Five new racing and driving games to look forward to in June

2025 is proving to be a very busy year for fans of racing games and simulations – May with no less than six significant releases, and now a slew of important releases in June, thanks in part to Nintendo’s new console – the Switch 2.

Let’s dive into what to expect this month with five of the most key releases…

Mario Kart World

Release date: 5th June
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2

This is the most significant racing game to be released this year. You can take your Le Mans Ultimate 1.0, NASCAR 25 or Project Motor Racing and file them under serious, but niche, compared to the behemoth that is Mario Kart World.

The last Mario Kart – first released way back in 2014 on Wii U before being ported to the Switch – has sold over 75 million copies. Just let that sink in for a minute.

So, this June, the first all-new series entry for over 11 years is released, and to coincide with the launch of the Switch 2 console. That’s why games don’t come more pivotal than this.

Taking a leaf out of Forza Horizon and The Crew, but in its own inimitable style, this Mario Kart instalment is open-world for the first time, including races between each of the main tracks. Races feature 24 characters, a mix of returning classics and new, the frenetic action taking place on land, sea and in the air.

We expect a new generation of racing game fans to be born out of this release.

Fast Fusion

Release date: 5th June
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2

Fast Fusion is similar to Mario Kart World. Except, it’s completely different in every way. But it does share a near-identical release cycle. The last ‘Fast’ game was Fast Racing Neo over a decade ago on the Wii U, then it was remastered and ported to the Switch as Fast RMX before now, a true sequel to launch the Switch 2.

Shin’en Multimedia’s high-speed futuristic racing game blends elements of F-Zero and Wipeout but with a unique twist – you must change the colour of your craft in time to match an upcoming on-track pad to gain boost.

New for Fusion will be the ability to take elements from the different crafts and ‘merge’ them, an esoteric way of vehicle customisation, seemingly. There’s also a significant boost in visual fidelity, when docked, capable of playing at 60fps, 4K, HDR. Four-player local splitscreen is also supported

The Switch 2 is seemingly launching with two essential racing games on day one – impressive.

Rally Arcade Classics

Release date: 1st June
Platforms: PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch

The name says it all in many respects – this is an arcade rally game, with large on-screen timers and approachable vehicle handling. There is also a structured single-player component, with several game modes, and a sense of progression thanks to the need to unlock cars. Online leaderboards throughout also add extra incentive.

But mainly, this game is fun – the vehicle handling, for example, is benign as a good arcade driving game should be, but each car still feels distinctive.

Previously released on PC, it is now available for PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch, and there’s even a free demo.

GT Manager

Release date: 2nd June
Platforms: PC (Steam and Epic)

Following an early access release in September 2024, GT Manager will hit version 1.0 and therefore be a full release this month.

A derivation, but not a straight port, of a popular mobile management game, it mixes real-world and licensed GT and Hypercar vehicles – the Mustang GT3 will be added – with fictional tracks. Your aim is to build up your team’s facilities and handle race strategies to work your way up to ultimately become champions.

In our testing last year, we were less than impressed with the in-race action – our race strategy didn’t seem to affect positions, but we monitored tyre and engine temperatures. It just seemed like a featherweight managerial experience.

Nine months of development work have passed since then, however, so it could be time to revisit and see how things have progressed.

Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer

Release date: 1st June
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S

You would be forgiven for thinking that this is a re-release of the original PlayStation’s 1994 Ridge Racer, but in fact, this is the first time the 1993 arcade cabinet version has been released for home use.

Designed for the Namco System 22 system, Hamster Corporation has added this title to its long-running Arcade Archives series, preserving and releasing console editions of classic cabinet games.

It will include four game modes – Original, High Score, Caravan and a new Time Attack – plus additional save slots and a rewind feature.

DLC and updates

Alongside the aforementioned ned releases, some sim racing service titles will received significant updates in June

iRacing Season 3 2025

Release date: ~10th June
Platforms: PC subscription

Also releasing this month will be the second major iRacing update of the calendar year, and the third of its ‘2025 season’.

There are set to be significant overhauls to several tracks, the IndyCar and a new driving experience for the GT3 category of cars. These, if they live up to the hype, could be the most notable changes to the iRacing platform this year. Further vehicles also receive the wet tyre, and there’s foaveated rendering for VR drivers.

But, there’s also a slew of new content to buy too, including Australia’s The Bend (Shell V-Power Motorsport Park), classic Gen4 Cup Series NASCAR models and the Ferrari 296 Challenge car.

Le Mans Ultimate DLC and updates

Release date: 10th June
Platforms: PC

The fourth and final DLC pack for the 2024-WEC season in Le Mans Ultimate will finally become available this June, after two notable delays.

This means the LMGT3 grid will be complete, for those who purchase the pack or the Season Pass, thanks to the addition of the Lexus and Lamborghini models. The track roster will also be complete, for now, with the Lusail International Circuit available.

At the same time as the paid-for-content, game features such as multiplayer driver swaps and teams (thus opening up the online races to be longer affairs), custom liveries and a host of quality-of-life tweaks will be deployed.