It's a momentous day for NASCAR fans, one we've been waiting on for what feels like eternity. NASCAR 25 for PC, Xbox and PS5 finally has a release date.
There's not much else that's come along with it, since the trailer is only 12 seconds long. But the important thing is that NASCAR 25 is scheduled to release on October 14, 2025 on Xbox and PS5, with PC via Steam to follow "soon after."
So it's not exactly right around the corner, with just under three months left to wait. But at least it sneaks in, albeit only just, before the end of the season, which this year is on November 2.
The only other thing we do see in the shortest trailer known to man is a brief glimpse at two things. The first being the Hendrick Motorsports Number 24 car of William Byron in its red Axalta livery.
The second is the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway. It may only last a few seconds, but both are looking good. We still haven't seen any real gameplay, beyond a single image of one of the current NASCAR drivers playtesting it recently.
The gameplay trailer is expected sometime from late August. A Gamescom drop would be nice, but could also be a little early. We should hopefully get some screenshots before that, at least.
There hasn't been a NASCAR game since the fairly disastrous NASCAR 21: Ignition. This was made by a different developer, before iRacing snagged the license.
Besides this, the biggest reason fans are more hyped than usual is simply who's making it. iRacing is about the closest us mere mortals can come to racing without a huge budget and some fireproof overalls.
While NASCAR 25 isn't going to be iRacing on console, large parts of the PC sim are being utilized. Not least the circuits, cars, and assets, all of which are being brought to NASCAR 25 from iRacing.
These are laser scanned for accuracy, and in conjunction with physics tuned by the same team that does the job on iRacing, all signs point to an unbeatable experience.
What needs to be remembered is that NASCAR 25 will predominantly be enjoyed by players using a controller. Wheel and pedal will have full support, but especially on console, controller will be king. The feel of the game needs to be adjusted accordingly.
While waiting until October is going to be hard, it's more important that iRacing gets this right. NASCAR's last few outings on console have been fun at times, but fans have been waiting a long time for something truly special.
The franchise is in the right hands, now let's wait a little while longer to see what those hands do with it.
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