Sim Racing — news

Motorsport Games has published the 2026 special event calendar for Le Mans Ultimate, the official racing simulator of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The schedule confirms dates for the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside several venues still marked as to be announced. The calendar outlines a series of marquee events planned for the sim racing title throughout the year, though full details on some locations remain pending. The 24 Hours of Le Mans event date has been locked in as part of the confirmed fixture list.

Mitsubishi will be added to the roster of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown as part of Season 7, arriving alongside the Nissan R34 GT-R in a major update scheduled for 2 September.

Forza Horizon 6 enters a new seasonal chapter with Series 4: Mascot Party, running from 13 August through 10 September. The update introduces ten vehicles to the Festival Playlist, five of which are new to the franchise or the game, alongside fresh stadium activities and expanded EventLab tools. The new car roster includes the Honda N600 (1970), Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (2024), Exomotive Exocet Sport V8 XP-5, Toyota Celica GT (1974), and Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R (1988). Returning vehicles are the Renault 8 Gordini, Datsun 2000 Roadster, Abarth 695 Biposto, Toyota MR2 SC, and Dodge Dart HEMI Super Stock. The stadium zone will function as an evolving world location for the first time, hosting the Edamame Time Attack Circuit for four weeks with an online leaderboard. EventLab receives 47 new objects for creators, including flags, billboards, barriers, garages, motorcycles, and decorative elements. The update also adds new horn sounds, a Dango costume, and accessibility support for ASL and BSL. A September update will focus on British vehicles.

Le Mans Ultimate has received patch 1.4.1, addressing stability problems that emerged following the major 1.4 update. The patch targets server crashes, RaceControl failures, rating errors, tyre display glitches, and event connection issues that plagued the online experience. Developer Motorsport Games has resolved multiple causes of server instability and improved RaceControl reliability. A bug causing tyres to display as INVALID has been corrected. Single-player improvements include fixes to AI behaviour at pit stops—drivers no longer reverse into other cars or struggle to exit the pits safely when traffic is present. A new Race Weekend variant, US on Tour, has been added to offline racing. The mode allows players to construct IMSA-style events using cars from multiple seasons and classes in a more streamlined format. Track-specific refinements have been applied across Daytona, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, and Imola, including adjustments to track limits, shadows, kerbs, AI racing lines, and visual anomalies.

iRacing's 2026 Season 3, Week 9 (August 11–17) features a diverse racing calendar spanning multiple disciplines and regions. The week is headlined by the iRacing Portimao 1000, a special endurance event running August 14–15 that revisits classic sports car racing with 215 laps around Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, contested in multiclass team format. Among the weekly series, the newly launched iRacing DTM Series reaches Week 6 of 8 at Nürburgring Grand-Prix-Strecke – Sprintstrecke, with 55-minute fixed-setup races offering free car selection. The NASCAR iRacing Series continues its 36-week campaign at Richmond Raceway (Week 24), while the INDYCAR iRacing Series moves to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for Week 14 of 17. The CREVENTIC Endurance Series reaches Week 3 of 5 at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya – Historic, and dirt oval racing continues with the Dirt 410 Sprint Car Tour at Knoxville Raceway (Week 26) and the Dirt Super Late Model Tour at Volusia Speedway Park (Week 28). Regional competition intensifies with the FIA F4 Esports Regional Tours and GT3 Regional Tours both in Week 9, offering qualification pathways for their respective global championships. The F4 series races at Summit Point (Americas), Winton Motor Raceway (Asia-Pacific), and Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (Europe), while GT3 contests Mid-Ohio, Tsukuba, and Nevers Magny-Cours across the same regions. Daily racing series continue with fixed-setup options including the Ring Meister series featuring the Ligier JS P320 at Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Draft Master Challenge by SIMAGIC running legacy NASCAR stock cars at Daytona, and the Rain Master Challenge by Podium1 offering wet-weather GT3 racing at MotorLand Aragón. The newly introduced FIA Cross Car Championship at rookie level provides mixed-surface rallycross racing at Daytona Rallycross.

Rennsport has announced that the final round of its R1 sim racing competition will take place at SimRacing Expo Frankfurt in 2026. The in-person event will serve as the culmination of the competition series.

Forza Horizon 6 is launching Series 4, titled Mascot Party, which introduces five new vehicles alongside returning models available through the festival playlist progression system. The update also brings back the dynamic world stadium feature, which includes a time attack mode for players to compete in.

Forza Horizon 6's Car Pass DLC brings a roster of vehicles to the racing simulation across PC, Xbox and PlayStation 5. A comprehensive guide to every car included in the pass has been compiled, detailing the full lineup available to players who purchase the downloadable content. The Car Pass vehicles span multiple manufacturers and vehicle classes, offering sim racers and casual players alike a range of machines to explore within the game's open-world environment. The guide has been updated to reflect the current state of the DLC offering.

The iRacing Creventic Endurance Series is set to resume in 2026, marking the fifth consecutive year of collaboration between iRacing and Creventic, the organizers of the real-world 24H Series. The championship will maintain its team-based endurance racing format across a curated selection of international circuits. The 2026 calendar comprises five events, combining multiple 12-hour races with a season-closing 24-hour endurance challenge. All 12-hour races will adhere to the established Creventic time slots, with events commencing at 01:00 GMT and 13:00 GMT on Saturdays. The series continues to position itself as an accessible entry point for endurance racing within the iRacing membership base. Full details regarding event scheduling, car lineups, and additional series information are available on the iRacing Forums.

iRacing is hosting the Portimão 1000, a multiclass endurance race presented by Simucube, taking place across five time slots from Friday 22:00 GMT through Sunday 00:00 GMT. The event features nearly six hours of racing—215 laps—around the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, with five separate start times to accommodate global participation. The race field comprises three classes: HPD ARX-01c prototypes competing for outright victory, GT1 machinery including the Aston Martin DBR9 and Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, and GT2 cars led by the Ford GT. Teams may field between two and 16 drivers under the sim's fair-share system. The third time slot on Saturday at 12:00 GMT (8:00 a.m. ET) will be broadcast live via RACESPOT on iRacing.com/live. Participants must hold a Sports Car license at Class C or higher, or Class D with a 4.0 Safety Rating minimum. Open setup and dynamic weather are enabled. The disqualification threshold is set at 100 incident points per team, with Stop and Go penalties beginning after 35 incidents. Splits can accommodate up to 60 teams. Portimão, which opened in 2008, is a 4.653 km circuit known for significant elevation changes and a mix of tight and sweeping corners. The track has previously hosted the Portuguese Grand Prix twice and the 6 Hours of Portimão, among other international motorsport events. The iRacing event revisits the classic Portimão 1000 endurance race format, which was first run in 2009 in International Sports Car competition.

iRacing has introduced a new DTM Series featuring races at the Nurburgring, bringing the format of Germany's premier touring car championship to the simulation platform. Races are scheduled for Thursday evenings with staggered start times at 8 PM across AEDT, CET, ET, and PT zones to accommodate the global iRacing community. The series employs a 55-minute timed race format that mirrors the real-world DTM structure. Competitors will drive the 2026 DTM specification cars, with fuel tank capacity limited to introduce pit strategy elements into each race. Full details about the iRacing DTM Series are available on the iRacing website.

Over the Hill, the upcoming driving exploration game from Funselektor and Strelka Games, will launch on 14 October 2026 for PC via Steam. Console versions are planned for 2027. The indie title has already accumulated over 1.2 million wishlist additions on Steam, a significant milestone for an independent release. Funselektor's track record includes Art of Rally, Absolute Drift, and Golden Lap—projects known for their distinctive visual style and automotive focus. A playable demo appeared during Steam Next Fest in June, featuring a Canadian map, a single vehicle type, and customisation options. Rather than a time-trial experience, Over the Hill emphasises relaxed exploration and cooperative play for up to four players, with an emphasis on discovering routes, experimenting with terrain, and enjoying the drive with friends.