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Which racing simulation game has the most realistic cars? Take a look here to find out how your favourite video game stacks up against the competition.
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Which Racing Game Has The Most Realistic Cars?

Which Racing Game Has The Most Realistic Cars?

With Gran Turismo 7 set for release on 4th March, one of video games’ most iconic racing simulators is making a triumphant return after a five-year hiatus.

The PlayStation exclusive series is one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time with gamers lauding its realistic depiction of real-world cars. But Gran Turismo has a lot more competition now than it did back in 1997. In 2022, does it still hold up as the best option for gamers looking for an authentic and immersive racing experience?

To find out, we analysed the in-game brake horsepower and weight of 15 car models from three of the most popular simulation racing game series: Gran Turismo, Forza Horizon and Need for Speed. We then compared those stats to the actual specs of real-life car models.

Continue reading, below, to find out which popular racing game has the most realistic depiction of cars.

Which racing game has the most realistic depiction of brake horsepower?

Our research found that 2021’s Forza Horizon 5 has the most realistic depiction of real-life cars in video games, according to brake horsepower (bhp).

An indicator of how powerful each car is, Forza Horizon 5’s max brake horsepower (bhp) stats were the closest to the actual bhp of their matching real-life models, only differing by 14 bhp on average.

Need for Speed Heat included the most amount of accurate brake horsepower depictions with over 33% of the analysed cars sharing the exact bhp of their real-life counterparts.

Gran Turismo Sport, on the other hand, had the highest average difference from real life brake horsepower. Its depiction of the BMW M3 was the most egregious example, differing by 81 from its real-life bhp.

Car list

Actual max bhp

Gran Turismo Sport max bhp

Forza Horizon 5 max bhp

Need For Speed Heat max bhp

Acura NSX 17

493

562

573

573

Aston Martin DB11

600

591

608

600

BMW M3

328

409

333

338

Ferrari 458 Italia 2009

562

555

562

570

Ford Focus

315

247

350

345

Honda Civic Type R

305

301

306

306

Jaguar F-Type R Coupe

542

535

550

542

Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A

280

288

280

276

McLaren F1

618

617

627

618

Mercedes Benz A45

354

350

355

355

Nissan Skyline GTR 2002

280

331

327

158

Pontiac Firebird

200

216

201

200

Porsche Cayman GT4

380

374

385

383

Subaru BRZ

197

195

200

197

Volkswagen Beetle

40

33

40

101

Average difference from actual max bhp

23

14

21

 

Which racing game has the most realistic depiction of car weight?

While Gran Turismo Sport has the least realistic brake horsepower across its car list, the 2017 racing game does have the most accurate depiction of car weight in simulation racing.

Weight affects a car’s ability to accelerate, reach top speeds and brake faster – and Gran Turismo Sport only differs by 30kg, on average, from real-life car models.

Forza Horizon 5 features the heaviest cars out of the three popular racing franchises, averaging 1,462kg across the 15 analysed.

Car list

Actual weight (kg)

Gran Turismo Sport weight (kg)

Forza Horizon 5 weight (kg)

Need For Speed Heat weight (kg)

Acura NSX 17

1,725

1,780

1,725

1,725

Aston Martin DB11

1,770

1,770

1,875

1,870

BMW M3

1,534

1,655

1,549

1,535

Ferrari 458 Italia 2009

1,485

1,485

1,485

1,485

Ford Focus

1,516

1,462

1,563

1,362

Honda Civic Type R

1,380

1,380

1,382

1,382

Jaguar F-Type R Coupe

1,665

1,650

1,650

1,792

Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A

1,270

1,270

1,270

1,270

McLaren F1

1,138

1,140

1,288

1,140

Mercedes Benz A45

1,555

1,555

1,480

1,555

Nissan Skyline GTR 2002

1,560

1,560

1,550

1,560

Pontiac Firebird

1,601

1,595

1,724

1,601

Porsche Cayman GT4

1,415

1,300

1,340

1,320

Subaru BRZ

1,259

1,230

1,254

1,253

Volkswagen Beetle

725

780

798

800

Average difference from actual weight

30

46

38

 

Which racing game has the fastest cars?

Analysing brake horsepower and car weight is all well and good, but how do these stats affect the driving across these three racing games?

Forza Horizon 5 has the heaviest cars but also the highest average brake horsepower, resulting in the fastest speed and acceleration stats. This is most likely a design choice to cater to its open world format, giving players faster cars to traverse Mexico more efficiently.

Need for Speed Heat has the lowest base speed and acceleration stats, the result of having the lowest average bhp of all three games. Unlike the other two games, however, Need for Speed Heat has a nitrous feature that gives a boost of speed when activated, augmenting those lower base stats while racing.

Car list

Gran Turismo Sport average speed/acceleration

Forza Horizon 5 average speed/acceleration

Need for Speed Heat average speed/acceleration

Acura NSX 17

7.7

8.1

4

Aston Martin DB11

6.6

6.5

3.7

BMW M3

6.2

5.7

2.3

Ferrari 458 Italia 2009

7

7.1

4.4

Ford Focus

4.1

6

2.4

Honda Civic Type R

4.6

5.6

2

Jaguar F-Type R Coupe

6.5

6.4

3.3

Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A

5.4

5.8

2.1

McLaren F1

7.1

7.6

5.2

Mercedes Benz A45

6.3

6.7

2.6

Nissan Skyline GTR 2002

6.5

5.5

1.9

Pontiac Firebird

3.4

4.1

1

Porsche Cayman GT4

5.8

6.9

2.9

Subaru BRZ

4.3

5

1.4

Volkswagen Beetle

1.3

2.3

1.1

Average speed/acceleration

5.5

6

2.7

 

Want to see how your favourite in-game car performs on a real road? Browse our full collection of new and used cars here at Macklin Motors to enhance your driving experience today!