Image credit: iRacing / Original Fire Games
Digging into an intricately complex racing simulator can be a lot of fun, but sometimes the best racing experiences can be found in the arcade racing niche. One of the best examples of this is iRacing Arcade.
Despite not being a huge racing game geek, I found this arcade racer compelling, with a single-player mode that offered a hell of a lot of fun. Below, you’ll find Kyusai’s full iRacing Arcade review, looking at its performance on PC and Steam Deck.
Approachable racing with a charming aesthetic
iRacing Arcade is a bite-sized arcade racer, developed by Original Fire Games and iRacing, and published by iRacing. It’s a colorful, easygoing motorsport arcade game that’ll go down well with fans of casual racers.
In iRacing Arcade, you’ll spend the bulk of your time in the Career mode, racing your way through various tracks and competing against other drivers.
These courses vary in style and format – some are essentially long loops, forcing drivers to prioritize speed and positioning, while others feature many sharp turns, requiring forward planning and strong handling.
The cups and courses vary depending on your car, too. Different cars have different strengths, and each requires a slightly different play style. My personal favorite was the Formula Junior; it was a little fiddly to get the hang of at first, but after some practice, it became lightning-fast and fun to drive.
Alongside the racing gameplay in iRacing Arcade, there’s a garage management aspect to the game, letting you craft buildings to unlock in-race upgrades.
You can also place trophies from your races and unlock further decorations by leveling up your team. Team level increases by taking part in more races and completing goals; in iRacing Arcade, goals can range from achieving certain positions to overtaking other players a certain number of times.
A solid game with multiple ways to play
There’s a freeplay mode available in iRacing Arcade for players who want to just hop into a race without worrying about the finer details, along with a multiplayer mode. This review focused on the single-player content, but you can also join or host lobbies and check out time attacks.
Something that I enjoyed about iRacing Arcade is that it was easy to get into. It’s not a technical racing game, and the controls are intuitive. On PC, you steer and accelerate with WASD, and the mini-map is always visible to help you plan ahead.
It’s also easy to get into in the sense that you can pick it up for a short play session, then pop it back down again. It’s the perfect arcade racer for a gamer who doesn’t want to commit to hours of play at a time; there’s a sense of progression with the campaign and team leveling system, but it’s not overwhelming.
Performance-wise, iRacing Arcade ran well and looked solid. I did notice a few frame drops and visual quirks during the starting cutscenes before a race, but otherwise there were no notable issues.
I completed the bulk of this review on PC, but I also briefly tested it on my Steam Deck and found it ran well on the handheld.
The visuals were a strong point for iRacing Arcade. I’ve referred to the cars in the game as toy cars in the heading of this article, and I mean it in a literal sense – there’s a charming, miniature aesthetic that makes it feel as if you’re racing plastic toy cars. It felt strangely nostalgic.
Overall, this isn’t the game for folks who want a deeply technical racing simulator. For fans of arcade racers and casual racing games, though, it’s well worth picking up. There’s a decent amount of content on offer, with plenty of cars and tracks, and the experience is generally smooth across PC and Steam Deck.
FAQs
iRacing Arcade was developed by Original Fire Games and iRacing, and it was published by iRacing.
No, iRacing Arcade isn’t just for solo play – there’s a comprehensive multiplayer mode. There are plenty of ways to play as a single-player fan, though.
iRacing Arcade is best described as easy to pick up and hard to perfect. The controls are intuitive, but more challenging game modes are available.
Folks hoping for a casual and cozy experience should check out games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Cozy Grove, and Luma Island.
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