iRacing just dropped its May 2025 Development Update, and it’s a big one. From revamped tire models to smarter AI and new track content, this update shows iRacing is doubling down on realism and long-term engagement for racers of all levels.

Three New Cars!

Ferrari 296 Challenge: (yeah, the Challenge, not the GT3). The 'Challenge' versions of Ferrari street cars are highly modified versions of their street counterparts, built for racing. There was the 458 Challenge, the 488 Challenge...you get the idea. Now, it's the 296's turn. This will be a Class D license car, just like the GT3, but will be a much better first GT-style car after graduating into the D Class, instead of going straight into the GT3s.

Gen 4 Cup Cars: 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and 2003 Ford Taurus: Stockcar and Speedway Stockcar versions for each. Feeling nostalgic? The 2003 era of stock cars was epic - and iRacing has delivered these two new cars for oval fans.

GT3 Overhaul: Tire Complaints Finally Addressed

iRacing has been working for 6 months on updating the ENTIRE GT3 class. This is a biiiig deal. There's tons of changes, so I'll leave you to read the entire update yourself here. But in a nutshell, new tires for both dry and wet have been developed. The complaints about tire temperature spiking in an unrealistic manner and causing all types of handling problems has finally been addressed. Additionally, there's all new, car-specific aero. Tinkering with setups will be car-specific...and that means every setup in the past will go straight into the trashcan. I, for one, welcome these GT3 changes.

Adaptive AI: Personalized Racing Experience

One of the standout additions is the Adaptive AI system. It reads your skill level, tracks your performance, and dynamically adjusts your AI opponents to keep things challenging but fair. Whether you're practicing offline or just want a more balanced race without matchmaking stress, this system makes solo play a lot more engaging.

ARCA Menards Series Revamp

iRacing has fully updated the ARCA Menards Series cars. The new Ford Mustang, Chevy SS, and Toyota Camry bodies now come with improved physics and visuals. These updates replace the legacy ARCA stock car in official events, and if you’ve recently bought the older version, iRacing is offering in-game credit as a refund. A solid move for both realism and fairness.

Track Enhancements & Layout Expansions

• Portland International Raceway now includes multiple layouts for more varied racing.
• Darlington, Bristol, and Homestead tracks got geometry and texture updates.
• Jerez, Sandown, and Aragon circuits have improved curb modeling for better edge grip.
• The Bend Motorsport Park (Australia) is being added, featuring the full 7.77 km layout with 35 corners.

Track variety and realism are clearly a priority this season, and these refinements will be noticed by serious sim racers running consistent laps.

VR Improvements: Quad-View Foveated Rendering

For VR users, iRacing now supports quad-view foveated rendering for NVIDIA RTX 2000 series GPUs and newer. This boosts performance by prioritizing GPU power where you’re looking and scaling down the rendering detail in your peripheral view. Less strain, more frames, and a much smoother experience for headset racers.

Our Take

This update is a clear statement: iRacing is committed to the long game. The physics tweaks make competitive play more honest, the AI lets newer drivers grow, and the VR upgrade shows they’re still innovating under the hood. We especially love the direction they’re going with adaptive AI — it's a game-changer for practice sessions and solo leagues.

For the full list of patch notes and the official update, click here to read on iRacing.com.