The engines have fired up and the green flag has dropped, with NASCAR 26 delivering another season of stock car racing to Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5.
The latest officially licensed NASCAR game is available through its £66.99 Gold Edition ahead of the Standard Edition’s £49.99 launch on September 18, giving eager drivers the chance to get onto the track three days early.
This year’s game is putting a particular emphasis on authenticity, with laser-scanned iRacing assets, enhanced driving physics and dynamic tracks all part of the package. There are also plenty of ways to race, whether you’re building a career, chasing a championship or simply fancy settling an argument with your mates.
At A Glance
- Game: NASCAR 26
- Formats: Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5
- Price: £49.99 Standard / £66.99 Gold
- Publisher: iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC
- Developer: iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC
- Genre: Racing
Four Series And Plenty Of Ways To Race
NASCAR 26 brings all four NASCAR National Series together, giving players a broad selection of racing to get stuck into.
Career provides the longer-term journey, while Quick Race is there for those times when you just want to get behind the wheel without making a commitment. Championship mode offers another way to work through the season, and the game introduces an all-new mode based around The Chase.
That should give NASCAR fans plenty of options depending on how seriously they want to approach their racing. Sometimes it’s about building something over time, while other occasions simply call for finding a track and seeing how quickly you can get around it.
Training For Peak Performance
There is also a new Peak Performance Training mode, designed to help drivers get more from the cars and their own skills.
That sits alongside enhanced driving physics across every chassis, with dynamic tracks adding another element to the racing experience. The use of laser-scanned iRacing assets is intended to push the authenticity further still, giving NASCAR 26 a strong focus on recreating the feel of race day.
Multiplayer is another major part of NASCAR 26, and this time cross-play is included. That means drivers across the supported platforms can compete against friends regardless of which of those platforms they’re using. For a racing game built around proving who can get to the chequered flag first, being able to bring a larger group of players together should make for some interesting battles.
Of course, there is always the small matter of surviving the opening laps without somebody turning the first corner into an impromptu demolition derby.
Gold Edition Gets You On Track Early
The £66.99 NASCAR 26 Gold Edition is available now and includes three days of early access, alongside 5,000 Career Bonus Dollars, 500 Career Rep Points and an exclusive Kyle Larson paint scheme.
Those who don’t need the early start can wait for the £49.99 Standard Edition, which arrives on September 18th.
With the combination of four NASCAR National Series, multiple racing modes, revamped physics, laser-scanned assets and cross-play multiplayer, NASCAR 26 is aiming to provide a sizeable package for stock car racing fans, upping things from the likes of NASCAR 25.
Whether you’re chasing a championship, working your way through Career or simply looking to settle the score with friends, the next race is ready to begin.
