Now let’s turn towards what makes these apps the best in business. More importantly, let’s see which racing app comes out on top. One thing I’m going to clear right now, all three games are racing games for Android but they offer different experiences. As all of them are essentially free to play, there is very little point in arguing which one you should get. This article is much about the Asphalt 8 or Real Racing 3 or GT Racing 2 than it is about what these games has on offer. Note: The Asphalt 8 vs Real Racing 3 vs GT Racing 2 article features games which require a large amount of data to be installed on your Android device. Ideally I would suggest that you at least have 6 GB of free space before getting all three of the games. The free racing games for Android were tested on a Samsung Galaxy Note III smartphone, they performed perfectly. Some features will require an active connection to work properly.
Our Ratings:
Asphalt 8: 4.5 out of 5 Stars Real Racing 3: 4.5 out of 5 Stars GT Racing 2: 4.4 out of 5 Stars
Google Play Ratings and Links:
Asphalt 8: 4.5 out of 5 Stars Real Racing 3: 4.3 out of 5 Stars GT Racing 2: 4.3 out of 5 Stars
The Good
All three of the apps are free to install and play. This removes any pay wall which may block you from testing out the great apps in detail. Another good thing about these games is that they are graphically stunning. If you own a top range Android device, these free racing games for Android will look absolutely gorgeous.
The Bad
All three of the apps are free to install and play. You might notice the previous line was used in “The Good” part too. Well this is because if you want the full content on any of these games, you will need to shell out a large amount to obtain it. The In-app purchases are there and they are pushed aggressively. They are not in any way intrusive but there are there none the less. Sometimes if you want to play a lot, the IAPs will stand between you and some wholesome racing fun.
The Bottom Line
These free racing games for Android are a great way to spend some quality time driving and racing. There are in-app purchases which may or may not bother you that much. They bothered me in the start but I realized I can simply play another game until the time constraints are lifted from the other app. This is the power of Android; you simply have a lot of options to spend your time on. All three games offer something different and it’s up to you to decide if you prefer arcade racing over simulation.
Revving the Engine – Asphalt 8 Wins
Downloading can take a while when installing one of the three top racing games for Android. Of all the three giant games, Asphalt takes the less time to get ready to rumble. Even though the size difference is not much between the three apps, Asphalt 8 still gets the assets down quickly. I would have said that the Gameloft servers might be the factor but GT Racing 2 is also made by them.
The worst offender is Real Racing 3 which not only takes a long while to download but periodically stops gameplay to download more stuff. I mean why can’t the game download everything in one go? The initial 500 or so MB might seem little but I hate stopping the game just to see files download more. EA kindly download the full game, people usually download large games over night.
Accessibility and Ease of Use – Real Racing 3 Wins
Real Racing comes with some of the best features ever found on an Android racing game. All three, Asphalt 8, GT Racing 2 and Real Racing 3 come with the same tutorial, they teach you even before showing you the menus of the games. This is a great way to ease the player into the game. All three apps were amazing in introducing their features to the player right off the bit.
I have been playing the game for around 2 years but always left it unfinished. It was because I was constantly changing phones and wouldn’t bother downloading the app again. When I booted Real Racing 3 it seems that all my saves were lost. But I was hopeful that the app might have saved them somewhere. Thankfully the app offered to download the saves without any problems and even suggested that I use a better save from my previous device. This tipped the scale towards Real Racing 3.
Graphics Galore – Real Racing 3 Wins
When it comes to stunning visuals, the game EA made takes the cake. While Gameloft games feature some decent graphics themselves, they are nowhere near the quality which Real Racing possesses. I can go as far as to say that Real Racing 3 is among the most graphically impressive titles I have every played on an Android device.
The car models, the lighting, the ambient scenery and even the road oozes with quality. These are console quality graphics I’m talking about.
The Fun Factor – Asphalt 8 Wins
Asphalt 8 provides an extremely entertaining take on traditional racing. This is somewhat over the top and action filled racing experience. If you have been a console or PC gamer, you will instantly recognize the similarities between Asphalt and the Burnout series. The stunts, the ramming and the auto-filling nitrous are all there to make the game much more enjoyable.
The game is meant to be fun through and through. Some might argue my definition of fun and understandably so, Asphalt 8 is a fun game for those who just to have a casual racing experience without going deep into the actual driving or accurate car sounds.
The Simulation – Real Racing 3 Wins
This is a close contest between GT Racing and Real Racing. Almost all the features of both the games are same. Real Racing also takes a negative hit due to its “car repair” timer which hinders the gameplay for a substantial time.
But Real Racing really nails down the heft and weight of a car. The models are incredibly detailed and actually look and somehow drive like their real world counter parts. There are over 100 cars available for you to play and if you are patient, you can obtain almost all of them for free.
Playing With Others – Asphalt 8 Wins
This once again was a tight competition between Asphalt 8 and GT Racing 2. Asphalt only won this because more people are playing the game on a daily basis. The game practically takes only a few seconds to fill the lobby and get going.
GT Racing 2 takes a while to recruit racers to a game. Sometimes there are not enough people playing so the game takes you back to the lobby.
Real Racing 3 features a robust ghost feature which allows you to challenge the ghosts of your friends. This is not a multiplayer feature and should never be called as such.
Conclusion:
The competition of Asphalt 8 vs Real Racing 3 vs GT Racing 2 boils down to two contenders in the end. Here is what I feel in simple and easy to understand statements: Arcade Fun: Asphalt 8 > Real Racing 3 > GT Racing 2 Simulation: Real Racing 3 > GT Racing 2 > Asphalt 8 I hope this gives you a good idea about these free racing games for Android. Now go and download the app which fancies your taste and seems like a good fit for you. I personally enjoy almost every best racing app on Android there is as long as the AI is tuned fairly. If you have any questions or want to race me in any of the games, feel free to send a challenge my way in the comments below.
