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NASCAR gamers are impatiently anticipating the release of NASCAR 25, the next NASCAR console video game, but it is still roughly a year away. So, to pass the time, NASCAR fans must find other NASCAR and/or racing-related video games. These are the games fans can play to get their NASCAR fix.
Most recently, NASCAR released NASCAR Tycoon on Roblox, a game mode that allows fans to build their own NASCAR team and race on NASCAR tracks in a Next-Gen car. While playing the game, fans earn money, called NASCASH, which allows fans to buy various things in the game for the shop and cars themselves. This gives fans an interesting multiplayer career mode alternative to get their NASCAR fix before NASCAR 25 comes out.
The most recent NASCAR console video game is still largely functional. NASCAR Heat 5 is four years old, and the online servers were recently discontinued, meaning fans cannot race online multiplayer with the official servers. However, this is one of the most easily accessible NASCAR console video game out there today, given it was released on PS4 and Xbox One.
If fans want to travel back a console generation, arguably the best NASCAR video game from the PS3/Xbox 360 era was NASCAR The Game: Inside Line. This game excels in its’ driving model, even if the AI and lack of depth bring it a few notches below the classics. This is perfect for fans who want to race long, endurance races where they’re forced to manage the car.
Going back one generation further, arguably the greatest NASCAR console video game of all time, NASCAR Thunder 2004 excels in one area: depth. From an incredibly deep career mode to customization, fans can be enthralled in everything involved in the single-player mode for hours on end. This can be said of many classic NASCAR games like NASCAR Dirt to Daytona or the rest of the NASCAR Thunder series, so you could lump them into this spot as well.
For Xbox gamers out there, Forza Motorsport can help give fans their race car fix. There is a NASCAR DLC in there with cars that sort of look like stock cars, but it’s no NASCAR simulation. This is about fans who want to play a racing game on the newest console generation.
iRacing is less of a game and more of a motorsports simulator. This is for hardcore racers who want a very competitive, realistic racing experience. Fans may need to work to find the group they want to race with, but once they find it, there’s a decent amount of fun to be had in iRacing.
NR2003 is the NASCAR game that will never die. Papyrus’ 2003 racing simulator still has avid fans, and the game’s deep modding community means fans can customize the game to whatever experience they want. Fans can race the original 2003 cars and tracks or download mods for updated cars, tracks, driver rosters, and everything in between.
NASCAR 21: Ignition is a very flawed game, but it’s also the most easily accessible, given it’s the newest NASCAR game. If fans can find the right group of people and the right settings for their specific playstyle, they can find a way to squeeze some fun out of it. Still, this game has a lot of issues.
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