Live for Speed: how to buy plus complete car and track list  

Live for Speed is a highly rated racing sim dating back to 2002. Featuring a blend of licensed and fictional content, the sim enjoys a small, passionate, following of sim racing aficionados. 

Developed by a three-person team, Live for Speed covers several motor racing disciplines; from road cars to Formula 1, via rallycross, drifting and touring cars, there’s something for everyone. 

Although the graphics and sounds have aged somewhat, the physics have proven to be timeless: the handling model for most cars still provides a dynamic and visceral experience.  

How much is Live for Speed? 

Live for Speed costs £36 in total for all content. Fortunately, there’s a free demo available, where three cars and one track can be sampled before purchasing one of three stages of license.  

Each license unlocks more content, and each stage costs £12. An S1 license costs £12, an S2 license requires another £12 to unlock, and the same for S3.  

How to buy Live for Speed 

Live for Speed can only be purchased from the official Live for Speed website. Here you will be able to download the installer and view the many leagues, mods and other information present in the sim. 

Content included with Live for Speed free demo 

Live for Speed’s free demo includes the Blackwood environment, containing two road course variants, a rallycross track and a Car Park configuration, plus reversed layouts. It also includes the front-wheel drive XF GTI touring car, rear-wheel drive XR GT and the Formula BMW FB02 single-seater. 

• Blackwood (four layouts plus reverse directions) 
• XF GTI  
• XR GT 
• Formula BMW FB02 

Content included with Live for Speed S1 license 

Live for Speed’s S1 license features all the demo’s content, two circuit environments with 12 layouts, plus a bespoke autocross map ideal for custom-made autocross routes. In terms of vehicles, an S1 license will give you Caterham-style LX4 and LX6 cars, plus the four-wheel-drive Toyota Celica clone, the RB4, among others. 

• South City (six layouts) 
• Fern Bar (six layouts) 
• Autocross (four layouts) 
• XR GT Turbo 
• RB4 GT 
• FXO Turbo 
• LX4 
• LX6 
• MRT5 

Content included with Live for Speed S2 license 

Live for Speed’s S2 license includes all the demo and S1 content and is the most content-rich stage of the sim’s licenses. S2 ships with 11 cars, including the Porsche 911-based FZ50, plus racing variants of the FXO, XR and FZ50.  

The headline car of S2, however, is the officially licensed BMW Sauber F1.06 Formula 1 car. Three tracks are also made available, adding another 15 layouts to the sim. 

• UF 1000 
• Raceabput 06 
• FZ50 
• Formula XR 
• XF GTR 
• UF GTR 
• Formula V8 
• FXO GTR 
• XR GTR 
• FZ50 GTR 
• BMW Sauber F1.06 
• Kyoto Ring (three layouts) 
• Westhill (five layouts) 
• Aston (seven layouts) 

Content included with Live for Speed S3 license 

Live for Speed’s S3 license only adds two tracks to the sim, on top of all the content from the demo, S1 and S2 licenses. Layout Square is a blank canvas ideal for setting custom autocross maps or stage rallies, while Rockingham is a laser-scanned re-creation of what was once Europe’s fastest racing circuit. 

• Rockingham (11 layouts) 
• Layout Square (two layouts) 

How to download high-res skins for Live for Speed? 

To download other players’ high-res skins while in multiplayer, players must purchase at least £3-worth of Live for Speed credit to their Live for Speed account on the lfs.net website. £1 of credit equates to 2,000 high-res skin downloads, so enough to cover most of your online racing needs. Low-res skins are downloaded for free otherwise. 

How do I start a multiplayer server in Live for Speed? 

Live for Speed members are entitled to host one server. As long as the server has players on it, it will stay online. After five minutes of inactivity, however, it will shut down. 

Alternatively, players can rent a server from Live for Speed via the LfS website. The most expensive option costs £15 per year for a server with 47 slots. 

How do I download mods in Live for Speed? 

To download mods in Live for Speed you will have to own an S3 license. Mods can be viewed and downloaded either on lfs.net or in-game. If an online server has mods installed these will automatically be downloaded to prevent mismatches.