12 Best Racing Games for Android in 2026 (Checked Oct 2026)

The best racing game for Android in 2026 is Asphalt Legends for free arcade speed, CarX Street for open-world street racing, and GRID Autosport if you want to pay once for an ad-free sim. We checked every game below against its US Google Play listing on 10 October 2026: price, ads and in-app purchase labels, rating, and last update. CarX Street is now on 1.22.0, Need for Speed No Limits is on 9.5.0, and Real Racing 3 and Horizon Chase can no longer be bought.

In a hurry? Jump to: quick picks · offline racing games · Asphalt Legends · CarX Street · GRID Autosport · Rush Rally 3 · comparison table · also playing · by use case · FAQ

This is a ranked list of 12 racing games that are still on US Google Play in October 2026, split by arcade, sim, drift, drag, kart and rally so you can skip to your style. We did not re-rank on gut feel: each entry carries the facts we could verify on its Play listing, and where a fact needs a phone in your hand (handling, frame rate) we say so instead of guessing. Rush Rally 3 now fills the slot Horizon Chase left when it was delisted.

Quick picks: the best Android racing game for each job

What you want	Download this	Price (US Play)
Best overall / best free arcade	Asphalt Legends	Free, ads + IAP
Best open-world street / drift	CarX Street (v1.22.0)	Free, ads + IAP
Best ad-free sim	GRID Autosport	$9.99, no ads, no IAP
Best offline racer (pay once)	Rush Rally 3	$5.99
Best offline racer (free)	Hill Climb Racing or Rally Horizon	Free, ads + IAP
Best dedicated drift game	CarX Drift Racing 3	Free, ads + IAP
Best licensed circuit racer	Racing Master	Free, IAP
Best cheap premium racer	Riptide GP: Renegade	$2.99, no ads, no IAP
Best with a gamepad	GRID Autosport or Rush Rally 3	Both name gamepad support on Play
Skip this	Real Racing 3, Horizon Chase, anything still called "Asphalt 9"	Delisted or renamed

What ranking lists still get wrong in 2026

We compared this page to the lists Google still surfaces for "best racing games for Android." Four errors keep getting copied:

• Real Racing 3 is still recommended. EA announced in December 2025 that it was pulling the game from Google Play and the App Store, with servers closing on 19 March 2026. Its Play listing now returns a 404 and it no longer appears in Play search. If a list leads with it, treat the rest as unchecked.
• Horizon Chase is still recommended. Aquiris (now Epic Games Brazil) said Horizon Chase and Horizon Chase Turbo would leave digital stores on 1 June 2026, after Epic's layoffs. We could not find an Aquiris listing on US Google Play. People who already bought it can usually re-download it, but nobody new can. Beware of a same-named "Horizon Chase" listing from a different developer: it is not the Aquiris game. We also found no Horizon Chase 2 listing on US Google Play.
• The store name is Asphalt Legends, not Asphalt 9. Searching "Asphalt 9" still finds the same app, but the old name marks a list as stale.
• CarX Street version numbers. Many reviews still say early-access 1.1 or 1.19. The Play listing is now on 1.22.0.

1. Asphalt Legends

Asphalt Legends (formerly Asphalt 9: Legends) is Gameloft's flagship arcade racer and the easiest game to recommend for instant, over-the-top speed. The Play Store package is still com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftA9HM, so a search for "Asphalt 9" finds it.

The Play listing describes over 300 cars from makers such as Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini, online multiplayer, drifts and stunts. It sits at 4.3 stars and was last updated on 24 July 2026. That update notes three seasons and a new Mt. Fuji track, a JDM Turbofest spotlight (Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, Mazda RX-7) and a PAC-MAN spotlight event. We have not re-checked what season is live today, so open the game to see the current one.

• Over 300 cars, per the Play listing
• Online multiplayer plus regular seasonal events
• Free to play, with ads and in-app purchases (the listing flags random paid items)

The catch: Play lists both ads and in-app purchases, and car unlocks lean on spending. It is still the most polished arcade racer on the store.

Best for: players who want the prettiest, most accessible high-speed arcade racing.

2. CarX Street

CarX Street from CarX Technologies is an open-world street racer built on the same handling tech as CarX Drift Racing. You build and tune cars, then race highways, city streets and top-speed drift events.

The Play listing was last updated on 2 October 2026 and shows version 1.22.0, 4.6 stars and 10M+ installs. The latest notes list Car Dealership 2.0, expanded styling (animated neon, sidewalls, separate front and rear wheel customization), a new Nitro part, bigger Speed League lobbies, Time Attack and Drift King races on highways, three new cars, and a new offline mode called Traffic Master. It is a multi-gigabyte install, so check free space first.

• Part-by-part tuning that CarX says unlocks the full car physics
• Open world with races on highways and city streets
• One offline mode (Traffic Master) in the newest update
• Free to play, with ads and in-app purchases

The catch: it is a large download and the listing carries both ads and purchase labels. Only Traffic Master is described as offline, so expect most of the game to want a connection.

Best for: fans of NFS-style open-world street racing and tuning culture.

3. GRID Autosport

GRID Autosport, ported to Android by Feral Interactive, is the closest thing to a full console racing sim you can buy on the platform. The Play price is $9.99 once, with no ads label and no in-app purchases label. Feral's listing calls it "buy once, race forever" and says the single purchase includes all the DLC.

It covers Open-Wheel, Tuner, Touring, Endurance, Demolition, Drift, Drag and Street races, with 100 cars and 100 circuits, scalable difficulty, and four control schemes: Tilt, Wheel Touch, Arrow Touch or a gamepad. The listing was last updated on 26 February 2026 (better tilt controls on phones without a gyroscope) and sits at 4.5 stars.

• 100 cars and 100 circuits, per Feral
• Tilt, Wheel Touch, Arrow Touch or gamepad controls
• No ads label, no in-app purchases label
• Needs 3.9 GB of free space and Android 9 or later

The catch: Feral publishes a supported-device list, so check that your phone is on it before you pay. A pricier sibling, GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition, is listed at $14.99, but its last Play update was in May 2025.

Best for: sim fans who want a premium, ad-free console racing experience.

Also Read: Best Games With No Ads for Android and iOS

4. Rush Rally 3

Rush Rally 3, from Brownmonster, is a realistic rally sim and the best pay-once pick for offline play. It costs $5.99 on US Google Play, has no ads label, and carries an in-app purchases label. It sits at 4.7 stars and was last updated on 18 August 2026. Pocket Gamer's racing list also includes it.

• Stages across snow, gravel, tarmac and dirt, with night and rain
• Career mode, single rallies and Rally Cross, plus a livery editor
• Real-time cross-platform multiplayer, and the listing says "multiplayer and offline"
• Customizable touch and tilt controls, plus support for MFi controllers

The catch: Pocket Gamer calls the touch controls only acceptable, so a gamepad helps. Rally is also a different feel from circuit racing.

Best for: rally fans and anyone who wants a one-time purchase that plays without a connection.

5. CarX Drift Racing 3

CarX Drift Racing 3 is the newest game in the CarX drift series and the deepest dedicated drift game we found on Play. The listing was last updated on 22 September 2026 and sits at 4.5 stars.

• Five campaigns that trace drift culture from the 1980s to today
• More than 80 tuning parts per car, plus a damage system
• Tracks such as Ebisu and Nürburgring
• Single-player TOP 32 championships against adaptive AI
• Free to play, with ads and in-app purchases

The catch: tandem races are built around playing against people online, so it is not an offline pick.

Best for: drift enthusiasts who want depth and a proper progression campaign.

6. CSR 2 (Realistic Drag Racing)

CSR Racing 2 by NaturalMotion remains the benchmark for drag racing, built around perfectly timed gear changes rather than steering. The Play listing shows 4.6 stars and a last update of 9 September 2026, and it advertises officially licensed cars from brands such as Porsche, Aston Martin and Lamborghini.

• Licensed cars from real manufacturers
• Tuning, upgrades and live online events
• Free to play, with ads and in-app purchases

Best for: players who love car collecting, tuning and quick competitive drag runs.

7. Need for Speed No Limits

EA's Need for Speed No Limits is a mobile-only underground racer and it is still being updated: the Play listing shows version 9.5.0, last updated 2 September 2026, at 4.4 stars. The newest notes add the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, a Porsche Cayman S #10 Baron crew trial, and a free Mazda MX-5 for the anniversary event.

• Story-driven crew races and regular limited-time car events
• Car tuning and visual customization
• Free to play, with in-app purchases

The catch: EA's listing says the game requires a persistent Internet connection, so it is not an offline pick. Progression is also gated behind a long grind.

Best for: Need for Speed fans who want a steady stream of new cars to chase.

8. Racing Master

Racing Master is a NetEase racer made in collaboration with Codemasters. The listing advertises 120+ officially licensed vehicles from 30+ brands, real-world scanned tracks (Chicago, San Francisco, Barcelona, Sicily, Amsterdam, the Alps) and real F1 circuits such as Shanghai, Indianapolis and Red Bull Ring. It sits at 4.4 stars, was last updated on 14 August 2026, and has 500K+ installs.

• Licensed cars on scanned city and circuit tracks
• Deep customization: liveries, tires, suspension, brakes and aftermarket parts
• Real-time PvP, GvG battles and tournaments
• Free to play, with in-app purchases

The catch: it is a live-service game built around real-time competition, and we have not been able to confirm an offline mode. If you want zero paywall, GRID Autosport is the cleaner sim.

Best for: players who want real cars on real tracks and will tolerate a live-service shop.

9. Riptide GP: Renegade

Riptide GP: Renegade swaps tarmac for water: you ride hydrojets through flooded cities and factories, and pull off stunts over waterfalls. It is a premium game at $2.99 on US Google Play with no ads label and no in-app purchases label, rated 4.5 stars and last updated on 28 August 2026.

• Single-player career with boss fights
• 8-player online matches and ghost-racing challenges
• Local split-screen for up to 4 players
• Pay once, with no ads or in-app purchases labels on Play

Best for: players who want something different from standard car racing, for the price of a coffee.

10. Beach Buggy Racing 2

Beach Buggy Racing 2 is the go-to kart racer for casual and family play, in the Mario Kart mould. The Play listing shows 4.5 stars and a last update of 5 October 2026. The original Beach Buggy Racing was updated on 8 October 2026 and is also still live.

• 45+ Powerups you can upgrade into a custom deck
• Online competitions and tournaments added in the sequel
• Free to play, with ads and in-app purchases

Best for: casual players and families who want fun kart racing.

11. Assoluto Racing

Assoluto Racing is a track-focused sim with a deep tuning menu: gear ratios, weight, torque, camber, tires and more. The listing advertises Nürburgring Nordschleife, Fuji Speedway and Tsukuba, officially licensed cars from JDM, European and American makers, and real-time multiplayer. It sits at 4.3 stars and was last updated on 8 October 2026.

• Real circuits and licensed manufacturers
• Extensive mechanical tuning
• Free to play, with ads and in-app purchases

Best for: sim fans who want fine-grained tuning and real tracks for free.

12. Apex Racing

Apex Racing (package com.PURE.Puredrifting) is a free racing and drifting sim. Its Play description promises realistic vehicle simulation, real-time multiplayer and single-player modes, global leaderboards, and customization from body parts to suspension. It sits at 4.2 stars and was last updated on 22 August 2026.

• Racing and drifting with full vehicle customization
• Single-player and real-time multiplayer
• Free to play, with ads and in-app purchases

The catch: the listing says a network connection is required to play and carries both ads and purchase labels, so earlier descriptions of it as "ad-light" no longer hold. It is the weakest pick here for offline or ad-free play.

Best for: sim-leaning players who want a free option and are always online.

Quick comparison of the best Android racing games

Every value below comes from the game's US Google Play listing on 10 October 2026.

Game	Type	US price	Play labels	Rating	Last updated
Asphalt Legends	Arcade	Free	Ads, IAP	4.3	24 Jul 2026
CarX Street	Open-world / drift	Free	Ads, IAP	4.6	2 Oct 2026
GRID Autosport	Simulation	$9.99	None	4.5	26 Feb 2026
Rush Rally 3	Rally sim	$5.99	IAP	4.7	18 Aug 2026
CarX Drift Racing 3	Drift	Free	Ads, IAP	4.5	22 Sep 2026
CSR 2	Drag	Free	Ads, IAP	4.6	9 Sep 2026
NFS No Limits	Arcade	Free	IAP, online required	4.4	2 Sep 2026
Racing Master	Licensed circuit	Free	IAP	4.4	14 Aug 2026
Riptide GP: Renegade	Hydrojet	$2.99	None	4.5	28 Aug 2026
Beach Buggy Racing 2	Kart	Free	Ads, IAP	4.5	5 Oct 2026
Assoluto Racing	Simulation	Free	Ads, IAP	4.3	8 Oct 2026
Apex Racing	Sim / drift	Free	Ads, IAP, online required	4.2	22 Aug 2026

Best offline racing games for Android

"Offline" is the most misused word in racing lists. Several roundups label games like Real Racing 3, Asphalt and Need for Speed No Limits as offline, while their own testers report that big chunks need a connection. So this table only counts what the developer's own Play description says, as read on 10 October 2026. We have not run these games in airplane mode, so test one before a long flight.

Game	US price	Play labels	What the Play listing says about offline
Rush Rally 3	$5.99	IAP	"Multiplayer and offline" in the feature list
Hill Climb Racing	Free	Ads, IAP	"Playable completely offline"
Rally Horizon	Free	Ads, IAP	"Fully playable offline"
Race Max Pro	Free	Ads, IAP	An offline career of 215+ races, no Wi-Fi needed
CarX Street	Free	Ads, IAP	Newest update adds one offline mode, Traffic Master; the game as a whole is not described as offline
GRID Autosport	$9.99	None	The word offline is not used; it is a single-player-first, buy-once game with optional online play

Not offline: Need for Speed No Limits says it requires a persistent Internet connection, and Apex Racing says a network connection is required to play. Both are in the ranked list for other reasons.

If offline play matters more than racing, our guide to the best offline games for Android covers every genre. For a pay-once, no-ads shortlist, see the best games with no ads.

Arcade, sim, or open-world: pick the style first

Racing lists split this query the same way players do. Use this, then jump to the ranked write-up.

• Best arcade racing game: Asphalt Legends. Need for Speed No Limits is the underground alternative if you are always online.
• Best sim / most realistic racing game on mobile: GRID Autosport if you will pay once, Rush Rally 3 for rally. Racing Master if you want licensed circuits for free and will tolerate a shop. Assoluto Racing and Apex Racing are the free track sims.
• Best open-world street racing: CarX Street 1.22.0. CarX Drift Racing 3 if you only want drift, not a city.

Also playing (not in the ranked 12)

These are all live on US Google Play as of 10 October 2026. They did not beat a ranked slot on depth, updates, or fit with the buyer's questions above.

• Hill Climb Racing 2 (com.fingersoft.hcr2) — the casual answer. Two-button physics and live events; 4.5 stars, last updated 2 October 2026. Install it for a commute, not as your "best racing game."
• Rebel Racing (com.hutchgames.rebelracing) — Hutch's licensed arcade racer. It is still being updated (9 September 2026), which corrects our earlier note that updates had stopped. 4.5 stars.
• Race Max Pro (game.revani.racemaxpro) — street, drag and drift racing with an offline career. 4.7 stars, updated 8 October 2026.
• Asphalt 8 (com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftA8HM) — the older Gameloft game that many lists still rank. 4.6 stars, updated 5 August 2026, with ads and in-app purchases.
• Mario Kart Tour (com.nintendo.zaka) — free, still listed, last updated 1 April 2026, 4.3 stars.
• Hot Wheels Unlimited (com.budgestudios.googleplay.HotWheelsUnlimited) — free toy-car racing, updated 30 July 2026, 4.6 stars.
• Data Wing (com.DanVogt.DATAWING) — a neon 2D racer with no ads and no in-app purchases labels, free, rated 4.9 stars. Not a car game, but the cleanest free pick here.
• art of rally (com.noodlecake.artofrally) — stylized top-down rally. When we checked it was $1.99, reduced from $7.99. The rating is 3.1 stars, and the last update was in November 2025, so read recent reviews first.

GRID Autosport also has a separate free listing, GRID Autosport Custom Edition (com.feralinteractive.gridautosport_edition_android), that includes in-app purchases. Search for the paid GRID Autosport if you want the "all DLC in one purchase" version.

Best racing game by use case (October 2026)

• Best free racing game: Asphalt Legends
• Best offline racing game: Rush Rally 3 (pay once), Hill Climb Racing or Rally Horizon (free). See the offline table above.
• Best racing game with no ads: GRID Autosport ($9.99) or Riptide GP: Renegade ($2.99), both with no ads label. Data Wing is the free no-ads pick.
• Best racing game with a controller: GRID Autosport and Rush Rally 3 name gamepad or controller support on Play. For other games, check our Android games with gamepad support list.
• Best for a low-end phone: simple 2D racers such as Hill Climb Racing are the safest bet. GRID Autosport lists 3.9 GB and a supported-device list, and CarX Street and Racing Master are large installs. We could not re-verify install sizes, so check the size on the Play page.
• Best drift game: CarX Drift Racing 3 for a campaign; CarX Street if you want an open world
• Best Real Racing 3 replacement: GRID Autosport for the premium sim; Racing Master if you want a free licensed circuit grind
• Best casual / two-button racer: Hill Climb Racing 2. Not a circuit game.
• Best split-screen racer: Riptide GP: Renegade (up to 4 players locally). See our split-screen games list for more.

How we picked and checked

We did not run every game on a bench of phones, and we do not claim to have. For each game we opened its US Google Play listing (with the US store setting) on 10 October 2026 and recorded the price, the ads and in-app purchase labels, the rating, the last update date and the developer's own description. We confirmed a delisting by testing the listing against a known-good control listing and by searching the store. We then compared the result with the lists that rank for these searches. The rule is simple: it has to be on US Google Play and still updated in 2026. That is why Real Racing 3 and Horizon Chase are out. It is also why we flag facts we could not check, such as install sizes, rather than repeat them.

Bottom line

If you download one racing game for Android in 2026, make it Asphalt Legends: it is free, still updated, and the most polished arcade racer on the store. Choose CarX Street for open-world street racing, GRID Autosport if you will pay $9.99 for an ad-free sim, or Rush Rally 3 if you want a one-time purchase that plays offline. Drift fans should grab CarX Drift Racing 3. Do not look for Real Racing 3 or Horizon Chase: neither is available to new players.

Want more mobile gaming picks? Browse our roundups of the best offline football games, the best idle games, the best tower defense games, the best rhythm games, the best cricket games for Android, and the best MMORPG games.

FAQs: Best Racing Games for Android

Below are the questions players most often ask about Android racing games in 2026. Each answer stands alone so you can skip the rest of the page.