The world of sim racing (simulated racing) platforms is pretty widely varied, but almost all sim racing games pale in comparison to iRacing. For the uninitiated, iRacing is a popular sim racing video game service, where players pay a monthly subscription to participate in various virtual races that were once only reserved for the real world professionals. iRacing puts you in the drivers seat, where you can experience firsthand what you once could only watch on TV!
Now, I know what you’re all thinking… a monthly subscription just to race online? No free rides? No discounts? iRacing is on the higher end of racing sims in terms of cost. In this article we will explain how much it costs to play iRacing so that you can make the best decision for your needs.
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iRacing Subscription Cost
iRacing starts out at $13 per month if paying on a monthly basis.
To gain more value, you can pay in 3, 12, or 24 month increments. For example, if you pay for a year up-front, your cost goes from $13/month to just $9/month!
You have a total of 16 cars available to choose from with your base subscription, and 22 tracks with over 70 unique configurations. The included tracks and cars will be all that’s required for your Rookie class races. Find out more on the iRacing website.
Cost Of Cars And Tracks
Should you want additional cars or tracks, or you’ve simply made it through all the Rookie races and cars, you can purchase additional content to build your collection.
Additional cars cost a one-time fee of $11.95, and additional tracks cost either $11.95 or $14.95, depending on the track and its features.
If you’re the “gotta have it all right now!” type of person, they also offer volume discounts when you purchase in bulk:
- Purchase any 3 or more cars or tracks at once, and get 10% off
- Purchase any 6 or more cars or tracks and receive 15% off
- Purchase a total of 40 or more cars or tracks and receive 20% off all future purchases
After all of that and you’re still not satisfied? If you purchase every car and track they have in their inventory, you get a 30% discount on anything else that they put for sale in the future.
Hosted Sessions And Leagues
Are you looking to organize your own racing league? Or do you prefer private races with a few friends? iRacing makes their servers available at a cost of $0.50 per hour. That means you can set up a charity race, or run an entire NASCAR season for your private league. You’re in complete control over the race server, all for 50 cents an hour!
iRacing Discounts
Black Friday Sale
Around Black Friday, all one and two year membership renewals are 25% off, and new members get a whopping 50% off! Even if you were a member previously, Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to get back on track, no pun intended!
New Member Discount
Right now, all new iRacing memberships are 40% off:
- 1 month – $7.80
- 3 months – $19.80
- 12 months – $66.00
- 24 months – $119.40
Sim Racing Wheels And Gear
Another cost that you need to consider when playing iRacing is the gear you will use. iRacing is like most video games in that you can use a controller, but we recommend using a racing wheel.
All the gear you could purchase for iRacing is beyond the scope of this article. But to get you started, we recommend checking out our article Best iRacing Wheel for Beginners.
Conclusion
iRacing costs as little as $5 per month to play. Extra cars cost an additional $11.95 each, and tracks are between $11.95 and $14.95. I could honestly sit here all day and tell you all the reasons why iRacing is the place to be if you’re into sim racing. For the monthly subscription cost you get accurate, laser scanned versions of your favorite cars and tracks. You get a continually updated game and content. And best of all, you get to be part of a community of hundreds of thousands of other iRacer’s.