NASCAR 25 - The Hot New iRacing Game Driving Gamers Mad
October 14, 2025
iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
When NASCAR 25, developed by iRacing, launched, I expected a revolutionary console racer, a game that finally brought PC-level realism to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Instead, the early weeks were filled with complaints about weak force feedback, online crashes, and stiff AI. Even with patches improving stability, the sting of those launch frustrations still hangs in the air.
The iRacing DNA, But Not Quite the iRacing Experience
When I checked out the game I as wondering if NASCAR was going to be like iRacing, what I found was a yes and a no.
Let me explain, the game carries iRacing’s simulation roots, realistic tire wear, track accuracy, and physics that punish sloppy driving. But for a usual PC racer like me, the console version felt like a lighter, less responsive cousin. I found steering responses so faint they wondered if the force feedback system was even active.
To iRacing’s credit, the team acknowledged the issue quickly. Update 1, released on October 14, significantly improved wheel resistance and steering weight. It was the first sign the devs were listening, but players didn’t forget how broken it felt at launch.
Next-Gen Only but with Next-Gen Problems
NASCAR 25 is on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, there are no last-gen versions. The promise was higher fidelity and smoother performance, yet even on newer hardware, I saw frame dips, ghosting cars, and visual pop-ins.
A later patch on October 31 fixed several online crash triggers, especially those tied to paint kits and final-lap cautions. The result? Multiplayer is more stable now, but the memory of those early disconnects still frustrates the community.
Force Feedback, Better, But Still Dividing Players
From my own time with NASCAR 25, the force feedback situation has been a rollercoaster. After the first week, it was practically unusable, the wheel felt hollow, muted, like the tires weren’t actually touching the track. The patches definitely helped, the steering finally has some weight to it now. But even with those improvements, I still notice inconsistencies, especially on Logitech wheels.
The developers have been upfront about this, saying they’re still tuning wheel profiles and gathering feedback, and the new PC version (released November 11, 2025) hasn’t even caught up to the console fixes yet.
So yes, it’s better, but perfect? Not even close. If you’re a sim racer like me, you will feel every flaw.
NASCAR 25 AI That Plays by Its Own Rules
I’ve put a stupid amount of hours into Career Mode, and the AI continues to be one of the biggest immersion breakers. They’re still too fast, too locked-in, too flawless. It feels like they know every draft pocket before you do, hitting every corner with godlike precision.
I can run a clean race and still get smoked like I’m just out for a Sunday drive. That robotic consistency? Yeah, it’s still alive and kicking.
Pit Stops and Penalties A Flow Breaker
Early on, pit stops were so slow they felt like the game was punishing me for pitting at all. The good news is that they have smoothed most of that out.
The bad news? Penalties are still absolutely brutal.
If I touch a corner wrong or misjudge track limits by an inch, the game doesn’t give me a slowdown, it gives me a stop-the-car-and-cry penalty. It’s harsh. Sometimes funny in hindsight… but when it happens mid-race? Oh, it’s pure meltdown fuel.
Multiplayer Is No Longer Broken, But Still Thin
I remember the first week when online races crashed almost every time I queued up, it was borderline unplayable.
Matchmaking is rough, mixed skill lobbies make for chaotic races, and ghosting, where cars phase through each other, splits the community right down the middle. I don’t mind it when things get messy, but I feel it ruins the intensity. Personally, I think the mode needs more identity before it can really shine.
So Is There a Physical Copy?
Yes, there is a physical edition. I bought one myself.
But don’t expect it to magically avoid the early issues. The disc installs the same buggy version the digital players started with, and you still have to patch it immediately.
If you love games that walk the line between brilliance and disaster, check out my meltdown deep-dive on WRC 10: Racing Through Chaos and Control a game that struggles with identity as much as NASCAR 25 struggles with physics.
For ongoing patch notes, community updates, and future fixes, visit the official NASCAR 25 website news channels.
So, how melty is it?
Early Hype Launch: 7/10
The iRacing brand had me expecting greatness from day one.
Mid-Race Reality Check: 8/10
The wheel issues and AI instantly dropped my excitement.
Late-Session Meltdown: 9/10
Penalties, ghosting, and handling quirks pushed patience to the limit.
Patch-Era Frustration: 9.5/10
The game improved, absolutely, but not enough to quiet the debates.
Final Lap Fury – Peak Irritation: 10/10
Even with fixes, it still isn’t the iRacing-for-consoles dream many of us wanted.
Total Melt Score: 8.6/10
Better. Improved. More stable. But the scars? Still visible.
As of today, I’ll give credit where it’s due, NASCAR 25 is finally stable. The force feedback isn’t a joke anymore, and online races don’t crash every other attempt.
But stability doesn’t erase the launch experience.
For many of us, the damage was already done, that dream of a true iRacing console experience hasn’t fully materialized. The foundation is solid, but the execution is still uneven, especially on PC, where patch support is lagging behind consoles.
The devs are extremely active on Discord, which gives me hope. They’re listening, they’re transparent, and they seem genuinely committed to fixing things. But the road ahead is still long, and those early frustrations still echo every time I boot up the game.
