iRacing Arcade – A New Perspective To Arcade Racing
Over some four decades of gaming, I’ve played more arcade racers than you could ever imagine. In fact, racing is the genre which is my one true love, having grown up on the likes of Super Cars, Sprint, Micro Machines, Stunt Car Racer and all manner of F1 and rally games.
That love was a major reason why I got on so well with Circuit Superstars back in 2021, as Original Fire Games delivered one of the best modern-day top-down racers to market.
And now that Original Fire Games team are back with iRacing Arcade. Think Circuit Superstars, ditch the top-down viewpoint, flip things into third person and you’ll be about there. Whilst it’s not quite as addictive as the game which came before it, this spiritual successor is well worth getting behind the wheel of. At least if you’re a solo player. I’m far less convinced by the multiplayer.
A Career Worth Getting Behind The Wheel For
In iRacing Arcade, you’re left with a few options from the main menu. There’s Career, which is about as deep as a career can be, and Free Play, which is pretty standard fare for a racer of this kind. It’s perfect for when time is at a premium and you just want to get out on track.
Then there’s the online multiplayer and I’m going to touch on that first, as it’s the one major disappointment with iRacing Arcade. See, there is no drop-in, drop-out racing available here, and instead Original Fire Games have opted to run a lobby-based, code-locked invite system.
That’s fine and all if you have multiple friends looking to fill a grid, but if you’re just looking for some quick online racing opportunities against strangers, it’s all a bit of a faff. We can only assume that budget restraints have played a part here, but basically, don’t come to iRacing Arcade for online multiplayer fun. You won’t find it. Not really.
It’s great, then, thankful even, that the solo career is just so damn packed with content.
Off-Track Management
Playing out across various seasons, you’re left to work your way through a calendar of racing events, taking on a wide variety of disciplines as you look to prove yourself as a top-dog racer. And whilst the racing is where you show your skills, the off-track stuff is equally important if you want to hang with the fastest racers in the world.
After each set of events, and stretch of racing, you’re given the opportunity to invest in your team, building up facilities that provide various boosts and advantages for the track. You might want to buy some new cars, filling out your fleet, or perhaps you will look to increase your engine power substantially for a lap, for instance, or improve tyre grip when you need it most. There are plenty of options to play around with, and we particularly like adding boosts to the endurance races, where the right advantage can make a real difference, especially over a longer format race.
There’s also the opportunity to recruit AI drivers, picking from a range of candidates who come with different skill levels and costs. If you’d rather build a team capable of competing in the bigger licensed series than doing all the driving yourself, that’s another avenue to explore.
It’s a neat little management layer, and one that gives the career something more than just simply moving from one race to the next. You’re constantly working towards something, whether that’s improving your team, unlocking more boosts, or getting yourself ready for the next race at hand.
A Whole World Of Racing To Master
Of course, all that career progression would count for little if the racing wasn’t up to scratch.
Thankfully, iRacing Arcade delivers a cracking little arcade racing experience with a physics model that’s accessible enough to get into, but still demands a bit of work if you want to master it. As the game name suggests, it’s very much on the arcade side of the racing coin, about as far from any sim as you will get, but that ensures things fly along at a decent pace, cars nice and twitchy as you hit a corner, laps counting by as you draft the straights.
To go with all that, it’s obvious then that the cars play a big part. There’s a huge variety to get behind the wheel of, from the humble Fiat 500 and Caterhams, through to DTM, Touring Cars, Porsche GT3, LMP2 and GTP machinery. Those looking for open-wheel racing are catered for too, with Formula Retro, Formula Fangio, Formula Junior, Formula 4 and Formula GP, alongside the rather different Euro Trucks that take up a whole swathe of tarmac.
Each vehicle handles and performs differently to the next, meaning you really need to get a grip on each class if you’re going to find success. What works in terms of driving style for one car type won’t necessarily work elsewhere, and learning how to get the most from each machine is a big part of the appeal of iRacing Arcade.
The tracks are another highlight. They’re based on real-world circuits, miniaturised to fit the game’s colourful, cartoon-like presentation. Knockhill, Paul Ricard, Bahrain International Circuit, Maple Ridge, Imola and Monza are among just some of the locations you’ll be racing around, giving you a decent mix of layouts to learn.
Playfully Enjoyable
And whilst the visuals are suitably playful, the racing itself has enough bite to keep you on your toes. The physics are just arcadey enough to make the game approachable, but one wrong move can still spell the end of a race, particularly in the shorter events. There’s little room for error when you’re trying to squeeze every last millisecond out of a lap.
We found the endurance races to be most enjoyable, bringing a different kind of challenge to iRacing Arcade. Tyre wear, fuel levels, car health and pitstops all come into play, meaning you need to think about more than simply flooring the accelerator and hoping for the best. You’ll need to consider whether pitting early and giving yourself fresh rubber would be for the best. Or whether it is better to try to hang on with worn tyres and dwindling fuel. Those decisions add a layer of strategy, and they’re a big part of why the longer races stand out. And yes, we’ve spent final laps teasing the accelerator as fuel levels have fallen, crossing the line with little left in the tank, a field of AI cars fast flying up from behind. It’s pretty adrenaline-fuelled stuff as best intentions, or slightly crazy strategies, leave a mark.
The thrills of the solo career just makes us even more disappointed by the inadequacies of the multiplayer. That lobby code system feels like a fairly hefty missed opportunity, especially for a game built around what should be accessible racing. Yes, there are online time trials to get involved in, and these are fine if you want to know how you stack up against others on the leaderboards. But they’re hardly a substitute for the thrill of going wheel-to-wheel with other players.
A Cracking Little Arcade Racer
iRacing Arcade isn’t quite as addictive as Circuit Superstars was, but it’s not far off. Original Fire Games have taken the foundations of that racer and built something that feels familiar, yet different; a new perspective on the motorsport arcade scene.
The cartoony visuals work well, the cars are varied and enjoyable to drive, and the career has plenty of content to get stuck into. And from there, the team management and upgrades add an extra layer of strategy.
The multiplayer offering is extremely disappointing though, and those looking for quick online racing against strangers are likely to come away frustrated. But if you’re happy to focus on the solo career, there’s enough racing here to keep you going for many an hour.
You’re not going to be absolutely blown away by it, but iRacing Arcade is a lovely little arcade racer, and one that anyone who has a hint of racing love should get behind.
Important Links
Start Your Engines – iRacing Arcade Hits Xbox and PlayStation Grids – https://www.thexboxhub.com/start-your-engines-iracing-arcade-hits-xbox-and-playstation-grids/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/iracing-arcade/9n1640580jgp
