NASCAR 25 gameplay spotted within latest developer diary

The latest, fifth, NASCAR 25 game developer diary video is now live, and amongst the hyperbole were glimpses of on-track gameplay.

This takes two forms: direct capture and off-screen filming.

The former is sadly very, very brief. A scant four seconds in total, chase came, at Daytona in Lavar Scott’s ARCA RevRacing Chevrolet as it exits pitroad. It aligns with the only other moving gameplay from an onboard, also leaving pitroad, in May.

It is expected that an actual gameplay unveiling will be later this month.

Now for the off-screen items, seen as real-world NASCAR drivers test the game – all pointedly using gamepads as opposed to wheel peripherals.

William Byron, Christopher Bell, Ty Majeski, Sammy Smith, Lavar Scott, Anthony Alfredo, Rajah Caruth and Lanie Buice all feature.

From what we can see, testing a work-in-progress build, there looks to be a clean on-screen HUD, with a track map lower left, and the tachometer plus speedo bottom right.

Up top, in the middle, appears to be an outline where a virtual rear-view mirror could be, although it does not appear to function presently. Likewise, another shot from an onboard perspective sees the rear-view and side-view mirrors blanked out. 

At one point, there is a prominent team radio transcription on screen, with the option to either end the practice session or stay out (keep running) with the A or B buttons.

There looks to be a ‘goal time’ for practice, a mechanic that reminds us of Monster Games’ prior titles. The driver selection screen includes an image of their real-world car, paint scheme and appearance.

Meanwhile, #20 Toyota driver Christopher Bell talks about “how true the repave is at Iowa.”

One prominent figure so far in the game’s promotion has been William Byron – the #24 Hendrick Motorsports driver’s car was used in the release date trailer last month, and the Charlottean has a long association with iRacing after making the jump from the sim into real-world motorsport.

“I think the first game I probably played was NASCAR 05, got that game, actually had it on PSP at the time and had it on console as well,” he says

“That’s really how I got started, and my friends said I took the game way too seriously.”

[Sorry folks, we couldn’t help but notice that NASCAR 07 was the NASCAR game released on PSP…]

NASCAR 25 is the first Xbox and PlayStation game since 2021, and is being created by Monster Games under the stewardship of, and using assets from, iRacing.

It will be released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on 14th October, and then later on PC.