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Best Racing games of 2001

The 10 best Racing games released in 2001, ranked from 2,562 critic and player ratings.

The best Racing game of 2001 is Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, with a critic score of 100/100 — updated October 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 2001.
  • 10 games are listed on this page, carrying 2,562 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 10

01 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec 2001 · 138 ratings More than two years in the making, Gran Turismo 3 A-spec features over 150 detailed cars -- each composed of more than 4,000 polygons -- 60 beginner, amateur and professional championship races, as well as ten endurance races and ten rally races. In addition to all-new special effects, such as sun glare, heat distortion and reflections, Gran Turismo 3 A-spec also offers up a soundtrack of more than 20 licensed tracks, and an even better replay mode with TV-style camera views. Two players can go head-to-head via split-screen and up to six can duke it out by linking multiple systems together via i.LINK. Released worldwide in 2001, Gran Turismo 3 a-Spec was designed by Polyphony Digital. 100 /100
02 Grand Theft Auto III S Grand Theft Auto III 2001 · 1,624 ratings · 1 Tier vote Featuring a fully 3-D living city, a combination of narrative driven and non-linear gameplay and a completely open environment, Grand Theft Auto III represents a huge leap forward in interactive entertainment. For the first time, players are put at the heart of their very own gangster movie, and let loose in a fully-realised 3 dimensional city, in which anything can happen and probably will. With a cast of hundreds, 50 plus vehicles, ranging from sports cars to ice cream trucks and from boats to buses, 3 hours of music, including opera, reggae, house, drum and bass, pop and disco, a huge array of street ready weapons and some of the seediest characters in video game history, Grand Theft Auto 3 is a sprawling epic which will show you that sometimes, crime can pay and sometimes it can pay you back. Available now for PlayStation2, Xbox, PC and Macintosh. 95 /100
03 SSX Tricky SSX Tricky 2001 · 72 ratings SSX Tricky is a snowboarding video game, the second game in the SSX series published by EA Sports Big & developed by EA Canada. The game was developed under the working title SSX 2. 93 /100
04 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy 2001 · 331 ratings Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a 2001 platform video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation 2 on December 4, 2001, as the first game of the Jak and Daxter series. The game follows the protagonist, a young teenager named Jak, as he tries to help his friend Daxter after he is transformed into an "ottsel", a fictional hybrid of an otter and a weasel. The game offers a large range of missions, collectables and objectives, often in the form of minigames, which provide a variety of gameplay experiences, as well as puzzles and platforming stages, which are completed by the player to proceed with the story. 90 /100
05 Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) 2001 · 186 ratings Classic Mario Kart action is back once again, this time in a colorful, lightning-fast game that you can take anywhere. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Wario, Yoshi and Bowser are all tearing up the track, tossing Koopa Shells and laying banana peels along the way. Mario Kart Super Circuit puts your driving skills to the test on 40 tracks, each littered with wild weapons and obstacles. Choose to play as any of your favorite characters as you speed around classic and brand-new tracks. If you're feeling combative, try out the creative weaponry (mushrooms, bananas, thunder bolts, and stars) in Battle mode. Feel like making some friends eat your dust? No problem. Four players can compete in Mario Kart Super Circuit using only one Game Pak! If each player has a copy of the game, bonus features and new modes of play become available. 90 /100
06 Twisted Metal: Black Twisted Metal: Black 2001 · 44 ratings Twisted Metal: Black is a vehicle combat video game developed by Incognito Entertainment (formerly Incog Inc.) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the fifth installment to the Twisted Metal series and was released June 18, 2001. An online enabled multiplayer-only variant, Twisted Metal: Black Online, was released later as a free update. 90 /100
07 Burnout Burnout 2001 · 43 ratings The first game in the Burnout series, 'Burnout' set the platform for a new generation of racing games, with a focus on speed, extravagant crashes, and a goal of driving as recklessly as possible. 80 /100
08 Crazy Taxi 2 Crazy Taxi 2 2001 · 35 ratings Much like the original, the core gameplay in Crazy Taxi 2 centers around picking people up at destinations which are highlighted with colored rings, and dropping them off at stated destinations. Crazy Taxi 2 added multiple pickups, which enabled the player to carry multiple passengers, (previously it was restricted to one passenger per journey). The game also saw the introduction of the "Crazy Hop" feature, which allows the player to jump over certain surfaces to save time, as they taxi passengers around the locations. By performing moves such as the "Crazy Hop" and the "Crazy Dash", the driver accumulates tips from their passengers, which increases the total score. This sequel includes a modified soundtrack with rock bands The Offspring and Methods of Mayhem. The game also has some online modes in the form of a scoreboard, and replay-sharing. 72 /100
09 Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2001 · 31 ratings Ride like 10-time World Vert Chamption Mat Hoffman or 7 other BMX pros. Pull off over 200 tricks and combo moves, including pro-signature moves. Shred through Street, Vert and Dirt courses with 4 different game modes to choose from. 70 /100
10 The Simpsons: Road Rage The Simpsons: Road Rage 2001 · 58 ratings The Simpsons: Road Rage is similar to Sega's 1999 video game Crazy Taxi, in that the main objective is to drive picked up passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible. The player receives money upon successfully dropping off each passenger, and bonuses are obtained when they are transported in a short amount of time. Players have to avoid certain hurdles, such as other vehicles and Burns' nuclear transit buses. The game contains sixteen different collectible vehicles, six starting locations, and ten different missions. In order to collect the vehicles and unlock starting locations, players must earn progressively more money for each vehicle or starting location they want to get. 58 /100
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Other years

Best Racing games of 2021Best Racing games of 2020Best Racing games of 2019Best Racing games of 2018Best Racing games of 2017Best Racing games of 2015Best Racing games of 2014Best Racing games of 2013Best Racing games of 2012Best Racing games of 2011Best Racing games of 2010Best Racing games of 2009

Same year, other platforms

Best PC games of 2001Best Mac games of 2001Best PlayStation 2 games of 2001Best PlayStation 1 games of 2001Best Xbox games of 2001Best Dreamcast games of 2001Best GameCube games of 2001Best Game Boy Advance games of 2001Best Game Boy games of 2001

Nearby rankings

Best Racing games of 1999Best Racing games of 2003Best Fighting games of 2001Best Platformer games of 2001Best RPG games of 2001

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Racing game of 2001?

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec currently tops the ranking with a score of 100/100 across 138 ratings. Ranking updated October 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.