to experience the gameplay styles of those two seminal games. We recommend it due to the fact that it allows players to mow down opponents while listening to the likes of Foghat and Foreigner. The Judas Priest tracks are just an added bonus.

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (10)

That does it for this Top 10 installment. Don't agree with the scores? Take it up with Matt at IGN Cube. But do you wanna share something about your favorite GameCube racing game with the world? Well then, write to us and share what you have to say!

Top 10 Racing Games - GameCube Editon! - IGN (2025)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Francesca Jacobs Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5880

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Francesca Jacobs Ret

Birthday: 1996-12-09

Address: Apt. 141 1406 Mitch Summit, New Teganshire, UT 82655-0699

Phone: +2296092334654

Job: Technology Architect

Hobby: Snowboarding, Scouting, Foreign language learning, Dowsing, Baton twirling, Sculpting, Cabaret

Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.