The highly anticipated NASCAR 25 game launch issues have caused widespread distress among players just days before its console release on October 14, 2025, as iRacing Studios faces mounting backlash over technical problems and gameplay bugs. Faced with mounting frustration from its community, the development team has issued a public apology and pledged to resolve these critical launch setbacks as quickly as possible.
Anticipated Debut Marred by Technical Glitches
NASCAR 25 was set to offer racing fans a comprehensive experience, featuring all four national racing series—Cup, Xfinity, Truck, and ARCA—across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam on PC. Promising realism through laser-scanned tracks, a deep career mode, and a massive roster of 190 drivers with over 400 authentic paint schemes, the title was supposed to revitalize NASCAR gaming after years of underwhelming entries such as NASCAR 21: Ignition.
Yet as the game became available, users quickly encountered major flaws undermining gameplay. Most notable was the force feedback malfunction affecting popular steering wheels from brands like Logitech and Fanatec. Reports of unresponsive or erratic feedback have severely impacted the driving experience, making the game difficult for racing enthusiasts who rely on wheel setups for immersion.
The developers acknowledged the problem and addressed the urgency, stating,
“We are aware of the force feedback issues with some wheels in NASCAR 25 and have been working through the night to get a fix into the pipeline as quickly as possible,”
according to the development team. This open admission aimed to reassure the community that resolution was in progress, but issues have persisted nonetheless.
Gameplay and Online Racing Issues Expose Deeper Problems
The initial excitement over the new career mode, which immerses players from ARCA garages to the heights of Cup racing with contract negotiations and off-track challenges, quickly gave way to complaints as stability bugs emerged. Early access testers reported officiating errors including the mishandling of late-race cautions, which could incorrectly spark restarts and dramatically alter race outcomes.
Online features have also come under fire. The phenomenon of ‘ghosting’—whereby cars phase through one another during races—has become widespread, disrupting fair competition by ruining drafting and wheel-to-wheel battles. Players have taken to forums and social platforms to express their frustration, describing situations where a leading pack inexplicably turns intangible, leading to unpredictable and unfair racing outcomes.
One user voiced the community’s growing unrest with a direct criticism:
“Kinda rough having all these launch issues when you chose to release the game earlier than expected. How were issues like this not picked up during testing? I get the game being barebones being the first game, but the game shouldn’t have been released if it wasn’t finished,”
another blasted.
Fan sentiment has soured further with the lack of H-pattern shifter support in online modes. While the game was marketed as a simulation, it currently limits players to paddle shifters, excluding those who favor traditional manual shifting and clutch operation. The authenticity gap has left many feeling alienated, especially when the series’ realism was a central selling point.
Community Feedback and Developer Response Under the Microscope
Multiple testers downgraded their ratings, citing the barebones structure and the persistence of fundamental glitches that suggested the game had been rushed to market before critical polish and testing were completed. Players pointed to glitches missed in pre-release, from erratic artificial intelligence and unrealistic pit stop behaviors to missing elements like victory lap burnouts, all contributing to a sense of incompleteness.
Addressing these widespread problems, the team shared,
“We apologize to all our fans, and are working diligently with members of the community across many different…,”
according to the developers, highlighting their attempts to maintain open communication and incorporate feedback. However, for many in the community, apologies alone are proving insufficient in the face of persistent technical troubles and gameplay gaps.
One user further underscored the ongoing skepticism toward promised solutions for online play:
“Cool. Can you make online racing not shit as well while you’re at it? The constant ghosting is ruining races. The number of times a pack behind got a draft off me just for them to turn ghost once in front is bullshit,”
a user raged.
NASCAR Gaming’s Troubled Legacy and the Struggle to Improve
These problems are not new to the NASCAR gaming franchise, which has faced a pattern of rocky launches and community disappointment. NASCAR 21: Ignition’s release in 2021 was marked by widespread bugs, absent features, and a disastrously low Metacritic score, resulting in refunds and an extended patch cycle. Even EA’s NASCAR titles, such as those released in the mid-2000s, came under heavy criticism for stagnation and technical shortcomings.
Although iRacing Studios brought fresh optimism due to its reputation in simulation racing, omissions in the track list—including ARCA’s Berlin, Elko, Salem, Toledo, and Cup venues like Bowman Gray and Mexico City—sparked complaints even before the latest launch. When paired with missing victory celebrations and gameplay shortcomings, fans voiced disappointment, concerned that the game would not live up to expectations.
One frustrated tester foreshadowed the decline in ratings:
“Like I was saying, this game is going to have glitches, but nobody believed me. Now look what everybody’s finding out, glitches in the game, it’s only a three-star rated game if it keeps it up, I’m going to move my stars down to two,”
one tester warned.
Mounting Pressure for Action and Change
The force feedback glitch remains a top concern for wheel users, while multiplayer fans demand immediate fixes to game-ruining ghosting and officiating errors. Testers and reviewers now question whether the rushed release was justified, particularly since several core gameplay aspects remain broken or unfinished. With anxiety and discontent visible across fan communities, the call for tangible improvements has reached a fever pitch.
The development team remains in damage-control mode, stating,
“We are aware of the force feedback issues with some wheels in NASCAR 25 and have been working through the night to get a fix into the pipeline as quickly as possible. We apologize to all our fans, and are working diligently with members of the community across many different…,”
the devs said, echoing a plea for patience. The tension is evident, as skepticism grows among testers, online racers, and sim racing enthusiasts alike.
Looking Ahead as Fans Wait for Solutions
The chaos surrounding the NASCAR 25 game launch issues has prompted an intense reaction from fans, testers, and the broader NASCAR community. Entities like Paul Wolfe and iRacing Studios are spotlighted as the company attempts to steer the narrative toward improvement, yet the backlash shows no signs of abating without meaningful updates. While the public apology may have provided a brief olive branch, fans remain restless, expecting swift and comprehensive fixes to restore trust and credibility in the series.
If the developers deliver effective solutions and listen closely to player feedback, NASCAR 25 may yet recover and become a competitive title in the sim racing space. Until then, the franchise finds itself at a crossroads, challenged to break free from its past of troubled releases and deliver an authentic, reliable experience for dedicated NASCAR fans and the broader sim and multiplayer gaming audience.
We are aware of the force feedback issues with some wheels in NASCAR 25 and have been working through the night to get a fix into the pipeline as quickly as possible.
We apologize to all our fans, and are working diligently with members of the community across many different…
— NASCAR 25 Game (@Nascar25Game) October 10, 2025
