Dear reader,
I love sim racing but sometimes, sim racers can be difficult… (more on that below).
February is likely to be a manic month for sim racers with at least three new titles being revealed in various guises. So, in the calm before the storm, I’ll dive into a classic annual Traxion article - our Top 10 Best Racing Sims on PC for 2026.
Congratulations for surviving January, go grab a coffee and let’s have a read.
Tom Bunten, Traxion.gg
And the winner is....
Top 10 lists weren't invented by Traxion (I'm fairly sure), but ours sure do generate a lot of debate. I dive into our Top 10 Sim Racing Titles of 2026 list, discuss the return of the Traxion Control podcast and have an opinion or two on RaceRoom's recent server troubles.
Each year, we write a list of the best Sim Racing titles on PC. This year, the honour fell to Traxion veteran Ross McGregor. The honour is almost certainly a poisoned chalice. It doesn’t matter which games he put in what order, there will be people who vehemently disagree and those who passionately concur with the assessment.
Notable highlights from this years list:
RaceRoom has climbed 4 places since last year, claiming the 4th spot.
Le Mans Ultimate has jumped from 4th to 1st.
2004’s Richard Burns Rally remains on the podium, dropping from 2nd to 3rd place
Assetto Corsa EVO makes its debut on the list at number 10
iRacing significantly improves its ranking, moving up from 5th to 2nd.
Now, I know that this list represents opinion, not fact. There is simply just no such thing as “the best sim” since there are an infinite number of ways to define the word “best”. Despite that, I am going to try and use this list to draw some conclusions about the more hardcore end of the racing game market.
Le Mans Ultimate in P1
I have already written extensively about Le Mans Ultimate’s revival within the wider Motorsport Games story (read more here). So that aside, the fact that this title launched its 1.0 version less than 7 months ago and has gone straight to the top of our charts, is astoundingly impressive.
On paper, I’d argue they’ve achieved the improbable. The title inherits from birth a damaged reputation and then targets the saturated, high-end sector of the market. A sector that appeals to a dying sub-niche - esports. It sounds expensive and it sounds like a grind with very little reward at end.
And yet…
Assetto Corsa Competizione is seemingly “mothballed” (if you work in finance or management consultancy, read “sunsetted”).
iRacing is locked behind a subscription.
Assetto Corsa is aging.
RaceRoom and AMS2 diverging from the mainstream to find differentiators in unique and interesting cars and racing series.
Assetto Corsa EVO is erring towards an open-world, Gran Turismo vibe(not a criticism).
Perhaps a gulf has emerged for a non-subscription, esports-ready, hardcore sim racing title to exist in at exactly the right time?
Shortly after we released this article, I figured I would look to exploit Motorsport Games CEO, Stephen Hood’s good mood and squeeze a quote out of him.
I asked Stephen Hood what he believes makes a good sim racing title:
“A successful sim racing game is built, first and foremost, on understanding. We don’t observe the experience from the outside — we participate in it. We race in our own events, engage directly with our players, and live the same challenges they do. That connection gives us a clear, honest view of what works and what doesn’t.”
On the face of it, this is obvious right? Stephen is essentially saying that to make a good sim racing title, you need to play it yourself and feel it, to truly live within it. You must all see the various little quirks and qualms your drivers see - and fix them, experience all of the joyous little moments within the game - and double down on them.
And yet… if recent releases in the wider industry are anything to go by, this would appear not to be the default.
“With Le Mans Ultimate, our focus has always been on delivering the true spirit of endurance racing. Backed by official partnerships and a deep respect for the sport, we treat realism not as an obstacle, but as a foundation for immersion and competitive depth. When you combine authentic simulation with thoughtful design and genuinely listen to your community, you create something that stands out.”
I love what he says here, particularly:
“…we treat realism not as an obstacle, but as a foundation for immersion and competitive depth.”
It’s the exact counter argument to my suggestion a few weeks ago that simulation and realism do not mean more fun in racing games:
“I am, however, questioning whether sim racing titles could be guilty of straying a little too far from “fun”. If simulation is the aim, arguably, there is only one final destination for all titles as they inch closer and closer to true, one-to-one simulation of the real world.
So variety gives way to repetition, creativity gives way to science.
But does more real equal more fun?”
It’s undeniable that simulation, especially of motorsports, provides competitive depth. More depth provides more variables that can be tuned, exploited and harnessed in order to gain an edge over your rivals - so it follows that realism facilitates competitive spirit.
But there’s the key word - competitive.
If you’re creating sport, realism is essential. If you’re creating a game, realism is only context.
“Of course, this suggestion could simply be the best evidence to argue that sim racing is more sport than it is game. The sliding scale between arcade, simcade, and true simulation is contested at best, totally subjective at worst. Are simulation titles right to focus on realism more than fun?
The truth as always lies in the in the grey areas, in the nuance, in the context and in this case, probably in the middle.”
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The Traxion Control Podcast is back!
“Plugging your own podcast in the newsletter Tom? That’s pretty shameless… are you trying to build a news ecosystem or something? Who do you think you are?”, I hear you say…
I need to update this image… no idea why I look so damn angry.
Last week, we released the first episode of the new Traxion Control podcast.
But today at 4pm, we can officially say it’s weekly! (two for two…!)
The podcast is the sister-publication to this newsletter. Whilst the Traxion.gg website covers the news in sim racing, things like new games, DLCs, products, esports events, sales etc etc, the Traxion Control series, i.e. the podcast and newsletter leans towards opinion-based, industry-focused content.
Face-of-Traxion John Munro, Editor-In-Chief Tom Harrison-Lord and I will be sitting down every week to discuss the goings on in sim racing and sharing our thoughts and opinions on the topics of the day. Listen below 👇
RaceRoom Broadcast
It’s not the first, nor the last time something like this will happen.
On Sunday, RaceRoom looked to host their Daytona 2.4H Special Event. The event would be the first official event to use the title’s new ranked system to designate a top split for the event.
Point of order: Traxion.gg were paid to broadcast the event from our esports studio.
The event did not go to plan at all. Victims of their success, the number of entries for the event crippled the servers and made the race impossible to run.
Mistakes were made. Apologies were issued. We all moved on…
Except of course, we didn’t move on…
Despite the event not running, with a broadcast team, two commentators and RaceRoom team all closed up to their positions for the race, the decision was made to put together a last minute exhibition race so as to showcase something on the broadcast.
On the face of it, not a bad idea? At least it’s not an evil idea? I mean… it’s not an idea designed to offend and insult the player base right? Right?
Now look, I get it. You’ve practiced for hours, you’ve dialled in your setup, you’ve cleared your calendar, perhaps you’ve even washed your gloves.
You’re strapped in and ready to go - but the lights never go out. It sucks.
But one thing I can guarantee is that however frustrated and fed up you’re feeling, the team at RaceRoom who have been sweating and stressing over this event for weeks are likely even more frustrated and fed up.
The RaceRoom team have been absolutely killing it recently. In this past year they’ve managed:
Major Graphics overhaul
Ranked Multiplayer
Super Touring DLC
Porsche 963, BMW M Hybrid V8, and Lamborghini SC63
Highest peak player count since Covid
And yet, one mistake and the community turn.
So, genuine question… am I being too self-righteous, too doggedly pragmatic, too insensitive to suggest that those people piling into the chat to type “SHAME” for the already devastated and disheartened development team to read are forgetting what really matters in life?
Are players right to express their frustrations towards developers?
Now, I know that there are lots of people working at game studios who read this email newsletter. I’d love it if you could let me know how you feel about this. If I get enough responses, I might do a specific issue on this topic later in the year. Email me at [email protected]
News Highlights This Week from Traxion.gg
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