Alright, my kid (7yo) really enjoyed Midtown Madness 2. He loved cruising around (San Francisco more than London though). Cooperatively, we completed all the races and unlocked all the cars. It was lots of fun, but the game does get boring after awhile. We've kind of done all there is to do.

We've also played lot's of Crash Drive 2 on steam, but again, we've done all there is to do.

Is there anything else that's similar? A non-violent, open world driving sim. One of the best things about MM2 is the complete lack of violence - you can never hit a pedestrian. They always, always get out of the way.

There are obviously other games in that series but IMO nothing ever touched #2 (Motorcross Madness comes close) , and the civilian thing is way too cool because they are without a doubt the greatest acrobats in the world in that game. ;P

Truck Simulator?

Was going to mention that, too, and then thought of a 7-year old playing it. Though, might be right up his alley, so to speak. Ya never know.

● I'd say Driver but while there isn't any violence in free ride mode (unless you count police chases as violence), the campaign story revolves around organised crime so it's definitely not for kids. It's not a sim but the cars behave quite realistically, for the most part that is..

● Screamer 4x4 offers some nice offroad driving action in open maps and it's already on GOG. May be difficult for a little kid though; it's more on the sim side.

● 4x4 Evolution is a nice racing game that takes places in nice open maps and has a variety of vehicles to buy & upgrade. It isn't a sim but the car handling is good and easy.

● Carmageddon is a.. *just kidding* :P

Thanks for that suggestion! I think I have Burnout Paradise on Steam already from some bundle!

I also have Euro-Truck Simulator. I never thought to let him try that one. I'm not sure it will have the longevity of Midtown Madness 2, but it might be fun for a laugh!

Don't laugh but a few hours ago I reinstalled NFS Underground 2. Yes it is street racing but it is done is a very PG way and there are no pedestrians and no profanity and no one threatening to kill you. What your kid might also like is that between races you pretty much just roam around the city. You can cruise, go to upgrade shop. enter events, or just to donuts in the airport parking lot. Your biggest problem with this is that's its not a really cool real city like MM but rather kind of an Atlantic City clone, minus the crime and hookers.

Can't think of any that isn't violent, because you inevitably crash into things. There are other subgenre that isn't open world and more friendly, like Cruising USA or Outrun, which is easy to get with....ahem...emulators. I personally think Sonic Racing Transformed is a great choice, or one of the new Mario Kart games.

You might consider some rally games since it's mostly time trials, I recommend Colin McRae 04 as a starter. It will develop his listening skill as well. Although I'm not sure if some kids are too impatience for it.

I don't know if it's really appropriate to call it a sim, but since others already recommended arcade games, I'd say take a look at Need For Speed Underground 2. You get a decent sized city with unlockable parts and shops to discover, unlockable cars, car upgrades, free roaming and races... I would've absolutely loved it when I was 7. I still like it even though some of the charm is unfortunately lost.

EDIT: Sorry tinyE. My glasses are on the table somewhere.

*ahem* :P

Another good suggestion. I already own it on GOG!

Rigs of Rods? It's free and even has soft body physics!

Streets of SimCity? It's been a long, long time since I've played that and I know there's weapon combat, but I think you can disable it.

The graphics aren't much to look at...rather primitive 3D models.