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Tabletop Torque: Top 10 Car-Themed & Racing Board Games

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The best automotive card and board games for hard-core gamers and casual families

best automotive car racing board games card games to buy
Enjoy board games? Check out these hits for car lovers!

Some automotive enthusiasts crave the authentic experience of being behind the wheel in a race car, while others prefer the limitless possibilities of racing in the virtual world. Then, there are people who enjoy the strategy and community that come with playing old-fashioned tabletop games.

We’ve reviewed over 70 car-themed board games on our website, and these are our 10 favorites we think are the best. Have you played any of them? Share your favorites with us!

Top Car Racing & Automotive-Themed Board Games to Own

Downforce car racing board game review Restoration Games Wolfgang Kramer buy

Downforce

Any easy-to-learn racing game with a creative bidding aspect

Re-implementing the clever auction features of Wolfgang Kramer’s racing games (like Daytona 500), Downforce is easy to teach, very interactive, and has enough strategy for even non-car-lovers to enjoy. Can you predict which car will cross the finish line first?

Restoration Games; 2-6 players

Read our review of Downforce…


Formula De review car motor racing board game EuroGames 1991

Formula D / Formula De

A revered F1 game that dares you to push your luck

Although not the most technically accurate motorsports game created, Formula D (or its predecessor, Formula De) is definitely one of the most exciting. The risk of using a higher-numbered dice to travel faster on your turn but potentially spin out is thrilling.

Asmondee; 2-10 players

Read our review of Formula De…


Thunder Alley stock car racing board game review GMT

Thunder Alley

The best game about stock car racing ever designed

Racing fans know that NASCAR racing is very different from Formula One or Indy racing, so it deserves to be simulated differently in a board game. Thunder Alley is a meatier, more complex racing game than the others on this list, but it’s thoughtfully developed and very rewarding.

GMT Games; 2-7 players

Read our review of Thunder Alley…


Monza children's board game from HABA review

Monza

An easy-to-learn car racing game for young children

Roll the dice and pick which colored spaces to move your car to. Can you pick them in an order that moves your car the furthest possible on your turn? Monza is a simple game for young children first learning to play games, but it injects enough strategizing into the gameplay to be more than a simple roll-and-move game.

HABA; 2-6 players

Read our review of Monza…


Pit Crew car racing board game Geoff Engelstein Stronghold review 2017 automotive cards review

Pit Crew

A lightning-fast team game you can play with large groups

Divide up into teams and match your cards faster than the other teams to get your car out of pit row soonest. This fast-paced card game relies on quick reactions, number-crunching, and cooperation — and it’s a real riot.

Stronghold Games; 2-9 players

Read our review of Pit Crew…


Famous 500 racing card game components

Famous 500

A pocket-sized two-player race

This is a great game to take on the go that you can fit in your pocket and play with anyone anywhere. It only uses a couple cards but requires planning and memory to win.

Famous Games Co.; 2 players

Read our review of Famous 500…


Traitor Mechanic Game Review Dice Hate Me Car Garage Social Deduction

Traitor Mechanic

Can you figure out who the saboteur in your garage is?

In the vein of secret identity games like The Resistance and Werewolf, Traitor Mechanic tasks your group with repairing vehicles that arrive at your garage–but someone among you is sabotaging your efforts by secretly playing the wrong cards. Can you figure out who it is before your business loses customers?

Dice Hate Me Games/Greater Than Games; 4-10 players

Read our review of Traitor Mechanic…


Kraftwagen V6 Edition Stronghold Games 2016 board game review

Kraftwagen: V6 Edition

Relive the early history of the auto industry

Do you create a cheap car and get it on the market faster than your opponents to make a quick buck, or do you take your time building a high-end model that could pocket you more profit but no one might buy? These are the situations you’ll encounter in this vehicle-building economic simulation set in the early 20th century.

Stronghold Games; 2-4 players

Read our review of Kraftwagen: V6 Edition…


Automania Second Edition board Game review Aporta car industry Euro pieces

Automomania

Will you have the most successful car-building factory?

Another great car production and business simulation — this time set in present-day — Automania has you oversee your own factory where you  train your workers and hone your production to make the most desired and profitable vehicles on the market.

Aporta Games; 2-4 players

Read our review of Automania…


Getaway Driver board game review car race strategy escape 2 players Jeff Beck
Photo: The News Wheel

Getaway Driver

Stage a Hollywood-worthy car chase avoiding the police

This two-player cat-and-mouse chase feels like a car chase from a blockbuster movie. One player is the criminal flipping tiles over to maneuver their car around town gathering bags of stolen cash, while the other player controls the police vehicles trying to trap the thief before he escapes.

Uproarious Games; 2 players

Read our review of Getaway Driver…