The race for sim racing on console explained

It is unthinkable that the popular iRacing simulation driving service would ever make it onto PlayStation and Xbox console devices. The pricing model, structure, and over 16 years of evolving a dedicated PC codebase likely make it impossible.

Pitched at an older demographic, with a monthly subscription and costly content to boot, the more mature PC market makes sense.

Releasing the whole of iRacing on PS5 at this point would be as improbable as Elon Musk becoming humble or Tom Cruise winning Best Actor at the Academy Awards – never going to happen.

But, something is happening in the sim racing market – more developers are gravitating towards consoles, alongside PC, and some even view these devices as light at the end of the tunnel.

One reason is quite simple: Sony has sold a lot of devices. In some markets, five times as many as Xbox. Recent data just this week shows a two-to-one ratio in the UK, with the PS5 shipping over 72 million units to date.

That’s unquestionably a large audience.

The steering wheel peripheral market has also evolved in the meantime, and while it remains tricky for some manufacturers to receive certification for both Sony and Microsoft’s machines, the market has grown outside of the PC hardcore.

Fanatec’s CSL DD democratised direct drive wheel bases back in 2021. It pulled off the same a few months later with the PlayStation-compatible Gran Turismo DD Pro and then the higher-end DD Extreme in 2024.

Last year, perennial best-seller Thrustmaster launched its entry-level direct axial drive T598 for PC and PlayStation. On Xbox, there is the Moza R3 and soon both Asetek SimSports and Revosim will enter this space.

Perhaps consequently, when Ian Bell’s (now Straight4 Studios) next driving project – Project Motor Racing – arrives, it will land on major consoles alongside PC.

The embryonic title is set to mix a unique ‘Hadron’ physics engine with graphics adapted from Giants Software’s cross-platform Farming Simulator titles.

The industry veteran is keen to point out that the current generation hardware’s power is another reason for the PC-to-console migration.

“When we started off developing games, back in the early days of GTR etc., it was PC-only because we all had access to it,” he explained to Traxion.

“Getting dev’ kits wasn’t something that a start-up could generally do until they got themselves acknowledged, so it took until, I believe, the Shift games for us to start shipping simultaneously on console and PC.

“The important thing about this is that, back then, we had to reduce the points that we were sampling from the tyre model for the consoles because they had reduced power.

“That’s not the case anymore, though. These little self-enclosed machines – and the reason why they’re still selling for 500 pounds is because they’re pretty powerful kit – means we can run the full physics model, as we do on PC, on consoles.

“That’s a key consideration for us as developers in the sim racing world, so for us, it’s a no-brainer.”

So, strong PS5 sales, a decent horsepower-per-pound ratio and more available steering wheels. A slam dunk, right?

“The important thing, however, is that the rest of your engine supports console work,” cautions Bell.

“The Giants engine is primed for that.”

An organisation perhaps not in such a luxurious position is Motorsport Games, with its burgeoning Le Mans Ultimate title. Presently in early access, and routinely reaching new heights after an inauspicious start, the Studio 397 development team doesn’t necessarily have console porting experience internally, nor does the game code lend itself well to consoles without major tinkering.

In its current incarnation, the basis hasn’t been outside of PC, although titles such as NASCAR 21: Ignition and The Grand Tour Game used elements of older versions on consoles.

Instead, buoyed by tales of 2016’s lucrative DiRT Rally console conversion, it aims to seek an external agency to move the official FIA World Endurance Championship title onto more devices – provided it can find further investment to fund the cost.

“Management is also seeking funding that would allow it to deliver on viable opportunities including bringing Le Mans Ultimate to Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox gaming consoles,” the outfit proclaimed in October last year.

In the short term, reaching a ‘version 1.0’ state on PC is the main goal for Le Mans Ultimate, but publicly stating intent for a console conversion indicates porting is relatively high on the priority list.

A move to further platforms is something that yet another in-development simulation, Rennsport, announced just days ago, in a shock move.

The graphics engine employed by the nascent game is the ubiquitous (and console-friendly) Unreal Engine 5.

The signs were there when it announced a more approachable user interface, demonstrated with a gamepad, late last year.

It could hit this potentially lucrative market ahead of its chief rivals – PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are said to be in a ‘working state’ and will launch ‘later in 2025’ with cross-platform play with PC.

“It has always been in our vision to develop a console version for Rennsport – race anyone, anywhere,” said Morris Hebecker, CEO of Rennsport, to Traxion.

“With the addition of cross-play and cross-progression, we want to allow players from different platforms to share their passion and excitement for the world of digital motorsports together. 

“We firmly believe that console players are a valuable part of the sim racing community, just like PC players.”

It needs the extra players too. A cursory glance at Steam Charts for the current early access version shows a graph flatter than an ironing board. Beating Project Motor Racing and Le Mans Ultimate to the console punch could mean Rennsport starts to find an audience, an audience that is relatively starved of serious driving experiences.

PS5 owners have access to the sim-ish Gran Turismo 7, but the driving experience in the current Forza Motorsport is knocked into a cocked hat by every other title mentioned in this article. Sorry, Xbox owners.

If there’s one simulation that proves the theory that console players have an insatiable appetite for simulations, it is Assetto Corsa. It has been there, got the t-shirt, and reaped the rewards.

The two-game franchise generated €13.1 million in revenue in the six months up to the end of December 2024 alone, before any Assetto Corsa EVO sales are counted in the next financial report.

“[The first] Assetto Corsa was not decided to launch on console at the beginning, it was designed to be a PC-only application,” said co-founder and Executive Manager of Kunos Simulazioni, Marco Massarutto, to Traxion.

“Eventually, when we did release it on console, we didn’t expect that for the overall sales of Assetto Cora 1, 40 per cent came from PlayStation and Xbox.”

Staggering, really, when significant PC sales are attributed to the modding scene, something that for AC at least, does not exist on consoles. If financial documents are to be believed, the latest instalment (EVO) is also headed to more machines too.

Over the next 12 months, then, a PS5 owner could have access to Gran Turismo 7, EA SPORTS WRC, the expected EA SPORTS F1 25, Project Motor Racing, Assetto Corsa EVO, Le Mans Ultimate and Rennsport for a starting price of £389/$449. And on the more casual side, staggeringly, Forza Horizon 5.

Even iRacing is getting in on the act. The core simulation product is staying resolutely in its lane, but elements such as track scans and vehicle recreations will make up part of a new official NASCAR game this year across all major devices. 

It seems even for the most realistic of realistic driving simulations, the lure of consoles is irresistible.