Test Drive Unlimited

This is still probably the games industry's best and only Massively Multiplayer Online Open World Racing Role Playing Game ( That's MMOOWRRPG if you're keeping track). It's a shame they shut down the console servers back in 2012 but there is offline single player and you can still play online with the PC version.

The best part about this game is that there is no insufferable story with terrible actors that is attempting to pander to the "youth". Literally, your character boards a plane and ends up in Hawaii with just enough money to afford a starter car and a house and then you're just free to do whatever. There are races, you can race if you want. There are jobs, you can do them if you want. If you don't want to, you don't really have to because if you flash your lights at any "player" car you can have instant impromptu races for cash.

The island is actually a 1:1 recreation of Oahu by the way, unlike the weird area compressions going on in the Forza Horizon series and The Club. It's populated with car dealerships (Fully modeled car dealerships complete with staff), clothing stores (because it really is an RPG), Real estate offices (With houses that range from small beach homes to huge mansions), and Tune shops (With options to change paint and upgrade performance). And you can actually go anywhere (assuming your selected car can make it). There's even a portal to a secret island hidden on one of the mountains (if you can find it).

Essentially, this is still the best open world racing game ever made mainly because it leaves you alone, has great car selection and builds a world with a ton of stuff to do that doesn't feel forced. Best of all, no dumbass dudebro bullshit. Don't play the second one though, utter garbage.