With the Stop Killing Games movement, there has been considerable discussion surrounding game preservation in 2025. In an era where digital games dominate physical releases, you are often at the mercy of publishers when it comes to server shutdowns, licensing expirations, and the delisting of games.
Racing games are particularly vulnerable to this digital death. A heavy reliance on licensed music, real-world car manufacturers, and brand partnerships creates a preservation nightmare. When these games get delisted or lose server support, there is no easy way to play them. Sadly, some of the best racing games are subject to this fate. Here are 5 racing games you can’t play anymore.
Any Need For Speed Game Pre-2013
The realization that I can’t easily play most of my favorite Need for Speed games serves as the inspiration for this article. Here’s a list of some of the NFS games on Steam that you can play: Unbound, Heat, Most Wanted (2012), Payback, Rivals, Hot Pursuit Remastered, and the Need for Speed 2015 reboot.
That’s less than 30% of the entire franchise, meaning there are over a dozen games that you can’t play anymore. This includes Underground 2, Most Wanted (2005), Pro Street, and Carbon — some of the best games in the series.
Of course, like every game on this list, you can play these titles if you’re really dedicated and willing to jump through some hoops. You can hunt down old PS2/Xbox/GameCube copies, but then you’ll need the consoles too. Alternatively, there is emulation, but that’s a legal grey area that I am certainly not getting into.
Every Forza Horizon Game Except Horizon 5
Yep, here’s another shocker for you. If you don’t like Forza Horizon 5, there’s nothing you can do about it because that’s the only game you’re stuck with now. Forza Horizon 4 was delisted from all digital storefronts at the end of 2024, just six years after release. The game remains playable if you own it, but key online features like the Festival Playlist are shut down.
Thankfully, the online elements of the game are still playable, and Horizon 4 still has a thriving community. The kicker is that if you don’t own the game, you can’t get in on the fun. Again, you could find a used/old copy if you’re really serious about it. But, I’m not trying to highlight the game as unplayable, I’m just stating that it’s a tragedy that it was delisted.
Let’s not even get into Forza Horizon 2 or the original Forza Horizon. The servers for both games are completely dead, meaning you don’t get any online features whatsoever.
Driver: San Francisco
If you’re not familiar with Driver: San Francisco, I highly recommend watching Nick Robinson’s YouTube video about its unique gameplay. That’s how I first discovered the game, and naturally, I wanted to try the game myself to see what the fuss was about. You can probably guess how that went.
Driver: San Francisco was delisted from all platforms in 2016, less than 5 years after release. Fun fact: Development for this game, a full 5 years, lasted longer than the actual release window. This one is particularly sad, as the game is arguably the most creative thing Ubisoft has ever put out. It has a unique mechanic that allows the protagonist to teleport into any car, more dialogue than most RPGs, and surreal, dreamlike sequences that fit the game’s bizarre narrative.
I highly recommend that you somehow go out and find a used PS3/Xbox 360, or some other way to play this game. Of course, it won’t be easy; otherwise, it wouldn’t be on this list.
Blur
“What if Mario Kart had real cars?”
This is the question that Blur dared to answer. Released by Activision in 2010, this game was on track to revolutionize arcade racing with its unique premise: Take supercars from Ferrari, BMW, and Aston Martin, and arm them with power-ups (lightning bolts, shields, mines, etc). It’s as ridiculous as it sounds, but ridiculously fun.
The powerups feel natural, driving feels very slick for an arcade racer, and the multiplayer battles were highly intense. With over 50 licensed cars and support for up to 20 players in one race, this game was mayhem incarnate. We rarely get arcade racers that are this unique anymore (Wreckfest is an interesting example), so it’s a real shame that this game flopped commercially on release.
That commercial failure, along with licensing issues, is the reason why Blur was delisted in January 2013. It was only on sale for around 3 years, meaning most gamers probably don’t even remember it.
The Crew
This 2014 Ubisoft game was a major success. It’s an open-world racing game that lets you drive across a massive recreation of America with friends. The Crew was ambitious, highly popular, and had a long lifespan ahead of it. Unfortunately, it was designed as an online-only experience. This means that even solo play requires a constant connection to Ubisoft’s servers.
When the servers shut down in March 2024, the game became completely unplayable. It doesn’t stop there. Ubisoft began revoking The Crew from players’ libraries entirely. I don’t need to tell you how this is completely abhorrent behavior, and it really creates the impression of a company that doesn’t care about its users.
Wrapping Up
As you can probably estimate from reading this post, I’m just another voice crying out about the dangers of digital “ownership”. When companies blatantly come out and tell you that you don’t own your games, it really leaves a bad taste in your mouth as a consumer.
It’s even more depressing once you realize so many people just accept the lack of ownership as a fact and are fine with it. As the saying goes: You’ll own nothing and be happy.
