Sim Racing Features The OverTake Community Wants Improved The Most

Last week, we ran a poll on the homepage asking what areas of sim racing development do not get the attention they deserve and which games do what best.

Covering all sorts of topics from Force Feedback to overall Optimisation and more in-depth areas such as User Interface and Audio, the poll received no fewer than 1,146 responses. Spreading nicely across the different possible answers, there were unsurprisingly a few standouts providing us, and hopefully developers, with a keen idea as to what the community is looking for in 2025.

Indeed, it was no shock to see singleplayer-centric areas like AI and Career Mode rank highly alongside Optimisation following some of the more troubled recent releases. Here are all the elements that we, the OverTake community wants focus on in 2025 and the simulators that cater well in their current state.

Results of a poll asking for the sim racing game features lacking development.

Half of Sim Racers Want Better AI​

Whilst the rest of the world is going crazy around the development of Artificial Intelligence, seemingly implementing it into everything from businesses to cakes, AI in sim racing is certainly falling behind – meaning computer-controlled opponents, in this case.

Unsurprisingly, well over half of those responding to last week’s poll said they would like to see AI improved upon in racing games. In total, 677 of you voted for AI as a top element in need of love, that represents 59.1% of responses.

Trawling through the comments, there are a number of games that frequently appear as having some of the best and most convincing AI in sim racing. Similarly to our recent guide on the best sportscar AI, these include Automobilista 2, iRacing and Le Mans Ultimate. However, @theguy69 pointed out that the former does struggle versus its rivals when it comes to strategic decisions.

Some say LMU has the best sim racing game AI. Image: Studio 397

Another title highlighted by @Celestiale was RaceRoom Racing Experience mentioning how convincing its AI is: “I think you can barely say if a Race is online or against AI in Raceroom. If I would be an offline racer, Raceroom is all I’d do all day.“

On the other end of the spectrum, Kunos-developed games are typically highlighted as featuring some of the worst and most basic AI in sim racing. Assetto Corsa Competizione was certainly an improvement over the AI in Assetto Corsa, getting more consistent. But they still lack a sense of believability and realism to the trains they form. Assetto Corsa EVO recently launched with AI that we would not yet consider usable.

In the world of console sim racing, Forza Motorsport falls behind Gran Turismo 7 in many aspects and AI is no doubt one of them, especially when using the latter’s Sophy system that appears almost life-like in wheel-to-wheel scenarios.

Best Sim Racing Game Career Modes​

Tying in nicely with offline AI opponents is a more structured game mode than the simple Race Weekend format most sim racers are used to. There is a reason few of us explore outside the world of single race weekends and that is because, much like AI, Career Mode and Progression is a feature rarely developed in sim racing games. As a result, some 36.9% of responses voted for the poll option.

OverTake user @Zemlanin hammered this point in in their comment saying, “what has ceased to exist at all, as if it had never been, is a career. The last place it was implemented well in my opinion are pC1 and pC2.” The Project CARS games by Slightly Mad Studios definitely feature a nice progression to their Career Modes from lower motorsport levels up to the big leagues along with plenty of immersive additions, although they also did not quite make the most of this potential.

Other games with working progression systems for offline players include Assetto Corsa Competizione and EA Sports WRC, though with very repetitive seasons and little immersion to note, they have little replayability for these modes in our opinion. Furthermore, only focusing on base game content without exploring the numerous DLC packs available for either title, both Careers can feel of narrow scope.

On the other hand, the F1 series of games does have a relatively well-implemented Career Mode, with the teams gaining or losing performance over the course of the seasons, drivers switching teams, and more.

The EA Sports WRC Career Mode can be dry. Image: EA Sports

Console racing games Gran Turismo 7 and Forza Motorsport both have in-depth singleplayer career modes, though both differ dramatically in design. The former follows a more traditional driver path as you progress through the ranks of motor racing whilst Forza sees the focus switch from the driver to the car in a novel way. That being said, few racers have gravitated towards its quirky, forward-thinking format.

Assetto Corsa Evo is one game that is difficult to pinpoint in its current state having just received the first steps of a Career with its Special Events and Driving Academy modes. But both shortened by the game’s early access state and unsatisfying to progress through with no sense of acheivment, we recommend waiting until the game receives a bit more content to truly judge it.

Other titles with single player career modes on the horizon include Le Mans Ultimate and iRacing whilst Automobilista 2‘s developers Reiza Studios are focusing on filling the content list before diving into its planned “Most comprehensive Career Mode ever designed for a racing game.”

Finally, whilst it may have some of the best AI in racing games, there is little to do in RaceRoom with its total lack of any Career Mode.

Racing Game Damage Needs Work in 2025​

The third most popular racing game area of development according to our poll was Damage, an often over-looked element of the sim racing experience that earned a surprising 27% of votes. Certainly, the majority of games appear scared of showing their licensed cars with anything more than a few scrapes.

Those most guilty of such practices are Gran Turismo, every Assetto Corsa game, Le Mans Ultimate and RaceRoom. Visually, these titles may, if you are lucky, show the odd dent and scratch in the bodywork, but rarely will you see panels falling off cars and littering the road behind, nor will the car’s structure ever deform very much. Nevertheless, crashing will impact the driving characteristics of your car.

There are some sim racing games that offer more believable damage simulation however, namely iRacing with its New Damage Model. Not only do body parts bend, flex and drop off, but they also spend a good amount of time on-track providing obstacles for cars behind. This may even cause other cars damage as a result. Automobilista 2, the Forza franchise and EA Sports WRC equally see fairly extensive visual damage models, with AMS2 offering a fairly deep mechanical damage model as well, followed by EA WRC and then Forza.

Finally, there is a pair of titles that go the extra mile when it comes to simulating the deformation of body work and crumbling of chassis structure. Wreckfest is a fun demolition derby racing game available on all consoles and PC with a fantastic, if not exaggerated damage model. Meanwhile, BeamNG.drive is one of the most popular car games on Steam each month thanks to its very detailed soft-body physics allowing for impressive crashes. In fact, @Elmar3rd used the Early Access title as the benchmark for all sim racing titles: “Of course, there’s always room for improvement, such as BeamNG-style damage.“

Sim Racing Optimisation Issues​

In recent years, sim racing and gaming as a whole appear to be almost regressing in one key point, optimisation and polish. Launching in early access, Le Mans Ultimate and Assetto Corsa EVO have both recently come under scrutiny for their stutters, bugs and poor performance, though the former has now had a year to vastly improve its optimisation, which worked well for many sim racers, but not for others.

Meanwhile, EA Sports WRC released as a full release some 18 months ago and yet still suffers from poor performance with heavy stutters on certain stages and countless glitches for some users.

Optimisation in Assetto Corsa EVO needs a lot of development. Image: Kunos Simulazioni

So it is no surprise that some 24.3% of responses to our poll last week voted for Optimisation as a key area developers need to focus. In fact, @Slapped was harsh but fair in their comment: “The only major difference I can tell between a sim from 10 years ago and a sim released in the past year is how much worse the quality of visuals for the frame rate has got. This is one area where everything has gone seriously backwards.“

OverTake user, @M1GHTY M4VS was keen to point out how more recent game engines with their significant graphical quality do have an impact on hardware. But more than anything stressed how various system setups will cope with these engines in different ways leading to an infinite amount of combinations developers have to work towards. “There have been wildly different results among ACE Players with similar specs.“

Overall, it is difficult to list the most optimised sim racing games as each system will run each game differently. However, one can easily scroll through forums to realise that the aforementioned EA Sports WRC, Assetto Corsa EVO and Le Mans Ultimate can be among the most difficult to run. Meanwhile, older titles like Assetto Corsa and iRacing appear easy to run with Automobilista 2 also nicely optimised, especially in VR.

Best Modding Support in Sim Racing​

With an extensive collection of third party creations filling the Downloads section, OverTake is nothing if not attuned with the modding culture that dominates the sim racing space. Whilst there is a lot of potential for improvements and customisation in racing games, there is still an argument for further ease of use and deeper implications. With that in mind, some 223 people, or 19.5% of voters selected the poll option.

Mods in Assetto Corsa are seemingly endless. Image: Kunos Simulazioni

An excellent example of the best modding support in sim racing is the original Assetto Corsa with the game getting a total third-party overhaul over the past decade. Experiencing a similar onslaught of community creations however is BeamNG.Drive with a large selection of mods available to install in-game. This integrated mods library is something other sims could learn from.

In general, most PC-based simulators can accept mods, though these are commonly liveries or smaller intricacies rather than game-changing revolutions. Automobilista 2 is an example for this, as car and track mods are very hard to realize, while liveries and AI files are much more common. Similarly, ACC‘s modding capabilities essentially end with custom liveries, too.

Best Car Customisation in Racing Games​

Similar to sim racing modding is the in-game ability to customise one’s car. Be it with a fancy body kit, fuzzy dice or cool underglow, many motoring enthusiasts love nothing more than a unique whip. But not all games offer the ability to personalise vehicles – in fact very few do.

It is more frequent on the console and sim-cade side of things where games like Forza Horizon and Motorsport as well as Gran Turismo 7 offer a plethora of modification opportunities to all their cars. Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown has the ability to specify a car from the dealership, but does not go as deep as Forza Horizon outside of that.

Car customisation in Forza Horizon 5 is second to none. Image: Playground Games

This is also possible to a certain degree in Assetto Corsa EVO. Whilst more is coming for the title including custom body panels, the Early Access title currently allows players to tweak every inch of their cars as per the manufacturer options list. So if you prefer a BMW M4 CSL with carbon kicks and flicks, you are welcome to tick that option.

For the motorsport fanatics, car development is also a lacking feature across the board with only EA truly giving players what they want in both EA Sports WRC with its Builder Cars and Formula One games like F1 24 with the My Team career mode.

In total, 17.9% of poll participants said they would like to see developers improve car customisation in racing games. However, it seems those more focused on the racing than a title’s gamification disregarded this point as shown by @Slapped wondering if it is “really an issue.”

Sim Racing Physics Still Need Work​

Among the more subjective elements to each sim racing game is physics and that reflects in the comments under last week’s poll. Whilst 17.5% of replies voted for the development of physics in sim racing, the comments show a far more divisive story.

The best physics in sim racing is a subjective matter. Image: KW Studios

Some users such as @pz666 believe there is a lot more to be done before reaching a fully realistic physics model, saying: “It’s clearly physics… We’re at best getting 60% of reality with the games out there now with these mini games around tyre pressures.“

Meanwhile, other OT users agree that the majority of sim racing enthusiasts, having never placed themselves behind the wheel of a real race car at pace, will not notice the subtle differences between a perfect representation and more simplified model. @Celestiale said, “Physics are so good by now, that noone would notice, if it becomes more or less realistic” whilst @Slapped continued the sentiment: “A sim could come along with absolutely perfect physics and we wouldn’t notice.”

Best Games for Livery Editing​

Earlier on, we touched on car customisation as a feature in dire need of development according to the OverTake community. But the poll also highlighted a desire for greater livery editing specifically. Touching up body panels and scrolling through wheel manufacturers is fun for the die-hard car enthusiasts, but simply showing off your personal colours is a good enough start it seems.

Some 13.8% of responses voted for greater livery editors in sim racing games though this is something that a number of sims actually do well to a certain degree. Though liveries are perhaps less important in rallying, EA Sports WRC has a fantastic editor allowing players to apply vinyl shapes, sponsor logos and overall colour schemes to their cars. Similarly, Assetto Corsa Competizione gets a basic but decently capable in-game livery editor.

These more PC-based titles cannot rival the designers present in Forza games and Gran Turismo 7 however with the most talented of artists able to perfectly recreate real world designs.

Elsewhere, PC sim racers can alter the back end files of cars to make totally custom liveries on Photoshop – or your preferred design tool. However, this does require a lot of practice with said software to truly get the most out of it. There are thousands of different skins and livery packs available to download for various titles right here on OverTake with Automobilista 2 and Assetto Corsa best implementing AI car packs.

Which Sim Racing Game has the Best Weather?​

Last year, iRacing launched its Tempest weather system firmly and inarguably placing it at the top of the tree for sim racing weather systems. However, with 13.2% of voters suggesting that weather in racing games still needs a lot of work, it seems the rest of the industry has work to do to catch up.

Vocal commenter @Celestiale suggests that two games are hot on iRacing‘s heels. “Weather features are quite good in AMS2 and LMU and it will become even better in LMU, but to be really realistic (wet line, realistic water dispersion via cars, wind, sun) there is still some way to go,” they said.

However, @Slapped was keen to point out that the feature’s development may be a waste of time. “This is one of those really cool to have features, until you actually get “weather”, and then you turn it off.”

Either way, most other games feature a form of dynamic weather system with ACC, ACE and Gran Turismo 7 also proving quite advanced. The original Assetto Corsa on the other hand relies on third party mods to implement rain and other handling-altering conditions.

User Interface Development in Racing Games​

Scroll to the second page of the poll’s comments and you will find @Astraxis vocalising their frustrations at the development of UI and UX in recent titles. “The lack of attention to UI/UX is shocking,” they said, adding that “Gran Turismo thrives on good UI design, it’s (almost) more important than the driving itself, basically every sim ignores this.“

It seems they are not the only ones bored of plain and uninspired menus as 109 others voted for the feature in our poll. Whether or not it is more important than the driving is up for debate, but certainly Gran Turismo has always injected a bit of jovial fun into its games via graphics and GT7 is no different.

Gran Turismo 7 probably has the best UI in Racing games. Image: Polyphony

All other games appear to follow a similar blocky design as pointed out by @M1GHTY M4VS. “Rectangles or Squares takes very much screen real estate (as in the user would touch the screen with his fingers to interact – but it actually doesn’t happen as it’s not on a Mobile Screen,” they said.

Best Sim Racing Graphics​

Photorealism is something many sim racers aim for in their games with the likes of EA WRC, iRacing and Assetto Corsa getting countless so-called reshade mods. These refresh the colour tone of the game to make for more realistic graphics.

Some 9.3% of votes suggested that graphics could do with work in racing games. But this depends on the game as most popular titles today such as RaceRoom and iRacing could now be considered vintage titles, both launched well over a decade ago. The same is true for the original AC, though mods do elevate its looks.

More recent titles from Kunos Simulazioni certainly make the most of their fresh releases however as both Assetto Corsa Competizione and AC Evo are among the prettiest titles on the market – albeit with ACC‘s Unreal Engine providing difficult to run for some machines.

Graphics in AC Evo are great if you can run them. Image: Kunos Simulazioni

Elsewhere, Le Mans Ultimate may trace its roots back to a decade-old game in rFactor 2, but it is certainly a good-looking title with high-end graphics. LMU has some of the most immersive lighting of any racing game on sale and pairs that with highly detailed tracks and cars.

As mentioned before, Automobilista 2 also ranks among the better-looking sims out there in 2025, and at a very moderate impact on performance.

Despite being built to run on consoles like the Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5, Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon 5 and Gran Turismo 7 all look great. But the PS5-only GT7 no doubt edges above the rest as the console racing game with the best graphics.

Best Force Feedback in Sim Racing​

Force Feedback is yet another controversial topic in sim racing due to its subjectivity, and much like graphics in racing games, 9.3% of poll participants said FFB in sim racing lacks development. Certainly with each game tackling steering force differently, it is clear that racing games are yet to find the perfect approach for realism, but that is not to say that it needs to. Force Feedback is not entirely a real thing, more so a system to replace the seat of your pants feeling you get in a real life race car.

Whilst unpopular among many sim racers, the ability to customise FFB in AMS2 is very in-depth. In fact, you can download specific Automobilista 2 Force Feedback files right here on OverTake.

As a subjective feature, it is hard to say which game gets Force Feedback right and which get it wrong. Each game approaches it from its own angle which requires trial and error to get right. Failing your own testing, there are countless Force Feedback guides on OverTake for every game on the market.

The best Force Feedback in sim racing is subjective and depends on wheel settings as well as personal preference. Image: Kunos Simulazioni

EA Sports WRC has a very basic set of Force Feedback settings, for which you can find our guide here. On the other hand, Forza Motorsport FFB requires a lot of tweaking across its numerous sliders that we explain here. Beware of strong wheel Force Feedback in BeamNG as its wheel settings can be dangerous at times. As one of the newest games on the market, Assetto Corsa EVO Force Feedback is in its infancy and here is our guide on getting the most out of its FFB with what Kunos themselves suggest for different models of wheelbases.

Where to Race Online​

According to Motorsport Games CEO Stephen Hood, who is in charge of Le Mans Ultimate development, the Studio 397 dev team will be focusing on features catered towards the online experience in LMU for the time being. This is sure to please the 105 racers that suggested online racing is a key feature in need of development across sim racing.

That being said, Le Mans Ultimate is often praised for its commendable net code as well as its integration of ranked racing directly into the game. LMU sits alongside iRacing as one of the better titles for easy online competition without the use of a third-party website. Whilst RaceRoom also has in-game competition systems, participation levels are not quite on par with both Le Mans Ultimate and iRacing.

In fact, many titles like ACC, AMS2 and the original AC require the use of an external website to race in a competitive situation with ranking. The OverTake Racing Club is one of many organisations providing players with clean, fun online sim racing.

Audio: Important to Sim Racers​

Tied with online competition in our poll of features in need of development in racing games was audio, also getting 9.2% of votes. That being said, many commenters like @Slapped were of the opinion that little can be done to the sound in sim racing suggesting that “audio has peaked“.

On the other hand, @Vintagedriver01 highlighted that perhaps it isn’t car audio that needs work, but rather the surrounding environment, saying: “It’s all so basic, static and sterile, while at the real racetrack there is always a lot of activity moving around and specific sound of the circuit announcer & crowd.” Certainly the addition of hustle and bustle of the paddock would add to the immersion of titles.

Some games like Assetto Corsa Competizione and Le Mans Ultimate already have distant commentator audio from the pitlane whilst those familiar with the racing environment will recognise the pitlane siren present in AMS2. But in general, it is true that whilst in-car audio is very detailed, external noises do fall in comparison.

Much like graphics and physics however, audio is a subjective thing with some racers preferring titles that others do not.

HUD in Sim Racing: As good as an be?​

Receiving far fewer votes than other features in sim racing games, the HUD is still a critical factor of any title. However, it seems the OverTake community does not see as much importance in Heads-Up Displays versus other features like Physics, AI and Career Game Modes.

Nevertheless, there are still areas developers could push HUD development further in racing games as @Peter Conway points out. “As for Hud, I’d like the basic instruments to be working ones and move them around the dash as you would like.“

This is something a handful of titles already do in the form of Automobilista 2 and Assetto Corsa. With its HUD Editor, AMS2 allows players to select the on-screen elements they want and alter their size as well as the amount of information each HUD element displays. Not only this, but these graphics can move around the screen to wherever the player wants them.

Add the Gran Turismo 3 HUD to AC with this mod. Image: @trial_echidna

As for AC, the OverTake downloads section features a number of Assetto Corsa Apps. Once more just like Automobilista 2, AC allows you to move these apps around the screen and change their size. With enough modding talent, you can even create your own Assetto Corsa Apps to use in-game.

iRacing is another title that allows players to move HUD elements around the screen by pressing “Alt+K.” This will highlight Heads-Up Display elements in blue showing you which can be moved around the screen.

Most other games on the other hand are far more rigid in their HUD approach. ACC, Le Mans Ultimate, EA Sports WRC and R3E all allow you to choose which elements you want on-screen at any one time, though they all have fixed positions.

Which games do you think do each feature best? Let us know in the comments below!