Most Played Racing Titles on Steam in June 2023

BeamNG.drive Steam Most Played June 2023.jpg
The popularity of racing games and simulations is hard to gauge, especially since they seem to vary considerably around the releases of new content, big updates or even influences of real-world events. What can be gauged, however, is cold, hard numbers - so we did just that for the most important racing titles on Steam in June 2023.

Image credit: BeamNG

With June 2023 seeing the releases of titles like F1 23 and MotoGP 23, a few interesting newcomers to the list of most played racing games on Steam could be expected, and it is no surprise that one of them immediately shot up to the top five of the ranking, although compared to the May numbers, the top titles are still going strong without a change in order.

Note: While iRacing is available on Steam as well, its numbers are not representative as most players acces the sim through its own UI. As a result, its statistics are not included in this article.

New Challenger Can't Crack the Podium​

The biggest new release of June was F1 23: The latest instalment of the official Formula One series of games by EA Sports and Codemasters officially launched on June 16th and attracted a considerable number of players, as had to be expected. Yet, the new F1 title cannot quite make the podium.

Instead, it has to queue behind Forza Horizon 4 in fourth, Assetto Corsa in third, BeamNG.drive in second and Forza Horizon 5 at the very top. All four of these titles have seen gains in their player bases compared to May, with the ring leader boasting the biggest percentage in this regard among the top five. The Steam Summer Sale likely has not had much of an effect yet, as it only started on June 29th - its influence should show in the July numbers.

RaceRoom Gains Significantly​

Meanwhile, the effects of RaceRoom's Free Access Period followed by the Summer Sale (which is still ongoing at the time of writing this article) could be felt within the ranking as well: Compared to May, the sim saw an increase of almost 27% in players as the peak was up by almost 400 players.

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About author
Yannik Haustein
Lifelong motorsport enthusiast and sim racing aficionado, walking racing history encyclopedia.

Sim racing editor, streamer and one half of the SimRacing Buddies podcast (warning, German!).

Heel & Toe Gang 4 life :D

Comments

There's no SIM with good career mode. Unless you take pleasure in the simulated driving experience there's nothing there. What's the point of winning a race if it doesn't get you anything?
I think we're coming from different planets here.

I don't fancy any kind of career mode. To me, this is an unneccesary artificial layer.
I want the pure racing feeling, the strict sim immersion feeling. To me this the real deal.

And immersion can be both assisted by VR headset, direct drive, motion rig and everyting. Or just immersion created between the ears, behind the eyes with keyboard on pixel flat screen.

My reward is when outcome on that part exceeds expectations.

For instance, in the splendid rF1 F1SR F1 1991 season mod pack, pretending being Naoki Hattori trying to nurse his indeed very fragile Coloni Ford C4 home, the Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 giving in just past the finish line after nearly 2 hours of heavy fight at Autódromo do Estoril, being a balance between racing and nursing, having both a backmarker close battle with Modena-Lamborghini's, Footwork-Porsche's and Larrousse-Ford's and on more occasions having been warped by ace drivers Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger, Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet in their Williams-Renault FW14, Ferrari 642/2 3.5 V12, Camel Benneton-Ford HBA5 3.5 V8, and even Mauricio Gugelmin in his Leyton-House Illmor 3.5 V10 and Mika Häkkinen in his Lotus-Judd EV 3.5 V8, all suddenly emerging in side mirrors, first as small dots then all over both mirrors and in a second blasting by and dissapearing quickly ahead of you. And being at your limit physically as mentally on very thin line, the challenge nursing your car, having backmarker battle, pitstops, careful auf-der-hut-sein blue flag situations, not to ruin ace drivers races - and finally you see the checkered line in the horizon and all of a sudden your body and mind gives in.
Nothing in my world compares to this kind of blast, at least in front of a screen/VR.

To answer you; this gives me e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.
This is the top reward.

Just leave the candy for the kids after that, I don't mind since for me that is a layer besides core racing.
 
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I think we're coming from different planets here.

I don't fancy any kind of career mode. To me, this is an unneccesary artificial layer.
I want the pure racing feeling, the strict sim immersion feeling. To me this the real deal.

And immersion can be both assisted by VR headset, direct drive, motion rig and everyting. Or just immersion created between the ears, behind the eyes with keyboard on pixel flat screen.

My reward is when outcome on that part exceeds expectations.

For instance, in the splendid rF1 F1SR F1 1991 season mod pack, pretending being Naoki Hattori trying to nurse his indeed very fragile Coloni Ford C4 home, the Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 giving in just past the finish line after nearly 2 hours of heavy fight at Autódromo do Estoril, being a balance between racing and nursing, having both a backmarker close battle with Modena-Lamborghini's, Footwork-Porsche's and Larrousse-Ford's and on more occasions having been warped by ace drivers Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger, Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet in their Williams-Renault FW14, Ferrari 642/2 3.5 V12, Camel Benneton-Ford HBA5 3.5 V8, and even Mauricio Gugelmin in his Leyton-House Illmor 3.5 V10 and Mika Häkkinen in his Lotus-Judd EV 3.5 V8, all suddenly emerging in side mirrors, first as small dots then all over both mirrors and in a second blasting by and dissapearing quickly ahead of you. And being at your limit physically as mentally on very thin line, the challenge nursing your car, having backmarker battle, pitstops, careful auf-der-hut-sein blue flag situations, not to ruin ace drivers races - and finally you see the checkered line in the horizon and all of a sudden your body and mind gives in.
Nothing in my world compares to this kind of blast, at least in front of a screen/VR.

To answer you; this gives me e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.
This is the top reward.

Just leave the candy for the kids after that, I don't mind since for me that is a layer besides core racing.

It's quite ironic that you call this layer "candy for the kids", just after you described a whole elaborate scenario that you crafted for yourself precisely to provide yourself that additional layer.

The only difference is that a proper career mode delivers that layer organically, in a self-emerging manner, based on behind-the-scenes simulation of complex racing environment, while your scenario was a predefined set-piece based on historical season.

And however you may achieve it, it is important, because - as you showcased - it provides player with realistic, complex challenges that real drivers face, and which your regular, barebones simracing doesn't even attempt to provide.
 
It's quite ironic that you call this layer "candy for the kids", just after you described a whole elaborate scenario that you crafted for yourself precisely to provide yourself that additional layer.

The only difference is that a proper career mode delivers that layer organically, in a self-emerging manner, based on behind-the-scenes simulation of complex racing environment, while your scenario was a predefined set-piece based on historical season.

And however you may achieve it, it is important, because - as you showcased - it provides player with realistic, complex challenges that real drivers face, and which your regular, barebones simracing doesn't even attempt to provide.
OK, objection taken.
However, I think we're speaking different language here regarding definitions.

Mentioning 'Career mode' at present days, my thoughts are immediately directed towards Codies' Career/Story Mode and the like, i.e. alot "behind the scenes gossip" of which is out of my scope of interest. Motorsports history and analysis I read in the books or other motorsports medias. No interest whatsoever in simplified in-game format.

On the contrary defining 'Career Mode' = 'Championship Season Mode', the aspect being strictly on the racing part. I.e. grids and events reflecting real world - and for my part authentic reflection of historic real world venues' grids, tracks- and weather conditions - then I'm game on.

IMO two fundamentally different definitions. But maybe that's just me.
 
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I just looked at reviews of a the few shooter / action type games acquired purely by buying video cards.

The difference I see is they just enjoy them, they don't sit in judgement of each other arguing over shooting physics and bullet dynamics or yours is better then mine.
Finally someone speaks the only reason here. Bravo! Oh I wish this place was like that. People enjoying each their own favorite sim/game, and not bashing everything else. That - and world peace - is always in my evening prayer. I kind of have higher hopes on the latter.
 

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