Millions of new sim racers have entered the scene in the last year, and plenty of them are asking just what is iracing?
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We're here to answer that question and give you the low down on iRacing.
What is iRacing?
Put simply, iRacing is a racing game! But you knew that.
More complicatedly, iRacing is a racing simulator. That means it's a game designed to be as close to the real world as possible. If you are trying to go from an arcade game like Need For Speed straight into iRacing, you will have quite a big shock.
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+ 2Even coming over from Gran Turismo or the F1 games you'll find life tricky. It also means you absolutely need a wheel to play it.
That's not to say iRacing is hard, it's just different to what you're used to.
iRacing PC specs
You will need a PC to play iRacing as it is not a console title.
However, you don't need an ultra-high end PC to be able to go racing.
| System Requirements | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 8.1, 64-Bit, Windows 10 64-Bit | Windows 8.1, 64-Bit, Windows 10 64-Bit |
| Processor | 4 core CPU or better | 8 core or more CPU |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 32 GB RAM |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 or Radeon AMD RX 550 or better | Nvidia 2080Ti or AMD Radeon VII |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Network | Broadband internet connection | Broadband internet connection |
| Storage | 16 GB | 32 GB |
iRacing subscription
iRacing is unlike most games in that you don't buy it but instead subscripe to it, much like Netflix or Spotify. But how much is iRacing?
Because of that it can get pretty expensive to play. Plans start at £8.99 a month, with some introductory offers available on Steam like £74.99 for 12 months.
click to enlarge + 2However, even this doesn't get you everything. With some tracks and cars locked behind further paywalls. For as good as iRacing is, the costs can rack up very quickly. However it has a dedicated and friendly community with plenty of fixed setup categories that mean you don't have to spend hours tuning each car for each track.
For more articles like this, take a look at our iRacing page.