Is iRacing good?

iRacing is it good
By Martin BiggEditor in Chief

iRacing is it good

When it comes to racing simulators iRacing is always one that springs to mind but is iRacing good?

This game has been around for over a decade now, which would suggest it is starting to feel its age.

Is it? Let's find out!

Is iRacing good?

iRacing is regarded as one of the most realistic racing simulators ever made.

This should come as no surprise considering the company was co-founded by Dave Kaemmer, a former Papyrus Design Group developer who worked on award-winning simulations like NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season, Grand Prix Legends, and Indianapolis 500: The Simulation.

Is iRacing good?
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iRacing’s driving physics are state of the art, with a realistic tyre model simulating wear and temperatures. The physics are so realistic that real-life racing drivers like Max Verstappen use iRacing to practice their skills in their spare time.

The downside to this is that iRacing isn’t very accessible for newcomers. You won’t, however, find a better online PC racing simulation than iRacing.

Mirroring real-life racing, online races are split into seasons with championship points. Players also need to earn licenses before progressing to higher racing series.

Is iRacing good?
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Every player has their own skill rating, matching you with players of the same skill level. There’s also a separate safety rating for each driver based on the number of incidents they’ve had, ensuring clean, fair, and competitive racing.

Officially licensed tracks are laser-scanned to replicate them as accurately as possible and there’s a huge variety of real motorsport disciplines from NASCAR to World of Outlaws.

All this makes iRacing one of the best PC racing simulations out there. There are, however, a few factors to consider if you’re new to iRacing.

Subscription

Unlike most racing games, you don’t buy iRacing. Instead, you pay for a subscription like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

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At the time of writing, a one-year subscription costs $110 (£91.39) and a two year subscription costs $199 (£165.33). Alternatively, you can also get a one-month subscription for $13 (£10.80) and a three-month subscription for $33 (£27.43). You can often get a good deal on iRacing subscriptions during events like Black Friday.

However, a subscription doesn’t give you access to every car and track. The base package gives you 17 cars, 23 laser-scanned tracks, and over 80 official series to compete in.

Is iRacing good?
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Additional cars and tracks can only be purchased separately for a flat fee. This means you can focus on your favourite racing disciplines, but the costs can soon mount up.

PC system requirements

iRacing is PC-only and this isn’t set to change. You’ll also need a powerful PC.

These are the minimum iRacing PC system requirements:

Operating System

  • Supported: Windows 10 64-Bit, Windows 11 64-Bit
  • Recommended: Windows 10 64-Bit

Processor (CPU)

  • Minimum: 4 Cores
  • Some Examples (but not limited to): AMD FX-6300, Intel Core i5-4430, Intel Core i5-2320, AMD Ryzen 3 1200
  • Recommended: 6 Cores
  • Some Examples (but not limited to): Intel Core i7-8700K @3.70 GHz, AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or better
  • High End: 8+ Cores
  • Some Examples (but not limited to): Intel Core 9-10980XE @ 3.0GHz, Intel i9-9900KS @ 4.00 GHz, AMD Ryzen 9 3900X or AMD Ryzen 3950X

Memory (RAM)

  • Minimum: 16GB
  • Recommended: 16GB
  • High End: 32+GB

Graphics (GPU)

  • A gaming graphics card with dedicated memory (vRAM) is required.
  • Minimum: 2GB Dedicated vRAM
  • Some Examples (but not limited to):Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 @ 2 GB / GTX 1050 or ATI Radeon HD 7850 @ 2GB / AMD RX 550 or better
  • Recommended: 6GB Dedicated vRAM
  • Some Examples (but not limited to):GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB or AMD RX 580 or better
  • High End: 8+GB Dedicated vRAM
  • Some Examples (but not limited to):Nvidia 2080 TI or AMD Radeon VII or better
  • Storage (Available HDD Space)
  • Minimum: 25GB
  • Recommended: 50GB (For all cars and tracks)

DirectX

  • Minimum: DX11

Controller

  • Minimum: Analog game pad, joystick, mouse, touch screen
  • Recommended: Steering wheel & pedal set

Internet Browser

  • Minimum: Google Chrome or Firefox
  • Javascript and cookies must be enabled.

Internet Connection Speed

  • Minimum: DSL, Cable, Fiber, 256k or faster is supported
  • Medium & High Earth Orbit Satellite is not supported.

Although iRacing supports a variety of controllers, you need a racing wheel for the best experience.

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