Is NASCAR 25 a triumphant return to the track, or just another spinout? After a four-year wait, fans were practically begging for a new NASCAR game. NASCAR 25 roars onto the scene, promising authentic racing and stunning visuals. But does it deliver, or is it just another contender in a crowded field? Let's dive into the good, the bad, and whether you should drop your hard-earned cash on this one.
Gameplay & Presentation: A Visual and Aural Feast
Firing up NASCAR 25, you're greeted by a sleek main menu offering Career, Quick Race, Online, and Championship modes. Forget generic elevator music, the soundtrack slaps. Featuring artists like System of a Down, Killer Mike (with Anthony Hamilton!), and Jelly Roll, the diverse mix keeps each race feeling fresh and surprisingly authentic to the sport's Southern roots. Think high-octane energy meets down-home grit.
Once you're rubber-to-the-road, the improvements are undeniable. The car physics feel real. You can feel the weight transfer as you dive into corners, battling for every inch of grip. It's a level of immersion that's been missing from NASCAR games for far too long. Quick Race mode is your immediate gateway to the action, offering a warm-up lap and a chance to sample different series, drivers, and tracks.
The game's visuals are equally impressive. Lighting is dynamic, with evening reflections shimmering off the track and car bodies, amplifying the sense of speed. Even minor collisions leave their mark – realistic dents and scrapes appear on your fenders, without over-the-top, distracting debris. It's a sweet spot between realism and visual polish.
Collisions feel impactful, too. Every bump and scrape affects your car's handling. And the AI? They actually make mistakes – overshooting corners, losing grip – adding a layer of unpredictability that keeps races tense and exciting. But here's where it gets controversial... Some of the bigger crashes can trigger a few graphical glitches, a reminder that even the best simulations aren't immune to the occasional bug. Are these minor hiccups a deal-breaker? We'll get to that.
Throughout my playthrough, the frame rate remained smooth and consistent, even during intense traffic or massive pileups. The sound design is top-notch. Engines roar with convincing depth, and the screech of tires adds another layer of realism to the racing experience. Lime Rock Park's tree-lined greens and Daytona International Speedway's meticulously designed track highlight the diversity of circuits across the series.
NASCAR 25 boasts a wide array of vehicles and drivers from the Cup, Xfinity, Craftsman Truck, and ARCA Menards Series, each with authentic rosters and unique handling characteristics. You'll find top names like Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano representing the sport's elite. The contrast between the heavy stock cars and lighter vehicles adds depth and challenge, giving players a true sense of progression as they move between divisions. This is a huge plus for series veterans and newcomers alike.
Career Mode: From Rookie to Legend
Career Mode kicks off with a heartfelt tribute to Dale Earnhardt Jr., blending nostalgia with modern ambition. After entering your name, you dive straight into racing – no lengthy tutorials. Driver customization is simple, focusing on your name and avatar, but the real customization comes with your car. You can tweak your car, suit, and helmet with countless color, decal, and pattern options.
Compared to F1 games, where driver customization is more limited, NASCAR 25 focuses its creative energy on the car. The customization tools rival F1's livery system in depth, while the extensive suit and helmet options make your ride feel truly personal. It's a perfect fit for a sport where the car is a driver's identity.
Your shop becomes the heart of your journey. You'll select your manufacturer (Chevrolet, Ford, or Toyota) and the series for your paint kits (ARCA Menards, Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, or Cup Series). This step defines your team's identity before you design your car's look and branding. The color palettes are extensive, turning your car into a canvas for expression. Manage your sponsors, paint schemes, and crew hires here.
Career Mode is more than just racing. Reputation is key – clean driving earns respect, while aggressive moves can make you a target. And this is the part most people miss... The progression can feel grindy for casual players, but it offers depth for hardcore fans. Each event earns bonuses tied to your reputation, and interactions on the in-game social media feed can boost or damage your standing. Can you handle the pressure?
Between races, you'll manage your garage, repairing or replacing worn parts and selling older components for cash. Recruit agents and mechanics, and manage your budget to stay competitive. Career Mode introduces Work Points (WP), earned after each race, as team currency to upgrade your garage, staff, and facilities. WP replenishes after each race, so spend strategically before the next event. This encourages smart resource management.
Sponsor appearances and PR events provide extra income and unlock new partnerships. Progress cleanly, and you'll unlock new series opportunities that reward skill and patience. Higher difficulty settings yield better payouts and bonuses for top finishes.
Every race feels competitive. Post-race replays, reputation systems, and repair costs all contribute to your long-term success. As you progress, new racing series become available, adding variety and difficulty. Career Mode offers plenty to master, especially for hardcore players aiming for cleaner lines, better finishes, and higher rankings.
Championship Mode: A Direct Path to Glory
Championship Mode offers a streamlined way to chase a title without the deeper management of Career Mode. Compete in condensed or full seasons across the Cup, Xfinity, Craftsman Truck, and ARCA Menards Series with authentic drivers, cars, and tracks. Create unique championships like a 'Crown Jewel' season or a short custom calendar.
Tailor your season length and track selection, making it ideal for a quicker, more direct championship experience. While Career Mode focuses on climbing from the ARCA Menards Series and managing sponsors, staff, and upgrades, Championship Mode emphasizes pure racing performance. It's a flexible setup for both casual and competitive fans.
Settings & Difficulty: Fine-Tuning Your Experience
NASCAR 25's settings menu is detailed, giving players fine control over assists and AI difficulty. Switch between automatic and manual transmission, use brake smoothing for stable turns, and use car identifiers to keep track positions clear. You can even toggle cockpit steering wheel visibility and customize the digital dash display style. Damage settings range from light to full, with tire wear and fuel consumption scaling from normal to 4x normal for realism. AI sliders adjust driver skill, recovery, consistency, and impact behavior. These options let players shape their perfect racing experience.
The difficulty level presets also make a difference. These presets adjust the driving aids you receive — such as driving assist, stability help, and wall avoidance — and the change is immediately noticeable when switching to a higher difficulty. On Expert mode, the car feels raw and demanding, and staying under control truly makes you feel like an expert driver.
Online Multiplayer: Chaos and Competition
Online play is where NASCAR 25 becomes a different beast entirely. Live events rotate featuring popular tracks and ranked leaderboards track your wins, lap times, and total races. You start at Class C and work your way up to S-Rank by filling a progress bar based on clean, competitive racing performance. Lobby settings can vary from casual to expert, with realistic damage and stricter collision rules in higher-ranked races.
Matches can get chaotic – some players race clean, others treat it like a demolition derby. That unpredictability gives online sessions their charm. The servers generally hold up well, and matchmaking feels quick, though chat options remain limited. Fan feedback has been mixed overall: many praise the immersion and potential, but common complaints include weak or inconsistent wheel feedback, occasional crashes, strict track-limit penalties, and a lack of deeper matchmaking features. Still, most agree the online foundation is solid and steadily improving with each update. Is the online experience a diamond in the rough, or just plain rough?
Final Verdict: A Return to Form, With Room to Grow - 8.5/10
NASCAR 25 is a welcome return to form. It blends realism, customization, and fan passion into one cohesive experience that rewards skill and patience. From its deep career mode to its competitive online play, it's clear iRacing poured effort into making this the most complete NASCAR title in years.
Sure, there are dents – occasional bugs, inconsistent wheel feedback, and online quirks that still need smoothing out – but those are fixable. What matters most is that NASCAR 25 feels authentic. It captures the rush of speed, the tension of a close finish, and the satisfaction of seeing your custom ride cross the line first.
For racing fans, the wait was worth it. But is it perfect? No. Is it a strong foundation for future iterations? Absolutely. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below! Does NASCAR 25 live up to the hype, or does it still have a ways to go to reach the checkered flag?
Reviewed on PS5
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About the author
Prince is a 30-year combat sports and video games enthusiast with five years of combat sports content creation experience. His specialties are fight breakdowns, fighter performances and reporting on the biggest news and events in the world of MMA and UFC.
