We’ve been keeping a very keen eye on NASCAR 25. Sure, as UK folk, America’s premier oval series isn’t normally something we’d track closely, but the upcoming new game has some serious clout behind it.
Developed by Monster Games, a developer backed by iRacing (the studio, not the sim itself), it’s been confirmed that console players will be able to get their hands on NASCAR 25 on 14 October. No word yet on a PC release, though.
Given how ingrained NASCAR has been in iRacing, with the sim itself having roots in NASCAR Racing 2003, it’s looking to be one of the most tantalising video game representations of the series to date.
While it will take a more casual approach than iRacing itself, unsurprisingly, it’s expected to be a pretty faithful and realistic simulation of the oval series. Laser-scanned tracks taken from the main sim will feature, as will detailed car models.
It’ll use Unreal Engine for its graphics, though, rather than iRacing’s in-house one. Monster Games will also use its own physics engine, presumably a development of the one used in its World of Outlaws dirt racing game.
Although Monster has thrown the usual closed-door development cycle out of the window with a series of in-depth diary-style videos giving us a look into how the game is progressing, we’re yet to see any actual gameplay.
As reported by Traxion.gg in June, though, that’ll be coming “…late August, somewhere in that window” according to producer Matt Lewis.
NASCAR 25 will be the latest in a flurry of games coming from the newly-named iRacing Studios. Next up will be an as-of-yet unnamed arcade racing title from Original Fire Games, the developer behind top-down racer Circuit Superstars. We’re expecting this to be a title in a similar format to the original Race Driver GRID or Need for Speed Shift.
