Vehicular combat, demolition derbies and just general in-game car destruction. Oh my!

Almost as long as there have been car games – racing, sandbox, whatever – there has been vehicular carnage, as gamers channel that indomitable blood-lust spirit that makes the smallest of children slam two Matchbox cars together in an imaginary but no less devastating smash.

And for all the high-brow readings of motor-sport, and the admiration for the technicals and skills needed to win, there will always be an element of the crowd who only turn up for the crashes. They are who this list is for. Not those who fall in love with a racing game’s aesthetics – pulse racing at the sight of a beautiful vista reflected in the bonnet of a sleek Ferrari – or those who value the realism of the in-game driving experience – this is a far more full-blooded affair.

We don’t care so much about the design or the handling, we love the petrol stink, the mechanical panther roar under the bonnet, and the sight and smell of metal on metal.

So, with the release date of Grand Theft Auto V likely to be announced very soon (ending the thousands of words spent on rumours in the process), we’re looking back at the top ten games and franchises that gleefully celebrated the violent spirit of driving in a far more active way than road-rage inspired outbursts in rush-hour traffic jams ever did. All in the interest of distracting us all while we wait.

And if GTA V can draw influences from any or all of the following games, fans of destructive driving will most certainly be pleased, so here’s hoping.

Behold, broken headlamps, dented bodywork, flaming wrecks and worse. Click within to see the ten chosen as greats…

You Might Also Like...

Want to write about the stuff you're passionate about and have your work read by an audience of over 10 million a month? Click here to become a contributor.