NASCAR 26 Is Out Now at $59.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, With Crossplay, a Standalone Chase Mode and Tracks That Lose Grip Over a Race Weekend

The second game in iRacing Studios' NASCAR series arrived on time. NASCAR 26 hit its Standard Edition release on September 18 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam at $59.99, after a three day head start for the $79.99 Gold Edition that began on September 15. Cover star Kyle Larson leads the field, and the game once again covers all four national series: the Cup Series, the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, the Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards.

Last year's NASCAR 25 brought the licence back to consoles, and this sequel is pitched as the version built on player feedback. NASCAR VP Nick Rend said the studio spent the past year listening to the community to find where the experience could improve, and the feature list reads like a direct answer: crossplay, a deeper career, and physics that respond to how a weekend actually unfolds.

Video: NASCAR 26 The Game on YouTube

What is actually new on the track

The headline system is what iRacing calls dynamic track technology. Grip levels now change over the course of a race weekend, so the line that worked in practice will not necessarily hold up late in a long run once rubber has gone down or the surface has cooled. That sits on top of a new tire and braking model, which the studio says is built for a more authentic feel rather than an easier one.

Three new circuits join the calendar: the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado, Chicagoland Speedway and the St. Petersburg street course. There is a new Ram truck for the Truck Series, a new spotter voiced by real world spotter Freddie Kraft, burnout celebrations after a win, and a revamped particle system for smoke and debris. The visual pass also touches skies, dynamic lighting, cloud interaction and replay cameras.

Career, The Chase and crossplay

Career Mode is deeper this time. Each week now brings strategic planning decisions and Facility Upgrades that shape your team from the start, with coaching tips from Steve Letarte and Jamie McMurray along the way. The Chase now gets its own standalone, customisable mode: you pick the field, then fight for the title over the last ten races of the season. There is also a new Peak Performance training mode for learning every track, a trophy room, an enhanced paint kit and fully customisable driver ratings for the 2026 grid.

The change that will matter most for the online crowd is cross-platform multiplayer, which is new to the series this year. Merging PS5, Xbox and Steam players into one pool should make lobbies easier to fill at any hour, and it puts NASCAR 26 in the same conversation as this month's other sports launches like NHL 27 and EA SPORTS FC 27, both of which lean hard on their online modes.

On the money side, the Gold Edition's Season Pass covers four monthly DLC packs through December: paint schemes, fire suits and career perks such as VIP employees, 1,000 reputation points and a $10,000 in-game career bonus. Pre-orders placed before September 18 also earn a $5,000 career bonus, 500 reputation points and an exclusive Kyle Larson paint scheme. None of that is essential, and the Standard Edition is the sensible starting point.

Our take

A $59.99 sports sim that ships with crossplay on day one and a real physics rework is a fair proposition, and early Steam reviews sit at Very Positive. Our reservation is that the difference between a good year and a great one will come down to how the AI races and whether the dynamic grip holds up over full length events. We would wait a week of player impressions before paying for the Gold Edition, but the Standard Edition looks like a safe bet for anyone who wanted more from last year. For a very different kind of racing that also landed this month, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is the arcade counterpoint.