NASCAR has officially announced the release of ‘NASCAR 25’ – a brand-new video game.
The stock car racing series took to social media on Wednesday to confirm the news. ‘NASCAR 25’ is due to be released in the fall of this year, when the Cup Series season will be in playoff mode.
iRacing, a developer which specializes in recreating real-world tracks and using sim-racing rigs, will produce the game. “iRacing is pleased to confirm that NASCAR 25, the first standalone NASCAR console title produced by iRacing, will feature four series upon its release later this year,” read a press release.
“For the first time in NASCAR video game history, the ARCA Menards Series joins NASCAR’s three national tours as part of a robust journey through the career path of the sport’s top drivers.”
Four NASCAR series will be part of the game: the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Cratsman Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series. ‘NASCAR 25’ will feature a career mode, where players will “start in your backyard garage” in the ARCA Menards Series and “hone your skills to advance up the ranks.”
Players will get the opportunity to negotiate contracts, hire staff and expand their facilities while making their way up to the Cup Series and championship glory. Online multiplayer will be available, but it’s unclear which teams and drivers – including legendary champions – will be involved in the game at this time.
iRacing is also yet to confirm which consoles the game will be available on. Nevertheless, fans are already excited to play ‘NASCAR 25’ – if social media is anything to go by.
“This is exciting,” wrote on fan on X, while another added: “We are so back.” A third fan begged: “Please. For the love of all that’s holy in NASCAR, please be good.”
It will be the first NASCAR video game to be released since ‘NASCAR Manager’ – a game designed for cell phones that was released on Android and iOS. NASCAR’s most recent major video game for consoles was ‘NASCAR 21: Ignition’ – which was released in October 2021 on Playstation 5, Xbox One, and other consoles.
The latter game was panned by fans, earning a 1.6 out of 5 review on Google. The Gamer gave ‘NASCAR 21: Ignition’ 2.5 out of 5, describing it as having “artificial intelligence (that) isn’t very intelligent,” “repetitive,” and “a little too basic for a sports game.”
Gaming Bolt was also not too impressed by the October 2021 release, giving it a 6 out of 10 due to its “mediocre presentation and customization; game-breaking glitches.” Yet iRacing did not develop ‘NASCAR 21: Ignition’ and will be confident of releasing a successful game.
