Get ready to race like your life depends on it as we check out the best racing games on Nintendo Wii!
The Wiimote was a bit of a wild card in the controller world. But then again, Nintendo has always been one for pushing the boundaries with their consoles.
After the Wii, Sony suddenly had PlayStation Move, and the Xbox had Kinnect.
Funny that, isn’t it?
One of the best bits about the Wii’s controller was that it was so easy to use, and for adults like my Dad that had been turning controllers let and right while playing racing games in the past, it actually meant that these movements finally made their cars move!
Capitalising on these epic motion controls, developers both made original titles and ported existing games onto the Wii.
And, as the titles suggests, I’ve made a list of 10 of the very best.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
Table of Contents
10. MX vs. ATV Untamed (2007)
MX vs. ATV Untamed takes the 10th spot in our list of the best racing games on Nintendo Wii, bringing dirt-churning bikes and ATVs to your living room.
Choose from bikes, dune buggies, monster trucks and more as you tackle the epic courses in this game and pull off stunts that just shouldn’t be possible.
Compete in different championship series and grab sponsorships as you move through the game, getting better vehicles in the process.
And if you crash real bad, you can watch it again and again on the slo-mo-camera!
It wouldn’t be right to have a game on the Wii without some mad mini games now, would it?
Take part in the brutal Monster Truck Smash, or try your hand at ATV hockey, which I would much rather play every single day than have a go at Rocket League!
Put it this way, if your favourite Mario Kart course is Wario Stadium but you wish it felt more realistic, then give MX vs. ATV Untamed a try!
9. Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (2009)
The Nintendo Wii version of Colin McRae: Dirt 2 isn’t the same as the other console versions. Unfortunately, that’s largely down to the fact that the Wii isn’t a very powerful console, and there’s really nothing we can do to change that.
In all honesty, most of the good bits in the game from other consoles have disappeared entirely. There isn’t the chance to rewind or tune up either.
So why have I included this game in our list? I’ve basically slated it so far!
Well, If you’ve never played the other versions of the game, then none of that will matter. Despite being different to it’s siblings on other consoles, the gameplay itself is still awesome.
The lack of bells and whistles just means that players concentrate on epic racing action, grabbing air time while jumping over massive ramps.
Colin McRae games are renowned for hi-octane, dusty action, and when you ramp that difficulty up they become seriously hard to tackle too.
Don’t forget to check out the first Colin McRae DIRT game too, one of our best PS3 racing games of all time!
8. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010)
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing takes the 8th spot in this list of the best racing games for Nintendo Wii.
If you could mash Mario Kart Wii and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 together, then you’d get this game.
It’s essentially Mario Kart with characters from the world of Sega, with Sonic, Ai-Ai, Eggman, Alex Kidd, and more showing up for the party.
Eight players in total take part in each race. All the cars travel at the same speed so it’s really a case of figuring out what weapons to use at the right time and getting the edge over other players while careering around corners.
One thing that will maybe help you decide which character to use is the All-Star Action, a special move that is unique to each character.
There are also some neat little requirements to pull off in Grand Prix races rather than just getting from A to B in the fastest time.
Get to the finish line without destroying items or while destroying as many as possible in certain modes, aswell as drifting the longest and other criteria.
If you’re playing a Wii but still love Sonic more than Mazza, then this is the alternative to Mario Kart that you’ve been waiting for.
7. Excitebots: Trick Racing (2009)
Anyone out there remember playing Excite Truck for the very first time? Well, Excitebots: Trick Racing is the sequel, and swaps out the bikes, trucks, and other vehicles that have featured in the Excite cannon with gnarly robot cars.
Oh yeah, the weirdness factor just ramped up to 100.
If you imagine an arcade racer like Hydro Thunder but with robo cars based on insects, then you’ve basically got the gist of the game. And, you earn stars while playing weird and wacky games too, like firing into a target or performing insane tricks.
As this is a Wii game, players tilt their remotes left and right using motion controls to steer. These car are anything but normal, however, and they glide and sometimes walk for brief periods of time.
If you like your games normal, then this definitely won’t feel right!
Purchase and unlock new bots as you move through the game, passing through level scenery that, while not a direct contender for ‘graphics of the year award’ will certainly get you in racing mood.
6. Dave Mirra BMX Challenge (2007)
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge takes the 6th spot in this list of the best racing games for Nintendo Wii, and it’s probably the only time I’m ever going to compete against Dave Mirra and have any chance of beating him.
For those of you that don’t know, Dave Mirra is the BMX king. He’s always been at the top of his game, and like Tony Hawk’s, his games are phenomenal.
I know it seems a little cheap to say that this is the Tony Hawk’s games of BMXing, but for those that don’t know the series, that’s as good an explanation as any.
And, to be honest, Dave Mirra’s titles have one over on Tony’s, and that’s the racing element.
Players can hurtle through courses as they race laps or try their hand at freestyle trick modes. The environments are jam packed full of objects to jump over or get points pulling tricks off of.
Just don’t fall in the drink. Bikes and water don’t mix.
5. Need For Speed: Pro Street (2007)
How many of you know that Need For Speed: Pro Street was the first to bring the Event Map to the series?
In many ways, Pro Streets feels and plays a little like Juiced. They have a similar make up and, while not a free roaming game like Carbon, Pro Street does have many great qualities that make it one of the top racing games on Nintendo Wii.
The career mode sees players working to become the king of the streets from a place where no one knows their name.
Racing in area mode allows players to unlock cars that they can then drift around tracks in the free-play mode.
There’s something about burning rubber in illegal street races that never gets old!
I’ve got to say, I prefer playing this game on the Wii than the Xbox 360, and that’s probably down to the motion controls.
It’s the closest I’ll ever get to driving some of these fantastic cars!
4. Driver: San Francisco (2011)
Driver: San Francisco takes the 4th spot in our list of the best racing games on Nintendo Wii.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a massive fan of the concept of this game. John Tanner is in a coma and the events of the game happen inside his head.
It’s like the ending to Lost all over again, and that made me so mad.
Still, the gameplay saves it from coming 11th in a list of 10 games. It’s so addictive to play and looks stunning to boot.
San Francisco looks amazing in this game, and you can witness it all from the comfort of your car as you mosey around at break-neck speeds in one of 140 epic vehicles.
The coma thing does have one slick advantage, however, and that’s having the ability to jump into other people’s bodies.
Yeah, it’s a little creepy, I know, but I suppose the whole thing is like one massive lucid dream once Tanner realises that he’s actually not awake and moving around.
You can even hit into other driver’s bodies in order to make them crash. This whole thing is getting a little like Altered Carbon!
3. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008)
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity officially takes today’s bronze medal. If you liked that first part of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle where sonic is sliding down the street on a metal board, then this is going to feel like all your Christmases have come early!
Pull off tricks, take part in gruelling challenges, and zoom through black holes in one of the most futuristic racers you will ever play.
Just look at Tails getting ready; he’s in for a world of G-Force.
It’s the only game I know where hover boards and air yachts sit side-by-side as crafts that are available to race in.
Dave Mirra’s BMX games would be a lot more insane if they had a touch of Sonic’s air bikes too!
Survival Mode makes all the difference in this game too. As if it wasn’t mad enough, this mode requires you to knock your opponents off the course and smash into each other. It’s bedlam!
2. Need For Speed Carbon (2006)
There’s a reason Need For Speed Carbon topped our list of the best Need for Speed games of all time.
It’s the best title in the series, and although Underground 2 was an absolute rip-roaring game, Carbon just felt like the pinnacle of the Need for Speed canon.
What better place to race through than an area called ‘Carbon Canyon’ too. I mean, the whole thing is just the coolest.
Add in the fact that you’re actually racing to take control of a city and moving freely around the area at your leisure, and Carbon just becomes the ultimate realistic racing title.
See how I added ‘realistic’ in there? Probably a precursor for what’s coming at Number 1.
If you love the Need for Speed games, then there’s still all of the same car souping-up settings and police chases that make these games so exciting.
Race against rival gangs and make a tight-knit crew of your own as you compete in the career mode.
Ok, so I know on paper it sounds very similar to many of the other NFS games, but this title is just sheer perfection. It does what all the others do but turns it up to 11.
1. Mario Kart Wii (2008)
If we’re all honest with ourselves, we all know deep down that Mario Kart Wii is the best racing game on Nintendo Wii.
It was such a simple addition that made us all feel even closer to the Mazza Kart action. Still, wheel or no wheel, the graphics and courses on this game are phenomenal, and I’ve had so many fun days playing Mario Kart Wii with family and friends over the years.
Mario Kart: Double Dash was a vast improvement on the N64 game, but when Mario Kart Wii came out, all the characters looked crisper and sharper.
And being the first game to include new and old courses from Mario games of old really gave us nostalgia nerds even more value for money.
Moo Moo Meadows remains one of my favourite courses of all time too. It’s always the go-to whenever we play on the Switch.
A word of warning though; if you’re going to play this game with three other people, then make sure that you have enough wheels for everyone to use.
The one person who doesn’t have one will hate you forever, so think ahead!
