What to Play
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Added by Claude on 2026-10-09. Not in the original site plan. Keep, edit or delete.
Start here
| You are |
Platform |
Start with |
Year-one cost |
| F1 fan |
PS5 / Xbox / PC |
F1 25 + 2026 Season Pack |
~$75 to $150 |
| Casual |
PS5 |
Gran Turismo 7 |
$30 to $70 |
| Casual |
Xbox |
Forza Horizon 6, Forza Motorsport on Game Pass |
Game Pass or $70 |
| Casual |
PC |
Assetto Corsa + BeamNG.drive |
$45 to $90 |
| Competitive, low budget |
PC |
RaceRoom (free) or ACC with Low Fuel Motorsport |
$0 to $80 |
| Competitive, committed |
PC |
iRacing 3-month intro |
$90 to $270 |
| Competitive |
PS5 |
GT7 Sport mode |
$30 to $70 + PS Plus |
- Learn car control somewhere cheap before paying for iRacing. Skills transfer
- There is no F1 26. F1 25 plus the 2026 Season Pack is the current F1 game. Next full game: 2027
Arcade, simcade, sim
|
Arcade |
Simcade |
Sim |
| Examples |
Forza Horizon 6 |
Gran Turismo 7, Forza Motorsport, F1 25 |
iRacing, ACC, Le Mans Ultimate, Assetto Corsa |
| Goal |
Fun, forgiving |
Plausible, softened |
Real tire and car behavior |
| Best with |
Controller |
Controller or wheel |
Wheel and pedals |
| Punishes mistakes |
Rarely |
Sometimes |
Yes |
- Most people start in the middle column. Fine
The main games
| Game |
Platform |
Price |
Good for |
| Gran Turismo 7 |
PS5 |
$70 list, often $30 to $40 |
Best console all-rounder, license tests teach basics |
| F1 25 |
PC, PS5, Xbox |
$50 + $25 season pack |
F1 cars and career, assists to peel off |
| Assetto Corsa |
PC |
$20, less on sale |
Mods, free roam, drift. Cheapest serious start |
| Assetto Corsa Competizione |
PC, PS5, Xbox |
$40 |
GT3 racing |
| Le Mans Ultimate |
PC |
$40 |
Endurance, built-in ranked races |
| iRacing |
PC |
$14.75/mo or $124.50/yr, 30% off first year |
Scheduled ranked racing, best online structure |
| RaceRoom |
PC |
Free to start |
Free ranked servers |
| Automobilista 2 |
PC |
Paid |
Variety, good in VR |
| Assetto Corsa EVO |
PC |
Early Access |
Promising, unfinished. Buy the original first |
| Forza Motorsport |
Xbox, PC |
Paid or Game Pass |
Easy start. No longer updated |
| Assetto Corsa Rally |
PC |
$30, Early Access |
Current rally sim |
| EA Sports WRC / DiRT Rally 2.0 |
PC, consoles |
Cheap on sale |
Easy rally start. No longer updated |
| Richard Burns Rally (RSF) |
PC |
Free |
Hardcore rally |
| BeamNG.drive |
PC |
Paid |
Crashes, free roam, soft-body physics |
| Euro / American Truck Simulator |
PC |
Cheap |
Relaxed cruising |
What iRacing really costs
- Year one, included cars and tracks only: ~$90
- Year one, with a normal amount of extra content: ~$160 to $270
- After: $125+ a year
- Try the 3-month intro (~$26) first
- Buy no extra content in month one. Rookie series need none
Free ranked racing
- Low Fuel Motorsport: free license and rating system for ACC, Assetto Corsa, Automobilista 2, RaceRoom, Le Mans Ultimate
- Le Mans Ultimate: free tier of its own ranked system
- GT7 Sport mode: needs PS Plus
Gear by discipline
| Discipline |
Games |
Extra gear beyond wheel + 2 pedals |
| Circuit / GT |
ACC, Le Mans Ultimate, iRacing, GT7 |
Load cell brake |
| Open wheel / F1 |
F1 25, iRacing |
Formula wheel (optional), strong brake |
| Rally |
AC Rally, EA WRC, RBR |
Handbrake, round wheel |
| Drift |
Assetto Corsa mods |
Handbrake, shifter, clutch, round wheel |
| Oval |
iRacing |
Nothing |
| Trucks |
ETS2, ATS |
H-shifter (optional) |
| Cruising |
Assetto Corsa mods, BeamNG |
H-shifter + clutch add the most fun |
Online basics
- Two ratings everywhere: one for speed, one for clean driving
- Clean laps raise the safety rating. Crashes lower it
- Ready for a first ranked race: 10 clean laps in a row, often 5 to 10 hours in
- Survive lap 1
- The overtaking car is responsible for a safe pass
- Spun: hold the brake, wait for traffic, rejoin off the racing line
- No retaliation. Report after the race
- Leagues: same people every week, cleanest racing for beginners
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