Unlike many racing games on the list, Sega’s Hang-On put players on a motorcycle. Oftentimes, barely. The game’s deluxe cabinet used motion control, which in 1985 appeared on very few machines. Also one of the first racing games to simulate 3D graphics, a stark departure from flat 2D graphics of the day.

Many driving games put you in the racing gloves of professional racers, zipping from one finish line to the next in fancy rally or sports cars. Not Crazy Taxi. Released near the tail end of the arcade gaming era, the game took its liberties with the genre and veered a clear path away from its siblings with its unique premise, punk rock soundtrack, and utter indifference for pedestrian safety.

Before Twisted Metal and Need for Speed, there was Sega’s 1987 action-packed hit, Road Blasters. The game gave arcade players the first taste of combat on the road, blasting enemy cars while dodging bullets from roadside turrets. A plane would occasionally drop a more powerful UZ cannon onto your roof. It was mayhem that would’ve made Mad Max’s Furiosa proud.

OutRun is the second racing brainchild of Yu Suzuki, the creator of Hang-On. Released a year after the famed motorcycle racing game, players now found themselves on the lush seats of a Ferrari Testarossa. The game’s deluxe cabinet uses the same motion-controlled technology as Hang-On, and would jerk and vibrate based on what was happening on-screen.

Released in 1982, Pole Position secures its spot on any greatest driving game list by being the grand-daddy of many arcade racing games. It was lauded for its use of parallax scrolling, driving physics, and fondly remembered by many F1 racing fans as the first game to use realistic racing elements such as a qualifying race and a track based on a real racing circuit.

Daytona USA took everything Sega Rally Championship did right, and kicked it to even higher gear. The game’s slick 3D polygonal graphics were a marvel of its time–who doesn’t remember scenic drives around the Lakeside Castle stage?

Sega Rally Championship is a racing game for true motorsport fans. The game was distinguished for its use of different terrain, which affected how your car handled throughout the race. Winning meant nailing calculated powerslides and drifts, and not just flooring the gas. There were only three available vehicles, but each one had different strengths, and were modelled after real life, iconic rally cars.