Around this time final 12 months I criticised The Game Awards for regularly forcing racing video games to share a standard class with sports activities video games, to compete for recognition at what’s described (by The Game Awards) as “gaming’s largest evening.”
Up till this 12 months it was an award no conventional sports activities recreation had ever really gained. The class had been completely dominated by racing video games, apart from 2015 (Rocket League, which nonetheless has vehicles in it) and 2020 (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, which remains to be… on wheels).
This 12 months FC 25 received the gong. Just a single racing recreation made the shortlist: F1 24. An awesome racing recreation, little doubt, however one which’s onerous to argue was an instantly important improve for individuals who already owned F1 23, or F1 22, or so on. What else might’ve made it? Monster Jam Showdown? Good enjoyable (which shouldn’t be shocking given the developer’s current kind with the Hot Wheels Unleashed collection) however I wouldn’t fancy its possibilities at The Game Awards. Le Mans Ultimate? Well, that’s nonetheless ostensibly in Steam Early Access, regardless that they’re… already promoting in-game DLC earlier than the sport’s formally “completed.” Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown? No likelihood.
The unhappy actuality is there merely weren’t sufficient racing video games launched in 2024, full cease. For the primary time I can bear in mind in my almost 14 years at IGN, we didn’t even hand out an award for the 12 months’s finest racer. There simply weren’t sufficient of them to even pad out a listing of finalists.
Sad stuff.
Now, for readability, I have had various contemporary causes to slip behind a steering wheel this 12 months, however the bulk of those alternatives have arrived as updates to present racing video games I already personal. Most months of 2024 have seen an injection of latest vehicles and content material for Gran Turismo 7. As is often the case with GT, not all these vehicles have had a stable racing pedigree, however I gained’t fake I’m not not less than mildly involved in seeing how briskly an eight-year-old Toyota Hiace can lap the Nordschleife.
A 2024 enlargement to EA Sports WRC added a number of new vehicles and two new nations: Latvia and Poland. The new nations function some wonderful levels, and it makes much more sense for Codemasters to enhance WRC this fashion than instantly put it on a yearly, F1-style cadence (if solely the asking worth for the DLC wasn’t as uncomfortably near the price of a completely new recreation anyway).
On the flip facet, The Crew Motorfest actually grew to become 50% bigger free of charge, with all gamers having access to your entire island of Maui, added to Motorfest in November. Maui is just not a bespoke space; it’s been seamlessly injected into the sport’s present world (and developer Ivory Tower has even added a fantasy connecting bridge, which means you’ve got a option to both fly, boat, or drive to Maui from O’ahu with none loading screens. It admittedly hasn’t turned me right into a Motorfest common, however there are some satisfying stretches of street and a few good areas on Maui – which is clearly lots quieter than the extra densely-populated O’ahu.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown has grown in a similar way with its Ibiza enlargement (though don’t anticipate a bridge from Hong Kong to the Mediterranean). Solar Crown’s Ibiza map is a reasonably small part of the island that will come as a nostalgic bonus for these gamers who recall blasting across the Spanish celebration paradise in 2011’s Test Drive Unlimited 2, however it’s onerous to say whether or not it’ll flip round Solar Crown’s gradual begin. The map, in spite of everything, wasn’t Solar Crown’s predominant downside.
Mount Panorama has lastly discovered its manner again into Forza Motorsport in its most-recent replace, however I’ve to confess I’m extraordinarily disenchanted with all of the pretend sponsors used all through the monitor. It simply makes it seem completely inauthentic in comparison with Bathurst in Assetto Corsa Competizione, Gran Turismo 7, and even Forza Motorsport 7 – all of which function actual sponsors. It looks like a weird step backwards for the collection, however hopefully it may be redressed. The replace arrived together with a bunch of antipodean cars which have largely been seen within the collection earlier than, however nonetheless attraction to me as a devoted Australian meathead. There’s just one new automobile, however it is an ideal one: a 1991 HSV Commodore VN Group A SV. If there’s one factor I like greater than Australian vehicles, it’s the Nineteen Nineties, so this fills each of these standards.
And talking of the ’90s, Need for Speed Unbound simply added a motorcycle, which is a shocking and spectacular first for a collection that’s actually celebrating 30 years since its 1994 debut this month.
So, positive, there’s been loads of tinkering nonetheless occurring beneath the bonnets of a lot of the largest racers within the enterprise, however little or no new blood within the style in 2024.
That’s worrisome, notably as youthful generations proceed to exhibit an rising disinterest in vehicles generally, however I do assume 2024 might be simply an aberration.
I say this as a result of 2025 is wanting extraordinarily thrilling within the racing area. Assetto Corsa Evo guarantees to be one of many largest racers of the 12 months and, with the 1,600-square kilometre open world map in improvement for it, I do imply that actually. JDM: Japanese Drift Master from Polish studio Gaming Factory has proven promise for a while, and you may already take a look at a free demo of this on Steam now. Tokyo Xtreme Racer is about to return after a virtually 20-year absence. Project CARS non secular successor Project Motor Racing is scheduled to reach in 2025. It’s received the Lister Storm in it.
Yes please.
And that’s simply a few of what we learn about already. Will Wreckfest 2 arrive in 2025? The deliberate launch date for that’s but to be confirmed, however that needs to be one thing particular. Is 2025 the 12 months we hear about the way forward for Forza Horizon? Next 12 months will mark 4 years since Forza Horizon 5, in spite of everything.
Either manner, I’ll see you on the beginning line.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN opinions group. You can monitor him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him issues about stuff.
