10 Classic Racing Game Intros That’ll Hit You In The Nostalgia Feels

The intro for the original Gran Turismo - which was released in 1997/1998 for PlayStation 1 - will likely bring back many happy memories for many of us. The game kicked off one of the most popular series in history, sparking many sequels and spin-offs.

Released in 2005 for Xbox, Forza Motorsport was – for many – an iconic racing game and has spawned one of the biggest motorsport gaming franchises out there (as well as one of the hottest racing game rivalries).

Sega Rally Championship was a huge hit when it was released as an arcade game in 1994, before moving to consoles with Sega Saturn in 1995 (which the intro above is for). It was also revolutionary and very advanced for its time, especially because players were able to drive on different surfaces.

Has there ever been a more dramatic opening title sequence in a racing game than the one made for Need For Speed Underground 2? This remains fixed in the brains of many gamers who picked up a copy in 2004, including me.

Many will have fond memories of playing Midnight Club 3, whether it was on PS2 and Xbox or PSP, which was released in 2005/2006. It was one of the best at the time for wild, chaotic and fast arcade racing, while still being in an open-world map.

Released for PS3 in 2008, Burnout Paradise was met with very positive reviews and took the series to new levels. It’s not the oldest racing title on here but the intro itself was very cool, as I’m sure many of you will remember.

Released in 2000, this game brought Formula 1 to PS1 and featured this unusually short but sweet intro. “EA Sports, it’s in the game” will forever be associated with F1 2000 for me.

Who can forget the awesome music from the Colin McRae Rally intro? The game was released for PS1 and PC way back in 1998/1999 and became an instant hit.

Crash Team Racing was hugely popular on its arrival in 1999 and featured these quirky opening titles. It was seen as an alternative to Mario Kart but proved to be pretty successful in its own right.

One of the more niche titles on this list is TOCA 2 Touring Cars, a game that was released on PC back in the late 1990s. It was one of the games that really sparked many kids’ obsessions with motorsport.

What were your favourite classic racing game intros and opening titles? Let us know in the comments!