Best games
Best Racing games on Nintendo 64
The 10 best Racing games on Nintendo 64, ranked from 1,679 critic and player ratings.
The best Racing game on Nintendo 64 right now is Diddy Kong Racing, with a critic score of 88/100 — updated September 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: 1970 to 2026.
- 10 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,679 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 10
01
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing is set on Timber's Island and revolves around Diddy Kong and his friends' attempt to defeat the intergalactic antagonist, a wizarding pig named Wizpig, through winning a series of races. The player can take control of any of the featured characters throughout the game. Diddy Kong Racing features five worlds with four racetracks each, and the ability to drive a car, hovercraft, or pilot an aeroplane.
88
/100
02
Wave Race 64: Kawasaki Jet Ski
Wave Race 64 is sure to provide some of the most exciting racing you've ever experienced. Feel the pounding and crashing of the waves as you accelerate into straight-aways, whip around the marker buoys and go airborne on the jump ramps. Don't race alone - challenge a friend! Take control in three different modes of play - Championship, Time Trials and Stunt Mode. Nine challenging courses set in exotic locales - race conditions change and the wave action responds to the way both you and your opponents race!
92
/100
03
Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart 64 is the second main installment of the Mario Kart series. It is the first game in the series to use three-dimensional graphics, however, the characters and items in this game are still two-dimensional, pre-rendered sprites. The game offers two camera angles and three engine sizes: 50cc, 100cc and 150cc. Each kart has distinctive handling, acceleration and top speed capabilities. Shells that you fire at rival racers, Bananas that make them skid out and Lightning Bolts that make them small and very slow are just a few of the game's unique power-ups.
81
/100
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing is set on Timber's Island and revolves around Diddy Kong and his friends' attempt to defeat the intergalactic antagonist, a wizarding pig named Wizpig, through winning a series of races. The player can take control of any of the featured characters throughout the game. Diddy Kong Racing features five worlds with four racetracks each, and the ability to drive a car, hovercraft, or pilot an aeroplane.
88
/100
02
Wave Race 64: Kawasaki Jet Ski
Wave Race 64 is sure to provide some of the most exciting racing you've ever experienced. Feel the pounding and crashing of the waves as you accelerate into straight-aways, whip around the marker buoys and go airborne on the jump ramps. Don't race alone - challenge a friend! Take control in three different modes of play - Championship, Time Trials and Stunt Mode. Nine challenging courses set in exotic locales - race conditions change and the wave action responds to the way both you and your opponents race!
92
/100
03
Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart 64 is the second main installment of the Mario Kart series. It is the first game in the series to use three-dimensional graphics, however, the characters and items in this game are still two-dimensional, pre-rendered sprites. The game offers two camera angles and three engine sizes: 50cc, 100cc and 150cc. Each kart has distinctive handling, acceleration and top speed capabilities. Shells that you fire at rival racers, Bananas that make them skid out and Lightning Bolts that make them small and very slow are just a few of the game's unique power-ups.
81
/100
04
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto is the first game in the Grand Theft Auto series and a sandbox-crime game published by Rockstar Games. The original Grand Theft Auto is made up of a series of levels each set in one of the three cities in the game. In each level, the player has a target number of points to achieve, and five lives to attain the score. The score counter doubles as a money meter; the player can spend this money on paint jobs and various other things. However, any money spent is of course taken away from the score, making the goal that little bit further away. On obtaining the target number of points, the player must then drive to a certain location to complete the level, which allows progress to the next one.
80
/100
05
Re-Volt
Re-Volt is an R/C car racing game from Acclaim, originally released in 1999. Re-Volt features great gameplay, realistic physics that still hold up to this day and bright and colorful visuals. It's a game aimed at people who just want to play a funky arcade racing game as well as for people who seek a more competitive challenge. It's meant for all ages and occasions: Play for yourself or in the local network with friends, or even online!
78
/100
06
Paperboy
Paperboy is a 1985 arcade game by Atari Games originally developed in 1984 . The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. The game was ported to numerous video game consoles and personal computers. Paperboy was innovative for its theme and novel controls. The player controls a paperboy on a bicycle delivering newspapers along a suburban street which is displayed in a cabinet perspective (or oblique projection) view. The player attempts to deliver a week of daily newspapers to subscribing customers, attempts to vandalize non-subscribers' homes and must avoid hazards along the street. Subscribers are lost by missing a delivery or damaging a subscriber's house.
71
/100
07
Destruction Derby
With no rules, no limits and no pit stopping, anything goes in this collision course of crumple zones, hit & run mayhem, and street level slamming where wrecking your opponent's motor in ultra-realistic smashes and crashes is the name of the game. Take on the rigors of a full Championship season and pit your wits against a motley crew of psycho-waster racers such as the Suicide Squaddies, Skum and The Optician as you storm up the rankings from Rookie to Pro. Reckon you can handle it? Destruction Derby works with a serial link cable for two player head-to-head action.
70
/100
08
1080° Snowboarding
1080° Snowboarding is an intense snowboarding game in which the player gets to choose between many different boards, tricks, courses and much more.
70
/100
09
STAR WARS: Episode I Racer
Star Wars: Episode 1 - Racer lets you participate in the famous pod race sequence that was the critical highlight of the film Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace back in 1999. Take the controls as Jedi-to-be Anakin Skywalker or any one of over 20 pod racers. These lightning-quick vehicles are capable of reaching simulated speeds of up to 600 miles per hour while skimming a mere 4 feet above the ground. Feel the full-force blast while avoiding hazards such as methane lakes, meteor showers, and the notorious Tusken Raiders. You can race alone or against a friend in split-screen mode on more than 21 courses that span over 8 different worlds. This level of customization adds excellent replay value.
66
/100
10
LEGO Racers
Lego Racers is set in the fictional Legoland universe, the game depicts Rocket Racer, the "greatest racing champion" in Legoland. After becoming bored from beating everyone at racing, he decides to create a racing contest, and finds the best racers in the history of Legoland using a dimensional warp machine created by his friend, Veronica Voltage, a genius scientist and mechanic. The player takes on the hosts and co-racers in an attempt to beat Rocket Racer and become the "Greatest Lego Racer of All Time".
62
/100
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto is the first game in the Grand Theft Auto series and a sandbox-crime game published by Rockstar Games. The original Grand Theft Auto is made up of a series of levels each set in one of the three cities in the game. In each level, the player has a target number of points to achieve, and five lives to attain the score. The score counter doubles as a money meter; the player can spend this money on paint jobs and various other things. However, any money spent is of course taken away from the score, making the goal that little bit further away. On obtaining the target number of points, the player must then drive to a certain location to complete the level, which allows progress to the next one.
80
/100
05
Re-Volt
Re-Volt is an R/C car racing game from Acclaim, originally released in 1999. Re-Volt features great gameplay, realistic physics that still hold up to this day and bright and colorful visuals. It's a game aimed at people who just want to play a funky arcade racing game as well as for people who seek a more competitive challenge. It's meant for all ages and occasions: Play for yourself or in the local network with friends, or even online!
78
/100
06
Paperboy
Paperboy is a 1985 arcade game by Atari Games originally developed in 1984 . The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. The game was ported to numerous video game consoles and personal computers. Paperboy was innovative for its theme and novel controls. The player controls a paperboy on a bicycle delivering newspapers along a suburban street which is displayed in a cabinet perspective (or oblique projection) view. The player attempts to deliver a week of daily newspapers to subscribing customers, attempts to vandalize non-subscribers' homes and must avoid hazards along the street. Subscribers are lost by missing a delivery or damaging a subscriber's house.
71
/100
07
Destruction Derby
With no rules, no limits and no pit stopping, anything goes in this collision course of crumple zones, hit & run mayhem, and street level slamming where wrecking your opponent's motor in ultra-realistic smashes and crashes is the name of the game. Take on the rigors of a full Championship season and pit your wits against a motley crew of psycho-waster racers such as the Suicide Squaddies, Skum and The Optician as you storm up the rankings from Rookie to Pro. Reckon you can handle it? Destruction Derby works with a serial link cable for two player head-to-head action.
70
/100
08
1080° Snowboarding
1080° Snowboarding is an intense snowboarding game in which the player gets to choose between many different boards, tricks, courses and much more.
70
/100
09
STAR WARS: Episode I Racer
Star Wars: Episode 1 - Racer lets you participate in the famous pod race sequence that was the critical highlight of the film Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace back in 1999. Take the controls as Jedi-to-be Anakin Skywalker or any one of over 20 pod racers. These lightning-quick vehicles are capable of reaching simulated speeds of up to 600 miles per hour while skimming a mere 4 feet above the ground. Feel the full-force blast while avoiding hazards such as methane lakes, meteor showers, and the notorious Tusken Raiders. You can race alone or against a friend in split-screen mode on more than 21 courses that span over 8 different worlds. This level of customization adds excellent replay value.
66
/100
10
LEGO Racers
Lego Racers is set in the fictional Legoland universe, the game depicts Rocket Racer, the "greatest racing champion" in Legoland. After becoming bored from beating everyone at racing, he decides to create a racing contest, and finds the best racers in the history of Legoland using a dimensional warp machine created by his friend, Veronica Voltage, a genius scientist and mechanic. The player takes on the hosts and co-racers in an attempt to beat Rocket Racer and become the "Greatest Lego Racer of All Time".
62
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Racing game on Nintendo 64?
Diddy Kong Racing currently tops the ranking with a score of 88/100 across 86 ratings. Ranking updated September 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.