What NASCAR 25 Tells Us About the IndyCar Game
Want to know what INDYCAR Racing The Game is going to feel like? There’s a pretty good way to find out.
NASCAR 25 launched in November 2025. It was built by iRacing Studios, the exact same developer making the IndyCar game. It runs on a similar console pipeline. It has a full multilevel career mode, 150+ licensed drivers, and online multiplayer. Sound familiar?
If you want a preview of what IndyCar fans are getting in early 2027, NASCAR 25 is the closest thing available right now.
What NASCAR 25 Is
NASCAR 25 is the first NASCAR console game built by iRacing Studios, available on PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox. It covers the full NASCAR ladder: Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series. Over 150 officially licensed drivers, dozens of real tracks.
The career mode is the headline feature. You start at the bottom and work your way up, managing sponsor objectives, buying and developing car parts, hiring crew members, and building your on-track reputation. Real NASCAR media personalities, including Jeff Gluck and Kelly Crandall, show up in an in-game social media feed commenting on your career. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, narrates the major turning points in your journey.
It’s genuinely ambitious for a licensed racing game. And the execution got positive marks from the audience it was built for.
What the Reviews Said
Opinions split along a clear line: sim racing fans loved it, some mainstream gaming critics didn’t.
From the NASCAR community, the reception was strong. Bleacher Report described it as “a simulation racer that is simply fun to pick up and play, with high skill ceilings, should players choose to chase after them.” One Reddit user with eight years on iRacing called it “the closest NASCAR has been to iRacing on console” and said the AI “don’t feel lifeless.”
Gamreactor gave it a more critical review, citing unresponsive driving and a mediocre layout. But the sim racing community pushed back hard on that take. The consensus among people who actually follow NASCAR: this is the real thing, finally.
NASCAR 26 followed in September 2026, showing that iRacing Studios is committed to an annual improvement cycle for their licensed titles.
What It Tells Us About the IndyCar Game
A few things stand out as direct previews of what to expect.
Career mode depth is real. NASCAR 25 proved iRacing Studios can build a proper career mode with progression, sponsorship management, and media integration. The IndyCar game has already confirmed a multilevel career starting in INDY NXT. Based on NASCAR 25, that career mode won’t be shallow.
The AI is a strength. One of the most consistent compliments for NASCAR 25 was the AI racing. Opponents feel like they’re actually competing, not just driving in formation. For an oval-heavy series like IndyCar, where pack racing and strategic passing are everything, good AI is non-negotiable. Early signs are encouraging.
The driving model is sim-leaning. iRacing Studios isn’t trying to make a casual party game. NASCAR 25 rewards learning the cars, understanding the tracks, and developing real technique. INDYCAR Racing The Game will almost certainly sit in the same sim-arcade zone: accessible enough for new players, deep enough to keep sim fans happy.
The licensed content is taken seriously. 150+ drivers across four series in NASCAR 25. For IndyCar, the confirmed roster includes the full NTT INDYCAR SERIES grid plus INDY NXT. They’re not cutting corners on licenses.
The Gap: Open-Wheel Is Different
Here’s the honest caveat. NASCAR and IndyCar are very different racing disciplines, and the physics demands are different.
Stock cars on ovals rely on drafting, bump drafting, and managing tire wear across long runs. IndyCar adds the complexity of open-wheel aerodynamics, the hybrid energy system, and a circuit variety that includes tight street circuits and pure road courses alongside ovals. The Indy 500 alone, with its 33-car field, two-by-two rolling start, and pit strategy over 200 laps, is one of the most tactically complex races in motorsport.
Building that accurately is a different challenge than NASCAR. But iRacing’s main sim has had IndyCar content for years, including the hybrid system and laser-scanned tracks. The knowledge base is there.
NASCAR 25 proved iRacing Studios can deliver the console experience at a high level. The IndyCar game gets to inherit that foundation and apply it to the sport many of us have been waiting decades to see done right.
