As covered in our best racing games of 2017 list, the year was good for the genre. The upcoming year also looks to have a fairly strong, albeit limited line-up of racing games. Continuing with Motoring Monday (I know) are the most anticipated racing games of 2018.

　　Previous entries in 2018’s Most Anticipated at Wccftech: Shooter Games, Adventure Games, Fighting Games, Action/Adventure Games, Strategy Games, Horror Games, Indie Games, Platform Games

The Crew 2 (Official Site)

　　Released back in 2014, The Crew was an interesting attempt by Ubisoft to bring their open world style for games to the racing genre. What was certainly a great idea on paper (the whole of continental United States as your racing sandbox) turned out to be flawed on arrival. The visual quality of the cities and cars were poor even for the time. However, this never diminished the atmosphere gained by driving from coast the coast in what could be a real cross-country trip.

　　The Crew 2 takes your travels across continental United States in a whole new direction. In addition to cars you now have bikes, planes and boats to add to your collection. Developers Ivory Tower have worked to improve on the visual issues that plagued the first title. Modifying and improving the game engine, early footage already shows promising results. With a recent delay setting the release for mid to late 2018 to improve the game's quality, The Crew 2 is one to look forward to.

ONRUSH (Official Site)

　　Most of Evolution Studios luckily landed on their feet when they got acquired by Codemasters. They've been working on a new racing game IP ever since, now officially known as ONRUSH.

　　According to the developers, it will be heavy on exhilarating speed, hard takedowns and generally anything that defines an arcade oriented racing game, with Burnout and Motorstorm cited as major influences.

　　In ONRUSH you won't even need to actually rush to the finish line as with almost all other racing games. The main goal will be to accrue points by taking down opponents and completing objectives. Vehicles will be divided into various classes, each one sporting different pros and cons.

Gravel (Official Site)

　　The title of Gravel likely gives away the direction the game will take. Milestone, developers of MXGP3, Ride 2 and MotoGP 17, take you off-road to a host of different environments. Tracks included in the game will take place across multiple parts of the world and include deserts, dunes, forests and snowy peaks. This will be covered over a number of game types, including cross-country, Wild Rush, Speed Cross and Stadium.

　　Using Unreal 4, Gravel looks to be Milestone's most advanced game yet. Using the power of Unreal 4, Gravel aims to be the most visually advanced game of the company. In addition to this, Gravel will feature an open world and a dynamic weather cycle. Milestone have also managed a coup by being one of the very few developers to feature Porsche in their games. Featuring over 50 vehicles ranging from the 70's to now, Gravel looks to be Milestone's biggest game yet.

MX vs ATV All Out (Official Site)

　　MX vs ATV is a relatively old series. Having started in 2005, the series has seen sporadic releases over the years. The previous being MX vs ATV Supercross in 2014. Much like older titles, MX vs ATV All Out will feature both titular motocross and all-terrain vehicles. The game will feature races from Supercross, Nationals and Opencross as well as waypoint races and a freestyle mode where you perform jumps and tricks to gain points.

　　All vehicles in the game are based on actual models and use the correct names and details. All upgrades that are available within the game are based on real world counterparts. Vehicles can be stored and modified in an in-game garage. Even the tracks feature more detail, with real-time deformation as you race. MX vs ATV All Out looks to bring back the off-road series and place it in its best position yet.

Start your Engines - Honorable Mentions

　　Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame (Official Site)Racing Apex (Official Site)TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge (Official Site)The Karters (Official Site)Antigraviator (Official Site)GRIP (Official Site)Distance (Official Site)While the line-up of racing games due in 2018 doesn't look as impressive as the previous year, titles like The Crew 2 and Gravel have the potential to be standout releases. Also, you have to consider the inevitable F1 2018 and Forza Horizon 4 (rumoured to be set in Japan), which are both due this year even if they haven't been officially announced yet.

　　If I’ve missed any other titles, feel free to yell at me in the comments section and don't forget to tell me which game you're looking forward to the most.