iRacing vs Project CARS
iRacing is a mmorpg racing game from iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations (2015) while Project CARS is an open-world racing game from Slightly Mad Studios (2015).
Quick answer: iRacing rates higher, 7.3 to 7.2 on the GamingPickz Score.
What each one is
IRacing is filed under Mmorpg and Racing. In contrast, Project CARS under Open-World and Racing.
We are the world’s premier motorsports racing game. An iRacing membership provides entry into the newest form of motorsport: internet racing. Internet racing is a fun, easy, and inexpensive way for race fan and gamers alike to enjoy the thrill of the racetrack from the comfort of their home.
THE ULTIMATE DRIVER JOURNEY delivers the soul of motor racing in the world’s most beautiful, authentic, and technically-advanced racing game.
At a glance
| iRacing | Project CARS | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.3/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (85%, 7,628) | Mostly Positive (79%, 14,438) |
| Critic aggregate | 79/100 | 83/100 |
| Price | $11.59 | Not listed |
| Install size | 25 GB | 25 GB |
| Steam Deck | Untested | playable |
| Released | 2015 | 2015 |
| Developer | iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations | Slightly Mad Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
iRacing vs Project CARS, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
iRacingMmorpg racing gameProject CARSOpen-world racing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
iRacingRacing, Automobile Sim, SimulationProject CARSRacing, Simulation, Automobile SimThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
iRacing ✓Score 7.3 · 85% on Steam · 79 criticProject CARSScore 7.2 · 79% on Steam · 83 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
iRacing7,628 reviews · 25 GBProject CARS14,438 reviews · 25 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
iRacing$11.59Project CARSNot listedRead live from Steam and subject to change.
iRacing takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueiRacing and Project CARS on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
RacingAutomobile SimSimulationVRSportsDrivingMultiplayerRealistic
Where they differ
Massively Multiplayere-sports
PhysicsAtmosphericOpen WorldThird PersonCo-opArcade
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, iRacing is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Project CARS is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for iRacing and 1 for Project CARS. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are iRacing and Project CARS in scope?
IRacing has drawn 7,628 Steam reviews and installs in 25 GB. Project CARS has drawn 14,438 Steam reviews and installs in 25 GB.
Is iRacing or Project CARS better?
By the GamingPickz Score, iRacing rates higher (7.3 to 7.2). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, iRacing or Project CARS?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get iRacing or Project CARS?
iRacing rates higher, 7.3 to 7.2 on the GamingPickz Score. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.