2022 was a fantastic year to be a fan of driving or riding games and simulators. Returning legends, continued live service updates and fresh new approaches.
But the genre we hold so dear doesn’t stop there, oh no. It’s time to get hyped for 2023.
More downloadable content and updates for your existing favourites will continue, but all-new games will also reinvigorate the market.
Here, then, is what to look forward to over the next twelve months… Be sure to let us know in the comments what you’re most looking forward to.
Confirmed
TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 3
We’re cautiously optimistic about TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 3. The official game of the bonkers TT Isle of Man motorcycle races, it features a laser-scanned rendition of the daunting 37.730-mile course, but this time 31 additional venues and an open-world exploration mode.
Many players have a love/hate relationship with the two previous games. There’s no doubt that they are the most hardcore biking titles available, out and out simulators.
This third entry lands in May 2023 and is by a new development team, using the same KT Engine technology. Nacon Studio Milan, formerly RaceWard Studios, is at the helm, who created 2021’s unique, if rough around the edges, RiMS Racing.
One element the prior games nailed was the recreation of the location – now it’s hopefully time to focus on the other elements around that.
Release date: May 2023
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Rennsport
Assetto Corsa Competizione came out of early access in 2019, RaceRoom Racing Experience launched in 2013 and iRacing in 2008.
A fresh dedicated PC-only driving simulator, acting as a live service, rarely comes along. But in 2023, that will happen as the new studio, Competition Company GmbH, will launch Rennsport.
Time will tell if it becomes one of the mainstays of sim racing and, thanks to a partnership with ESL, a leader in racing esports. The ingredients are in place to succeed – a serious driving model, licenced content and seemingly an openness to community feedback.
A Closed Beta is expected soon, ahead of Open Betas throughout the coming year and an estimated release of December 2023.
Still in its nascent stages, in our opinion, Rennsport could be the most pivotal on this list.
Release date: December 2023
Platforms: PC
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown
When Greek Titan Atlas was condemned to holding up earth for all eternity, it was less weight than the pressure currently felt on the shoulders of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown developer Kylotonn Racing.
The 12-year gap between releases in the car-collecting driving game series has seen anticipation build. Using the foundational technology of the existing WRC games, Alain Jarniou – who worked on Test Drive Unlimited 2 – is at the project’s helm.
Ambitiously, the location is Hong Kong, mixing busy city streets with twisting country roads across a 1:1 scale map size.
Its open-world nature is a first for the Parisien team and as it stands, no gameplay has been released despite its known existence for close to three years now. Still, we can’t just have Forza Horizon and Need for Speed owning this sub-genre, it’s time for more competition – here’s hoping Solar Crown delivers just that.
Release Date: TBC 2023
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch
F1 Manager 2023
Frontier Development’s first foray into the racing genre, F1 Manager 2022, most definitely wasn’t a driving game, but it is a motorsport title.
Micro-managing your selected real-world team through one season was riveting. After that, however, you started to think about the possibilities for the franchise – be that an expanded driver roster, media activities or creating your own team.
In fact, we were so inspired, we created a separate video with our F1 Manager 2023 wish list, and we’ve linked to that in this video’s description.
F1 Manager 2023 has been confirmed by Frontier’s publicly available financial documents and Game Director Andrew Fletcher explained to Traxion.GG that this is an annual game series.
Its first entry was a solid foundation, now let’s see how it progresses in year two.
Release date: TBC 2023
Expected platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
Full disclosure – Traxion.GG is part of Motorsport Games and the Motorsport Games family of brands. All Traxion.GG content is editorially removed from Motorsport Games video game development and created by a dedicated team. We listen to the same public investment calls that you can. With that in mind…
IndyCar
If you watched our 2022 games list prediction video, you’ll know that we got our NASCAR gaming sequel incorrect. There was no new mainline PC, PlayStation and Xbox NASCAR game in 2022.
Why? Well, NASCAR 21: Ignition was beset with issues. Faced with a sub-par game, Motorsport Games scrapped plans to release further titles on that technology platform. That meant a new base needed to be created.
Still, provided the new plan is enacted, its first release after starting again looks set to be an official IndyCar game.
Some teaser shots were shown during an email campaign but since then nothing.
Release date: TBC 2023
Expected platforms: PC, PlayStation and Xbox
NASCAR
This leads us to NASCAR – once IndyCar is completed, of course. On multiple occasions now, it’s been stated on earnings calls that the main development team is working on a new game currently slated for 2023.
We’d expect this to be on current-gen consoles from the off and carry over any fundamental features from the open-wheeler game. Here’s hoping.
Release date: TBC 2023
Expected platforms: PC, PlayStation and Xbox
Full disclosure – Traxion.GG is part of Motorsport Games and the Motorsport Games family of brands. All Traxion.GG content is editorially removed from Motorsport Games video game development and created by a dedicated team.
Wreckreation
PC, PlayStation and Xbox – TBC 2023
The former Burnout-creating indie team at Three Fields Entertainment takes all its learnings from Danger Zone and Dangerous Driving, and instead of a direct sequel, is working on Wreckreation.
Yes, high-speed driving and over-the-top crashes are still fundamental to the experience, but since the team started working with THQ Nordic the scope has dramatically increased.
The current plan is to have a living online world where players can create new tracks and stunts, in real-time, in front of their friends. Think of it like DJing, but with asphalt instead of music and set within a 400-kilometre squared open world.
A talented team, we hope to see more gameplay throughout the year ahead of release, following our promising behind-closed-doors session at Gamescom.
Release date: TBC 2023
Expected platforms: PC, PlayStation and Xbox
Forza Motorsport
Forza vs Gran Turismo has been an age-old console wars debate that’s been severely one-sided of late. Sure, Forza Motorsport 7 launched to a wealth of positive reviews, but it was GT’s long-term update plan and ranked online mode that saw several console racers switch across.
From the green side, when the new Forza Motorsport will launch, it will have been nearly six years of silence. Finally, though, Turn 10 Studios is ready to fight back.
A Spring 2023 release date for both console and PC was announced during last year’s Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase. The trees, leaves and water looked incredible, the dynamic time of day and weather sounded promising and the gameplay… well it was hard to tell.
The racing game market has evolved significantly in the time Forza Motorsport has been absent. Let’s hope Microsoft hits back harder than a shot of nitrous.
Release date: Spring 2023
Expected platforms: PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
Monster Energy Supercross 6
Six games in as many years, it’s been quite the run for the official game of the US-based Monster Energy Supercross championship.
Milestone is once again creating this dirt bike extravaganza, which recreates the real-world season. Last year’s Supercross 5 was a significant step forward for the series, so we’re hopeful of further progress this time around with Supercross 6.
Indeed, it features something the Italian developers have never managed to enact until now – a ranked online multiplayer system. The multiplayer action is also cross-platform enabled too and the career mode promises additional depth.
Release date: 9th March 2023
Expected platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
Formula Retro Racing – World Tour
The sequel to 2020’s retro racer, Formula Retro Racing – World Tour is set to deliver low-poly arcade racing goodness.
Originally slated for a console release in December 2022, those versions plus the VR-enabled PC edition will now launch around Easter.
Developed by the diminutive Repixel8 team, it’s set to feature eight tracks, four main modes and several different vehicle types alongside the original classic single-seaters. Easy to pick up, and difficult to master, this nostalgia trip is worth waiting for.
Release date: April 2023
Expected platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch
Ports and new versions
Alongside the all-new games and platforms due this coming year, there will be several existing titles spreading their wings and arriving in different places for your enjoyment.
The superlative Horizon Chase 2 will be unshackled from the exclusivity of Apple Arcade and make its way onto PC and consoles, and open-world Need for Speed rival CarX Street will follow suit having initially launched only on iOS.
The current free-to-enter incarnation of Trackmania will also finally slip onto consoles, and it will be cross-platform enabled to boot.
The basic, but charming, Smurfs Kart by Eden Games will also lose its Nintendo Switch exclusivity, with PC and console varieties in the works. Conversely, Circuit Superstars will find its way onto the portable device this year.
For family-friendly fun, You Suck at Parking! will also release on Switch and PlayStation.
That’s everything currently confirmed, now here’s what we expect to follow too. Some safe bets for the 12 months ahead.
Expected
DRAG: Outer Zone
DRAG: Outer Zone launched as an Early Access off-road racing game in August 2020 for PC, before developer Orontes Games and the project were purchased by simulation service iRacing in December 2021.
It has since promised to finish the project and release it for consoles, an area of the market it explored for the first time with the World of Outlaws game.
The two main unique points at this early stage are terrain deformation and soft tyre physics which react to different surfaces in a startling fashion. As it stands, there isn’t much to it and the online mode is barren, but we expect that to change as it nears a full release.
MotoGP 23
Another yearly sports game based on the real-world series, the pinnacle of motorcycle racing has a strong and loyal following.
The most recent gaming iteration, Moto GP 22 by Milestone, layered on the Valentino Rossi nostalgia with an excellent documentary mode recreating the 2009 season.
Yet, it didn’t really push the genre forward much outside of that. For next season we expect the new track in Kazakhstan to be included, but with Valentino Rossi now well and truly retired, the game must look outside of the Italian’s legacy in order to succeed.
SBK 23
If one licenced motorcycle racing game wasn’t enough, try two – and both from the same developer, no less.
Milestone has returned to the Superbike World Championship scene after a 10-year absence, and SBK 22 was rudimentary.
It rode more like MotoGP 21 than anything and lacked any of the support classes or any unique features to distinguish itself. Post-release, it’s received a grand total of one tiny patch.
If this returns for a sequel and becomes a yearly fixture, it needs to be much more than a copy-and-paste job.
EA Sports WRC 23
The World Rally Championship is set to get its biggest gaming push of all time, as Codemasters finally takes the reigns.
The British team secured the WRC rights in 2020 while Parisien studio Kylotonn has continued to create yearly games, most recently WRC Generations. But that deal ends on 31st December 2022, so we hope that soon after this deadline we’ll hear more about the fresh start for the series.
In the meantime, Electronic Arts purchased the Southam-based studio, so now there’s a combination of the DiRT Rally developer’s rally game knowledge and the marketing power of EA Sports.
What we hope for is something that helps makes rallying more commonplace and accessible, while simultaneously appeasing the hardcore DiRT Rally 2.0 fans that proliferate comment sections across the internet.
EA SPORTS F1 23
We’d be willing to bet our Fanatec direct drive wheel base that F1 23 happens, but what form will it take?
Senior Creative Director Lee Mather explained to Traxion.GG recently that the team is working to a two-year cadence for the Braking Point story introduced in F1 2021, so for this next instalment, expect a return. This will fit alongside the new Las Vegas and Qatari circuits.
Scratch away at the surface of the current title and some long-held criticisms remained untouched. We really hope some serious under-the-bonnet tinkering has been taking place to the ageing Ego game engine.
We’re thinking along the lines of the RB18 of video games, and not the FW44…
Gene Rally 2
The top-down racer that reinvigorated the genre and inspired several other titles will return… at some point.
Gene Rally 2 still uses a retro style combined with a focus on user-generated content thanks to a track editor. While no date is confirmed at present, it’s now available to wishlist on Steam and the developer, Curious Chicken Games, has started to provide regular updates via its blog.
This leads us rather nicely to…
Honourable mentions
There are several racing games we’re looking forward to over the next calendar year, but don’t have quite enough details about so far.
Of these, Classic Sport Driving is an independent retro-enthused driving experience with unlimited point-to-point tracks and hand-drawn environments. It’s currently slated for a Q2 2023 launch.
RXC – Rally Cross Challenge is a physics focussed off-road circuit racing game that’s out now, but only in Early Access. The same applies to RaceLeague, which has a crunching damage model and user-generated circuits. With a bit of luck, both will become final releases across the next few months.
Funselektor, the creators of Absolute Drift and Art of Rally, has also started teasing an as-yet-unannounced title too. All we’ve seen so far is this image of a track design.
Solo-created top-down indie darling Super Woden GP will receive a sequel too, with more cars, tracks and challenges to complete.
For simulator fans, Rev to Vertex is aiming to recreate the twisty togue roads of Hong Kong and recently secured the licence to include the Devel Sixteen – a real-world hypercar that is aiming for a top speed of 347mph.
In an April 2022 earnings call PowerPoint slide, Motorsport Games highlighted a 24 Hours of Le Mans game for this coming year too, although literally nothing else has been shown or spoken about at this point. In a similar vein, KartKraft was due further updates and ports.
Initially a tech demo by Wreckfest’s creators, Stuntfest was spun off into its own game and is currently under development by Pow Wow Entertainment. After a series of Public Betas, we expect the final version of this chaotic online driving, battling and flying game at some point in 2023.
Live service updates and DLC
As mentioned right at the top of this video, we fully expect updates to several live-service racing titles through the next year.
Monthly content additions are set to continue for Gran Turismo 7, for example, alongside Forza Horizon 5’s Festival Playlists. But, also, expect the open-world title’s second big paid expansion to land, included as part of the Premium Edition and/or Expansions Bundle.
Three more waves totalling 24 tracks will arrive across the year for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe thanks to its ongoing Booster Course Pass. While Dakar Desert Rally will receive the ability to create and share your own routes, alongside replays, a photo mode and season pass car DLC.
From a sim racing perspective, Assetto Cora Competizione is set to receive two large expansions. First, the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe season, including three new GT3 cars: Ferrari 296 GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 and Lamborghini Huracán Evo2.
Then it will receive a GT2 car pack, a new category for the platform, including eight new cars – seven base models and two variants of the Porsche.
The venerable RaceRoom Racing Experience teased an updated Zandvoort during the reveal of its hybrid single-seater X-22. iRacing revealed it will be laser scanning New Zealand’s Pukekohe Park Raceway before it closes for good.
Automobilista 2 developer Reiza Studios has confirmed a new track for 2023, in the form of a 1971 version of the Nürburgring, plus modding support and a refined online multiplayer experience.
Our favourite soft-body-physics simulator BeamNG.drive will no doubt continue its Early Access evolution with yet more awe-inspiring vehicles and locations.
Finally, rFactor 2, which also adds new content on a seasonal basis these days, is expected to launch the current Mini John Cooper Works Cup car.
2024
Yes, this is a 2023 list, but we know from last year’s video and article the comments section was filled with people discussing releases scheduled for much further away.
Briefly, Assetto Corsa 2 is currently expected for a 2024 launch, as is a Gumball 3000 game and dedicated BTCC title. Project CARS 4 is sadly cancelled, and former series lead Ian Bell’s new GTR Revival title currently has no estimated arrival date.
Movies
We’ll leave you with something that isn’t a game, but rather a movie of a game. Yes, the Gran Turismo film, directed by Neill Blomkamp of District 9 fame, and featuring David Harbour, Orlando Bloom and Geri Halliwell-Horner, is currently being filmed with an 11th August 2023 release date.
Following an aspiring sim racer from their bedroom to the racetrack, let’s hope it’s better than the Need for Speed spin-off…
