RacingBetter News
	Friday 29th November 2024

The Top 6 Horse Racing Video Games, in Terms of How Realistic They Are, to Play in 2025

There are billions of fans worldwide for horse racing, making it a popular recreational and professional activity. Sadly, while being one of the oldest sports in the world, it doesn’t enjoy the same level of popularity in the video game industry as some other sports disciplines. What are the top horse racing games, then? The titles we’re going to introduce are an excellent starting point. They’re probably the only way to hang out with some amazing fillies without breaking the bank or offering to help clean up the stables. This way, you won’t be in danger of getting a back-breaking kick if you take your eyes off these magnificent creatures for a few seconds.

Photo: Phar Lap (screenshot youtube.com/@KevinYep)

Why Are There Only a Handful of Horse Racing Video Games on the Market?

It’s like finding a needle in a haystack if you try to unearth a horse racing game. Indeed, there aren’t many horse racing video games, but those that exist are quite good at encapsulating the essence of the sport (horse racing fans understand what we mean).

For those unfamiliar with our topic, it’s important to realize that horse racing has always been more than just a sport; it’s a way of life. It’s important to remember that horse racing has a lot of components that add to its excitement. Your horse’s journey includes breeding, training, and racing. Unhappily, you need to spend at least $50,000 to enjoy the actual thing of horse racing. But video games are always an option.

The elephant (or horse, in this case) in the room should be addressed first. The gaming world of horse racing is a barren wasteland. We find it shocking that other sports like basketball, football, and first-person shooters dominate the market that much. Why? Well, suppose you look at the market situation. In that case, there are about 1.45 billion horse racing fans worldwide, which is a significant number, and horse racing isn’t lagging behind other popular sports like basketball, which have more than two billion supporters, a lot.

What the devil is preventing anyone from creating a horse racing game these days? There are a number of considerations, but the sport’s demographics are, in our opinion, the most important one. Although there may be a large following for horse racing, the majority of these enthusiasts are older and have little interest in playing video games. Consequently, game developers have no incentive if there’s no demand. So, you have many titles with pixelated graphics that are far from realistic.

However, not everything is gloomy. This doesn’t preclude you from having fun and experiencing what it’s like to be a jockey. There are some decent horse racing games available on the market, offering enough features, good graphics, online gameplay, and the proper mechanics to give you a sense of what goes on behind the scenes at actual horse racing events. Even though they might not meet Red Dead Redemption 2 standards, they are still worth a try.

Therefore, the games that follow are the ones you should play if you’re a real fan of horse racing. Let’s examine some of the top horse racing games to see if they live up to the hype.

# 1 Phar Lap: Horse Racing Challenge (2019)

Platforms:

• Nintendo Switch
• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox One

Consoles are where we start. Why? In our opinion, consoles are more widely used than PCs. Ok, Ok, we don’t want to ignite any platform conflicts just yet, so we’ll say that we’re kidding...

There’s really only one choice for the greatest simulation horse racing game on consoles, and it was launched a long time ago from the current perspective. The Phar Lap: Horse Racing Challenge is what we’re talking about here. It’s no surprise that the gameplay is appealing considering that PikPok, a company with years of experience in making horse racing video games, developed it. It’s fluid and lets players experience what it’s really like to own a racehorse.

Although the design isn’t particularly impressive, the graphics in this horse racing game are among the best we’ve seen so far. Even though they aren’t meant to be realistic, the horses in video games like The Legend of Zelda really have much better designs than those of Phar Lap. But, when viewed from a distance, the horse’s design isn’t at all awful. The coat, the hair, and the general attention to detail become much more apparent as you draw closer. That’s the best we can play right now, though.

The situation is slightly better in terms of characteristics. Online competitions are among the various gameplay types available in Phar Lap. Additionally, all facets of the horse racing business are discussed, including breeding, training, and competition. They even have a betting tool that allows you to mimic races at home and wager on major horse racing events. An in-game betting simulation system isn’t very good though, but if betting is your thing, you may visit https://bookmaker-expert.com/bookmakers/sports-betting/races/ to wager on some of the actual greatest horse racing events, such as the Breeders’ Cup, and always stay true to real life when it comes to betting.

But that’s not all. You can also handle the financial side of owning a horse or a stable with Phar Lap. You have to deal with bills, earnings from competitions, and paying employees.

Given that Phar Lap is regarded as one of the greatest horse racing games available right now, we may have been a little too critical in our evaluation, but we must always evaluate it by the norms of contemporary gaming. The new PlayStation 5 system has no trouble running Phar Lap because it was first created for the PS4, and because it is backward compatible, it provides a much faster and more fluid experience.

# 2 Rival Stars Horse Racing (2020)

Platforms:

• Android
• iOS
• Windows

As we move on to horse racing games for PCs and mobile devices, Rival Stars Horse Racing is the industry leader. For a few reasons alone, this game is very different from Phar Lap, even though it shares numerous similarities with it.

To begin with, the game’s design is a little more cartoonish and kid-friendly. There’s no longer any realism like in games like Phar Lap.

Though not particularly realistic, the 3D graphics are respectable. This life sim meets racer offers a variety of stunning racecourses for you to soar around with your favorite horse, and its graphics are surprisingly sharp considering the constraints of mobile hardware (if we talk about the mobile version).

This gets strange because Rival Stars Horse Racing is basically identical title as Phar Lap and was made by the same firm (PikPok). However, the developer sought to make the game more appealing to younger players, understanding that mobile devices are its primary target market.

You inherit your grandfather’s ranch at the beginning of the game, and the decisions you make determine how it goes from there. Horses can be trained, bred, and, of course, raced online. In addition, Rival Stars has a comprehensive career mode, amazing and lifelike race simulations, and respectable breeding and training systems. You can run and enhance your picturesque ranch and enjoy the opulent lifestyle of a horsebreeder when you’re not racing. To be honest, it’s more extravagant than you might think it is after reading this...

You can compete with your pals in this fantastic casual game while on the road. It’s important to note, though, that this game is more about the action itself than it’s about offering a ton of options that replicate the genuine horse racing scenario.

# 3 Winning Post 10 (2023)

Platforms:

• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• Nintendo Switch
• Windows

One of the newest and most advanced simulation games for horse racing is this one. We must admit that Winning Post 10 has far more features than any other horse racing game. It’s, after all, the most recent release with the most modern graphics and gameplay features.

Winning Post 10 includes every element that contributes to the horse racing industry as a whole. You have to deal with breeding, training, money, horse maintenance, detailed horse characteristics and skills, and a lot more. Furthermore, the visuals are really fantastic; if we have to compare them to another game, they resemble Phar Lap, although we think they seem a little better.

The main drawback is that there’s currently no English version of Winning Post 10, which is targeted at the Japanese gaming market. Your only option is to try the earlier Winning Post series with English-language translations.

# 4 Horse Riding Tales: Wild Pony (2019)

Platforms:

• Windows
• Android

Horse Riding Tales: Wild Pony is the most comprehensive mobile horseback riding experience.

There’s never a shortage of equestrian events here, from informal group rides in the countryside to dressage and show jumping contests to see how well you and your horse can perform. Even better, you can select a filly that fits your style in this title, which offers over 90 distinct horse breeds to tame and acquire.

# 5 Stakes Winner 2 (1996)

Platforms:

• Nintendo Switch
• PlayStation 4
• Xbox One
• Windows
• Wii
• Android

Stakes Winner 2 is a timeless arcade horse racing game that’s hard to say no to if nostalgia strikes you. This vintage experience streamlines the horse racing adventure to make it both simple to learn and surprisingly active for a game of its age, even if there are only 12 distinct horses to ride. It was first made available as an arcade game in 1996, and a year later it was made available for the PlayStation.

This is the game to bring to your next retro gaming night if you have a horse racing enthusiast.

# 6 Star Stable Online (2012)

Platforms:

• Windows
• Mac
• Android
• iOS

Star Stable Online is the final horse racing game on our list you must play. Since it’s more of an MMORPG game made with younger players in mind, this may not be your typical horse racing simulation game. Star Stable, featuring 15 breeds of quality foals, is one of the best methods to manage a private horse ranch without having to do all the work yourself.

You have a vast, open environment to explore while partnered with a horse. Racing isn’t the primary goal of this game. Rather, you get to finish quests, take part in activities, travel the world, and make friendships. It’s nevertheless worthwhile to try, especially if you’re a horse enthusiast, even though it isn’t a full-fledged racing simulator.

Is There More to This?

The main question now is: are there any further games of a kind? Unfortunately, there aren’t too many horse racing video games available on any platform. As aficionados of horse racing, we must continue playing the same old games while developers concentrate on creating games with a wider audience.

Other horse-related games do exist, however, they aren’t always racing-related. You have games like Equestriad World Tour, Horse Club Adventures, Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch, and Mindscape, among others. These games are more focused on horse care, equestrian activities, show jumping, or dressage, and they all have a relaxed feel.