With another year comes another collection of racing games for players to look forward to, and 2023 looks as though it could be a memorable year for the genre.
From a long-awaited next entry in a major series to the annual franchises players are intimately familiar with, there are many exciting titles set to be released over the next 12 months. Here are the titles scheduled for release in 2023 that RaceFans is most excited to play.
Forza Motorsport – Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PC
Turn 10 / Microsoft – Spring 2023
The last time a ‘true’ Forza Motorsport game was released Lewis Hamilton was only a three-times world champion. But this year, Xbox and PC gamers finally get a new entry in the franchise that is Microsoft’s answer to Gran Turismo.However, unlike GT7 that was released last year, Forza Motorsport will only be released on current-gen Series S|X consoles and PC – completely untethered from previous-gen hardware. Over two years into the console’s lifespan, expect this title to be one of the system’s marquee releases.
What Turn 10 have shown off already has been tantalising – incredibly detailed models, impressive lighting and weather effects and reworked physics. It won’t be long until players get the chance to try it out for themselves – especially as the game will be coming to Game Pass on day one.
F1 23 – TBC
Codemasters / EA – TBA
It’s fair to say the 2022 instalment of Codemasters’ long-running F1 franchise underwhelmed many hardcore fans of the series. With so many long-running gameplay gripes not addressed, incremental improvements to existing modes and the addition of supercars and ‘F1 life’ features that few asked for or enjoyed, players are looking for a lot more from F1 23.
As the third entry on current-generation hardware, players will rightly have high expectations for the latest. Reports have suggested that EA and Codemasters have ambitious plans for the 2023 edition, but there is nothing official yet. But whether it’s a new engine or a major overhaul of single-player or multiplayer modes, fans would likely welcome a shake-up of a well-worn formula.
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IndyCar ’23 – TBC
Motorsport Games – TBA
It’s been far, far too long since the IndyCar series had its own game for fans to enjoy that features all the teams, drivers and circuits of the premier single-seater championship in North America. Yes, IndyCar has featured in iRacing, rFactor and even Project CARS in recent years, but it has not had its own dedicated title for almost two decades now.
That was supposed to change this year with the intended release of Motorsport Games’ IndyCar title, which had fans very excited when it was first announced in 2021. However, since then, Motorsports Games’ well-chronicled trouble with its NASCAR game and reports of development problems within the company have raised concerns over its in-progress IndyCar title.
With even more controversy over iRacing losing the ability to hold official events with the series’ cars and circuits at the start of 2023 due to the licensing situation, interest in this game is especially high.
Rennsport – PC
Competition Company – TBA
The PC sim racing market is hardly lacking quality platforms with iRacing, rFactor 2 and even RaceRoom providing authentic physics and opportunities for serious players. But there is a new challenger planning on joining the fight in 2023 with bold ambitions about the level of realism it can provide.
Using Unreal Engine 5 – the latest version of the software – Rennsport aims to set a new benchmark for realism with its physics, graphics and force feedback. While little is known about the game so far with only feedback from renowned simracers such as Emily Jones to go by, the confirmed car roster of GT3 cars suggests that this title will be another focused on sportscar racing rather than single-seaters.
With a beta expected soon, we should learn a lot more about this intriguing new challenger in the simulation market in the near future.
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GT7 – PSVR2
Polyphony Digital – February 2023
Although Gran Turismo 7 was released last year, Sony’s recent CES announcement that the game will receive a free PSVR2 upgrade next month led to many pre-orders for the new headset, extra sales of GT7 and prompted many lapsed players to consider getting back into the game.
Anyone who has been lucky enough to play any racing game in VR knows how transformative the experience is. GT Sport offered VR support on PS4, but despite the impressive visuals, it was limited to a basic time trial and two-lap race mode against a single AI opponent. While Polyphony Digital haven’t yet confirmed the full extent of the PSVR2 functionality in GT7, the 12-second teaser Sony showed at CES suggests full, 16-car races will be available at the very least.
With the PSVR2 shaping up to be one of the most impressive headsets at its admittedly still hefty price range, GT7 could well become a killer app if it allows players to complete its campaign or race multiplayer entirely in VR.
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F1 Manager 2023 – TBC
Frontier Developments – TBA
F1 Manager 2022 was perhaps the most important game of the year for hardcore Formula 1 fans. Offering players a chance to get on the pit wall and make the decisions on and off the track that make the difference between victory or failure, fans lapped up the first official F1 management game in over two decades.
Despite its impressive graphics, presentation and enjoyable gameplay loop, players rightfully found disappointment in some frustrating gameplay quirks and a lack of depth in some key areas that took away from the overall experience. And when developers Frontier announced they would cease support of the game to focus on 2023, the player backlash led to a quick U-turn with the game receiving an additional major patch before the end of the year.
Entering 2023, the first game provides a strong foundation from which to build from. With new features, refined mechanics and a full year to act on extensive player feedback, the second instalment in F1’s newest game franchise has the potential to be a substantially better game than the first.
EA rally game – TBC
Codemasters / EA – TBA
Codemaster’s Dirt Rally franchise may have only two titles under its name, but it has already established itself as one of the best pure rally series ever conceived. So when the World Rally Championship announced that they had awarded the WRC license to Codemasters – which were then purchased by EA – fans were salivating at the prospect of seeing the premier rally championship emulated in the Dirt Rally format.
After KT Racing bid farewell to the license having done the WRC justice over the final few years, players will rightly have high expectations for EA’s as-yet untitled rally franchise. Especially with sim rally having such a large, dedicated competitive base, a comprehensive suite of multiplayer options is a must.
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Trackmania – PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Cloud services
Ubisoft Nadeo – “Early 2023”
Trackmania is a unique title among its peers on this list – not least because it’s technically not a motorsport game. But if you have an interest in any of the other games on this list, then Trackmania is a game you need to consider.
As close a thing as the motorsport genre has to a speed-run game, Trackmania is time trial gameplay at its purest – just you, a car and a track. No set-ups, no gear changes or driving aids. Just an accelerator, brake and your steering wheel. With its pinpoint-precise handling and addictive leaderboard system, it’s easy to see why so many players get sucked into burning hours into improving their personal best times.
While technically not a ‘new’ game, Trackmania is coming to consoles this year. Like its PC counterpart, it will also be free-to-play, so you will be able to try it out with zero risk of buyer’s remorse.
TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge III – PS, XBOX, Switch, PC
RaceWard / Nacon – May 2023
The Isle of Man TT is the most dangerous internationally-known motorsport event in the word, but it is also the most awe-inspiring as a result. The first two editions of the Ride on the Edge series have brought the insanity of the TT to life better than any other game has done before.
With the announcement that developers CCC will bring a third entry in the series to current-gen consoles and PC, this new entry could be the most realistic depiction of the Scafell Mountain Course ever seen in a game. And with new features such as allowing players to ride around the streets of the Isle of Man beyond the infamous circuit, this could well be the ultimate game for TT fans.
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Over to you
Which new motorsport games are you most eager to play in 2023? And what titles must they measure up against?
Have your say in the comments.
Peyton
18th January 2023, 7:34
One of the sims needs to invest in a good career mode. Many of them are great as sims but lack any kind of real career mode which is probably offputting to casual players.
Making a career mode (at least in style of Project Cars 2) would open up the playerbase to more casual players.
I am surprised no one does it.
mmertens (@mmertens)
18th January 2023, 14:52
Yes, this needs to be addressed. There’s hope though. In last dev update from AMS2, it’s stated that they are developing a career mode for the no that far future. No closed dates, but there’s hope. In the meantime, at least with custom championship mode, it’s possible to replicate a “career path” ex, from kart, to ftrainer, f3, f1. it’s already very cool to be able ti do that, as it gives a purpose for the offline racing.
Hiland (@flyingferrarim)
19th January 2023, 2:28
@mmertens
I look forward to this addition! AMS2 has improved in many areas it’s officially replaced Assetto Corsa for me. However, AMS2 really needs to make some massive improvements on the AI front if single player (co-op would be nice) career mode is going to be any good. There is also a companion application that you can use for a career mode (not automated but simple and provides a decent depth of a career story) called “Racing Life”. You can find it on the racedepartment site.
mmertens (@mmertens)
19th January 2023, 16:36
Me too! Thanks for your points. Yes I have the racing life, it’s a good app to bridge the gap! And it’s always being updated. For the AI, I believe it’s constantly being improved, much better lately. The single player AI provide clean race most of the time. There’s still some strange behaviour under FCY though. And multiplayer AI is terrible. But AMS2 is constantly improving all issues, I’m really happy as it sinos.
MichaelN
18th January 2023, 16:58
Multiplayer is supposed to be endless, and endless means endless possibilities to monetize the experience, which is what publishers (not necessarily developers) want. However, the desire to participate in multiplayer varies is often overstated. It’s hard to put exact figures on it, but if you take F1 22 for example, the online achievements for finishing 10 races sits at a meager 12% completion by Steam players, 50 races at 3%, and 100 races at 1%. In other words: almost four times as many players have changed their characters ‘casual attire’ as have finished 10 online races. And these races tend to be something like 4 laps long.
Qeki (@qeki)
18th January 2023, 8:26
Storyline of Toca Race Driver. Career mode from Karts to single seaters or GTs. Tuning of GT7. Visuals of Forza. Graphics of UE5.
mrgrieves (@mrgrieves)
18th January 2023, 8:43
Will be awaiting your reviews on F123 and f1 Manager 23 to see if either will improve to a level worthy of investing in. F1 Manager was a good first effort although mostly a rip off of motorsports manager i worry that they could struggle to improve if they based the first game off something else.
F1 22 was still riddled with problems and my preferred way of playing coop career was still unplayable with the AI out of a kamikaze film
Hiland (@flyingferrarim)
19th January 2023, 2:32
I’m skipping F1 23… the series just feels too much like FIFA where its just roster updates and slight tweaks with no actual addition of depth added. I may just do F1 Manager 2023 this year as I enjoyed the first addition/attempt even though it lacks or comes up short in area’s. For their first attempt, I felt it has a great foundation to work off of.
Apex77 GT
18th January 2023, 8:49
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Challenge!
I loved the two TDU games on xbox360, absolutely game changing. Now I don’t expect this edition to move things forward like the older two did but if they can make it like those two it would still be miles ahead of most other street racing open world games IMO
Red Andy (@red-andy)
18th January 2023, 9:35
Sigh, no Grand Prix 5. Still, there’s always next year…
Kringle
18th January 2023, 10:21
Got me right there in the heart Andy, god I wish Geoff Crammond would come out of retirement! Even developing on the back of GP4 would be enough for me!
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
18th January 2023, 12:31
@red-andy ahhh….. Geoff Crammond, and the GP series. I’ve never met the guy, or know anything about him really. But if anyone does bump into him, please shake his hand from me. That series was incredible. For about a decade in my childhood I was an F1 driver.
Hours and hours in front of a PC monitor, and I’m still not certain what made them so great. But they were.
Imre (@f1mre)
18th January 2023, 17:34
I’m waiting for F1 Challenge ’03-’22.
MichaelN
18th January 2023, 17:05
The whole genre is stuck in the mid 2000s. Sometimes literally, with titles from that era still having a large following.
It’s not just a case of graphics. Just about nobody followed the (imperfect) example set by Live for Speed of having persistent online profiles, and aside from Gran Turismo on the (largely unavailable) Playstation consoles, almost no game has a comprehensive online environment with driver rankings, hosted events and in-race penalties (and even in GT it’s rather badly implemented). The rare one that does, like iRacing, hides it behind a scheme to nickel and dime players at every available opportunity.
Hopefully Microsoft can bring something like the GT experience to PC with the upcoming Forza Motorsport.
Alesici
18th January 2023, 19:42
The feature so often lacking from sims is true triple screen support that doesn’t horizonally stretch the side screens (due to almost all titles stupidly assuming that all 3 screens are positioned at exactly the same angle as each other).
Of those listed, the most likely to support it are are the smallest budget titles, i.e. Rennsport and possibly Indycar (as RFactor 2 supports triple screens). It’s nonsense that all the big budget titles can’t do it, as it can’t be that hard if historically the lowest budget titles have been able to.
robung
19th January 2023, 19:16
Given the state of Motorsports Games right now, I would not expect them to release the IndyCar title unless a miracle occurs.
matt90
20th January 2023, 9:59
I think you mean Snaefell mountain rather than Scafell.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
23rd January 2023, 15:40
“Which new motorsport games are you most eager to play in 2023?”
GeneRally 2!
And of course, in terms of more realistic stuff, keeping racing with iRacing in a league. Maybe try some AC mods and have a go with AMS2 for more random driving.