Summary
The criticism around its connection to iRacing is only partly fair. Despite the branding, this is not a true iRacing-style simulation, and it should not be judged by those standards. It is designed as an arcade racer, so expecting deep realism misses the point.
Overall, the experience is enjoyable in short bursts, especially for chasing lap times, but it lacks long-term appeal. At $25 USD, the current amount of content feels limited compared to other options. While it is fun and works well for quick sessions, particularly on handhelds, the lack of content and updates holds it back.
Developer – Orginal Fire Games, iRacing
Publisher – iRacing
Platforms – PC (Reviewed)
Review copy given by Publisher
iRacing has been one of the strongest subscription-based sim experiences you can get, but it’s not the most user-friendly. From the team at iRacing and Original Fire Games, iRacing introduces a new and more accessible beginner-friendly racing game deemed “iRacing Arcade,” which proposes a fun and fast racing experience for all ages. But is this truly an iRacing-standard game or a game with a fancy label?
iRacing Arcade is a third-person arcade racing game featuring real-life track locations and manufacturers, putting you behind the wheel of your choice of style of race car. Each car with a unique feel, I’ll be it not the most in-depth of racing experiences you can have, being very arcade-focused. The arcade physics have a charm to them, especially if you’re new to the genre, but it all blends together almost as if it’s like I’m playing any arcade racer I’ve played in the past several months. I’m not saying this is good or bad, as the physics are not a problem as they feel good and planted as you would expect; there just seems to be no major differences in the core physics aside from how much power the cars have.
iRacing Arcade has a small yet stacked list of tracks currently available, offering you a good list of fast and technical tracks, giving you the opportunity to race around the world at your fingertips. Listed below are the tracks available:
• Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
• Bahrain International Circuit
• Barber Motorsport Park
• Circuit Paul Ricard
• Imola
• Knockhill
• Kyalami
• Lime Rock Park
• Maple Ridge (fictional location)
• Miami International Autodrome
• MotorLand Aragón
• Sachsenring
• Sugar Hill (fictional location)
• Tsukuba
One of the main downsides I’ve felt in most of these arcade racers has always been the car lists, and sadly I can’t say much good about the options currently available at this time. From the time of the review, the only available cars are the following:
• FIA Formula 4
• Fiat 500
• Formula GP (Replica)
• Formula Junior (Ray FF1600)
• GTP (Replica of a Porsche 963 LMDh)
• LMP2 (Replica)
• Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
• Touring Car (FWD Touring Car)
Some of the cars have their unique charm; honestly, I think the first 500 is pretty fun to drive around because it’s slow and heavy.
iRacing Arcade offers the usual Racing Career mode option, allowing you to race your way up into the ranks, earning your way into higher-tier race cars. A feature I do like is the campus building, allowing you to expand your garage in various ways, and it’s some type of incentive to work towards more than just running laps. The campus building feature does feel a bit like a small gimmick feature that can absolutely do better with more features, but that room for improvement does give hope to a feature-filled mode that adds more depth to your experience. The use of weekly challenges does give you a reason to come back and compete as well as an online leaderboard, which, in my opinion, is one of the most important things to any racing game, because what’s a race with no competition? With the addition of online leaderboards, it is, of course, an online multiplayer mode with up to 11 racers, offering you a traditional online racing experience.
Visually, iRacing Arcade is vibrant and beautifully charming. I’m glad they didn’t lean into the hyperrealistic shaders or over-the-top visuals, allowing the game to be run on a plethora of specs, including the Steam Deck, which runs very well in my experience. The sounds don’t leave much to the imagination in my opinion; they do the job well enough to understand you’re in a certain spec car, but at the same time it’s not enough to get that wow factor you would expect in a game based around motorsports.
There is one glaring detail that I see a lot of criticism on that I feel is half correct, and that’s the fact it’s tied to iRacing. This game, in my honest opinion, is NOT in any way an iRacing game, and that factor alone should not make or break your opinion on something expecting an arcade-style racer to compete in a world of simulation and the pursuit of perfection. Even though it’s labeled as an iRacing affiliate game, take that with a grain of salt because this is FAR from iRacing. If you have experience with any iRacing IPs and expect the same in-depth physics, this is not aimed at you, and that’s completely fine. Arcade racers are not meant for everyone, but you should absolutely not shut them down only because of branding and expectations.
My final thoughts are a bit mixed here, as I did enjoy my time running some laps and going for a faster lap time as I got used to the layouts more; I just didn’t feel myself craving that want to play it as the days went on. Currently iRacing Arcade is priced at $25 USD, which I feel is a lot for the amount of currently available content, especially when there’s way more for less available in other avenues. Of course all of that is subjective and my opinion, as someone may think there’s equal value available, whether it’s through content or playability. This is not me bashing specifically on iRacing Arcade; most arcade races’ lifespans tend to dwindle down fairly quickly with a lack of updates and content from the development team. Overall it’s a fun experience that can be played in small sessions, especially on a Steam Deck, which was my preferred playing method; however, I have to be critical of the lack of core content.
