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2024 into 2025 is set to be an interesting and exciting time for NASCAR video game fans. We will keep track of all of the major news stories about iRacing’s NASCAR video game in this article.
We do not know yet what platforms the game will release on, but, we can speculate. Given that iRacing is already a racing simulator on PC, iRacing may forego a PC port, but they could see value in the game bringing in a more casual audience than iRacing itself does. A Nintendo Switch port is unlikely as well, especially given that no NASCAR video game has received a direct Nintendo port since NASCAR The Game: Inside Line in 2012. NASCAR Rivals, released in 2022, was separate from NASCAR 21: Ignition.
Playstation 5 and XBOX Series X are virtual locks for the new game. It’s becoming increasingly rare for games to be exclusive to one home console, especially sports games.
iRacing’s first artist rendering of the game came with the news of a fall 2025 release date. This is in line with most recent NASCAR games as every game since NASCAR Heat Evolution, with NASCAR Heat 5 as the lone exception, has been released in the fall. NASCAR 21: Ignition released in late October, with 4 of the 5 NASCAR Heat games released in mid-September.
It’s still unclear what other video games NASCAR 25 will compete with in the fall of 2025. Grand Theft Auto 6 does not have an official release date yet, but that’s one to watch out for. NASCAR 25 may have to work around these other major game releases.
Game Engine: Unreal Engine
iRacing revealed in an interview with Mike Straw back in February that the game would be developed by Monster Games on Unreal Engine. Monster Games developed the NASCAR Heat games, and Unreal Engine was the same engine that NASCAR 21: Ignition was developed on.
While NASCAR 21: Ignition was a flop, Monster Games has developed solid NASCAR video games before including the beloved NASCAR Dirt to Daytona. With the power and flexibility that Unreal Engine has, Monster Games will have more to work with than in previous games.
Graphics
While no Next-Gen NASCAR game has been developed on Unreal Engine, we know that Unreal Engine has incredible graphical capabilities. The above video showcases just how pretty Unreal Engine games can look. Although, NASCAR games are not all about the looks.
For all of the flaws that NASCAR 21: Ignition had, everyone agreed that the game looked incredible, even though the game was released on past-gen hardware.
As of right now, we don’t have much information on the features of NASCAR 25. However, we do have some tidbits to discuss.
Paint Booth
iRacing is famous for its popular “Trading Paints”, which allows players seemingly unlimited customization of paint schemes. Unfortunately, iRacing President Tony Gardner told Mike Straw of Insider Gaming that it won’t be as “Free and open” as on iRacing.
Still, it seems a paint booth should be in the game. iRacing seems committed to building something, we just don’t know what.
Career Mode
iRacing buying the NASCAR license started to gain some steam after an announcement that iRacing was working on a career mode. Just over two months later, iRacing bought the license.
We don’t know much about the specific career mode, but, it means that iRacing has been focusing on it for some time and for good reason. Career Mode is the most important single-player mode in the game, and a good career mode is often a key part of a good game.
October 2023: iRacing Buys NASCAR License
On October 5, 2023, NASCAR and iRacing jointly announced that Motorsport Games had sold the NASCAR console license to Motorsport Games. The estimated release date given was 2025, but, no specification was given on when specifically in 2025 the game would release.
More information came out about the sale in April of 2024. Mike Straw of Insider Gaming reported that iRacing paid $5 million upfront, while adding two $500k payments in 2024, bringing the total to $6 million.
February 2024: Monster Games to Develop the Game on Unreal Engine
Tony Gardner sat down with Mike Straw in early February to discuss the next console video game, and the big news on the base of the game was unveiled. Monster Games would develop the game on the Unreal Engine.
Monster Games has worked with iRacing before on the World of Outlaws video game, and they also developed the old and new NASCAR Heat Series of games including NASCAR Dirt to Daytona. Motorsport Games used the Unreal Engine to develop NASCAR 21 Ignition, which was panned by fans and critics alike.
February 2024: Trading Paints?
Trading Paints is one of the most popular elements of iRacing online. The ability for fans to create their own paint schemes and share them with others is incredible, especially at the depth that iRacing allows.
Unfortunately, iRacing President Tony Gardner said in an interview with Mike Straw that Trading Paints won’t be exactly like iRacing. He did qualify that iRacing will do the best it can, but having Trading Paints just like the online simulator is impossible.
April 2024: Release Date and First Artists Rendering Unveiled
On April 3, 2024, iRacing made their first true tease of the next NASCAR video game. Under the assumed working title of NASCAR 25, iRacing revealed a fall 2025 release date alongside an artist’s rendering of a garage.
While not showing exactly what the game would look like graphically, it’s the first drop of information directly from iRacing itself. It also gave fans an idea of when the game would actually come out.
