Most Played Racing Games On Steam In December 2024

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Forza Horizon 4 tops the list for December with 16,640.50 average players. Images: Turn 10 Studios
With the final month of 2024 in the books, it is time to look at the most-played racing games on Steam in December 2024.

Note: This is not a definitive list of the games' players. Most are available outside of Steam on platforms such as EA Play, Epic Games, and others, and many on consoles as well, for which the data is not readily available. As a result, this list is based exclusively on the numbers relevant to Steam.

BeamNG.drive
finds itself knocked down a step in favour of Forza Horizon 4 after being delisted from Steam. Outside of the Turn 10 Studios titles, the big winners are Le Mans Ultimate, Automobilista 2, Need for Speed Heat and Unbound as well as The Crew Motorfest.

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Each of these titles saw more than a 100% gain in average players compared to their November numbers; the Steam winter sale will have had a significant role to play in the Need for Speed franchise numbers, especially as some of the entries were discounted by upwards of 90%.

At the end of November, there was a free-to-play weekend surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix within F1 24 which soared the player numbers. We expected them to crash in December, but with the final race of the actual season being so late in the year, the title has had a further increase of 26.43% for December. The title has had a somewhat unexpected strong finish to 2024, regardless of the split opinions on how the game drives.

TitleAverage Player CountPeak Player NumberGain / Loss %
Forza Horizon 416,640.5045,930+45.77%
BeamNG.drive16,424.6029,827+14.59%
Assetto Corsa10,504.5019,780+16.57%
Need for Speed Heat4,384.6011,756+148.73%
Need for Speed Unbound3,709.68,170+164.02%
F1 243,399.606,775+26.43%
Assetto Corsa Competizione2,471.35,214+9.29%
MX Bikes2,464.74,143+6.60%
CarX Drift Racing Online1,767.602,976+20.00%
The Crew 21,553.702,745-24.92%
My Summer Car1,467.303,654-6.19%
F1 Manager 20241,464.702657+21.31%
Automobilista 21,325.73,855+132.77%
Trailmakers1,248.502,790+21.07%
DiRT Rally 2.01,2482419+1.89%
Asphalt Legends Unite1,140.601778+3.17%
The Crew Motorfest1,140.002,296+107.13%
F1 23916.51857-7.78%
Trackmania868.32,209-3.54%
CarX Street866.11,865-4.08%
Le Mans Ultimate6652290+133.99%
RaceRoom Racing Experience602.11,414+8.06%
Forza Motorsport599.6988+26.89%
EA Sports WRC593.91245+15.08%
Wreckfest460.81,307+9.79%
Need For Speed Payback459.41,006+46.49%
Uncrashed: FPV Drone Simulator432888+14.77%
Liftoff418.2727+2.24%
Motorsport Manager315.8559+7.69%
rFactor 2315.1775-3.87%
F1 22285.1553+1.53%
Disney Speedstorm259.1436-16.96%
Most Played Racing Games on Steam in December 2024 (cap at 250 avg. players; top values in bold). Source: steamcharts.com

With both Automobilista 2 and Le Mans Ultimate having significant updates, it is only right that both of these titles are fighting near the top of the pile when it comes to popularity. Automobilista 2's 1.6 update was revolutionary for the title, and Le Mans Ultimate's new content and structure have brought a wave of new and returning players to the official title of the World Endurance Championship.

It was to be Forza Horizon 4's month with a staggering 16,640.50 average players. With the title being delisted from stores and marketplaces worldwide, expect to see the numbers start to drop off as 2025 rolls through. For December, however, it beats out BeamNG.drive and its own younger brother, Forza Horizon 5, to take that top step on the theoretical podium. With a peak of 45,930 players, Forza Horizon 4 also vastly overshadows another in that category on this list.

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**After a slight misunderstanding with last month's figures, this is the newly updated list of the most-played racing games on Steam. Thank you all for pointing out the errors and mistakes.**

What do you make of the most-played racing games on Steam in December 2024? Let us know in the comments below, and join the discussion on our forums!
About author
Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

Comments

Premium
It's really interesting that ~176,000 players set times in the online time trials just in the past week in Gran Turismo 7. That's over 600% more than beam NG. Don't the PC mediocreatbestRace still think they have more players than the hundreds of millions of console sim racers?

Exceptional polish, Best of all time Fidelity, Accuracy, and Realism go a long ways and millions notice.

And the BeamNG success being down to number one reason of controller usage is the most elitist nonsensical delusion I have ever heard. It has the best full physics simulation and soft body deformation. Literally all the reasons given are so terrible and absurd they apply to every single racing games basically. Meaning clearly that every other game would be just as popular. seems illogical at best.

Everything that makes BeamNG absolutely special and better than all the rest is ignored. Wow. Intentionally obtuse and yet so confident. the one true Dunning-Kruger.

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Is the pc self delusion the last line of defense before having to face reality when there is nothing but ego. pc players by steam do not show a market that is in much of a strong position.

When PS4+5 which play GT7 has over 200MM base Nintendo switch with 144MM
And alongside the top selling games for the past 5 years, it's remarkable that not one single racing title makes the list.

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38MM players on SteamDeck/PC , but still looking for what the total number of steam hardware survey submissions are. No way to tell if 38MM is a third, 0.5 or 3/4s of the steam install base.
GT7s player count is nothing to do with it's "realism" or "fidelity". The bar for entry is way, way lower than for the hardcore sims and yes, it's more polished and user friendly, and it's a simcade. As you go further up the realism ladder the barrier to entry gets higher and the number of interested players gets lower. Simple logic.
 
BeamNG probably appeals to the same demographics as AC, people who want to drive round drifting and generally chilling. Nothing wrong with that. The market for hardcore racing sims is niche, we all know that.
Perhaps. I would have assumed its more the Forza Horizon crowd tbh.

Its an interesting list, but I would vote for a SIMs list and an arcade/SIM list. I dont know how many folks play in both camps but I am inclined to think its one of the other for most.
 
Premium
Barrier to entry in real racing is 80% money, 15% time and 5% skill.
Barrier to entry in sim racing is 95% time, 4% money, and 1% skill.

Realism never stopped anyone from driving a car in real life even, weird how that is....

Wasting time with garbage antiqued unpolished messes that cultists act are part of some initiation rite is why so many cultists "sims" are failing. How people enjoy their time is very crucial, and wasting precious time on lazy or incompetent time wasting interfaces and load times is why design matters and focus sim racers in Gran Turismo 7 to maximize their seat time and excellence in enjoying the greatest Real Driving Simulator ever made.

Just as Lewis Hamilton, multiple Formula 1 world champion knows as "The Maestro" in Gran Turismo7. But if you have a team that travels with you to avoid all the time wasting mess from inadequate poor design and implementation, even Max Verstappen can tolerate just being able to get in the seat and drive in iWaiting.
 
Barrier to entry in real racing is 80% money, 15% time and 5% skill.
Barrier to entry in sim racing is 95% time, 4% money, and 1% skill.

Realism never stopped anyone from driving a car in real life even, weird how that is....

Wasting time with garbage antiqued unpolished messes that cultists act are part of some initiation rite is why so many cultists "sims" are failing. How people enjoy their time is very crucial, and wasting precious time on lazy or incompetent time wasting interfaces and load times is why design matters and focus sim racers in Gran Turismo 7 to maximize their seat time and excellence in enjoying the greatest Real Driving Simulator ever made.

Just as Lewis Hamilton, multiple Formula 1 world champion knows as "The Maestro" in Gran Turismo7. But if you have a team that travels with you to avoid all the time wasting mess from inadequate poor design and implementation, even Max Verstappen can tolerate just being able to get in the seat and drive in iWaiting.
Mate, you need to form clearer sentences to convey the information you want.

About the barrier to entry, that is very very VERY dependent on... age and location. For an established adult in a high wage country your percentages might be correct. I started at a young age in a poorer country (and there are people who might want to simraces living in significantly poorer economies), and money was more of an issue than time, let me tell you. Seeing posts on Reddit, with DDs as good "starter" wheels seems very funny and sad at the same time from that perspective. A lot of people don't realize how fortunate they are.
 
Barrier to entry in real racing is 80% money, 15% time and 5% skill.
Barrier to entry in sim racing is 95% time, 4% money, and 1% skill.

Realism never stopped anyone from driving a car in real life even, weird how that is....

Wasting time with garbage antiqued unpolished messes that cultists act are part of some initiation rite is why so many cultists "sims" are failing. How people enjoy their time is very crucial, and wasting precious time on lazy or incompetent time wasting interfaces and load times is why design matters and focus sim racers in Gran Turismo 7 to maximize their seat time and excellence in enjoying the greatest Real Driving Simulator ever made.

Just as Lewis Hamilton, multiple Formula 1 world champion knows as "The Maestro" in Gran Turismo7. But if you have a team that travels with you to avoid all the time wasting mess from inadequate poor design and implementation, even Max Verstappen can tolerate just being able to get in the seat and drive in iWaiting.
LOL why do you call it iWaiting? Just curious. I have seen other ppl calling it the same.
Where did you get those percentages about real racing vs sim racing from?
 
Define those clearly, please.

Kristen Stewart Ifc GIF by Film Independent Spirit Awards



Those are elitist cultists terms that have no definition and are just subjective ego stroking. But, show me otherwise.
There are no clear definitions. But even for simulators that everybody call simulators, the level of simulation is obviously not the same. They are helpful terms for initial categorization, but require the user to do their research. Especially simcade, it can be a very wide spectrum of "realism" level. The main problem is that everybody uses these terms differently.
 
Premium
There are no clear definitions. But even for simulators that everybody call simulators, the level of simulation is obviously not the same. They are helpful terms for initial categorization, but require the user to do their research. Especially simcade, it can be a very wide spectrum of "realism" level. The main problem is that everybody uses these terms differently.
I've only seen them used by elitist sim cultists as slander when they have no capability of defining them. and throw in endless hair splitting and diversion as bad faith folks always do.
 
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Premium
I've only seen them used by elitist sim cultists as slander when they have no capability of defining them. and throw in endless hair splitting and diversion as bad faith folks always do.
You clog up any discussion with your GT7, spitting out judgments on all other games and those who like them by calling them elitist, sectarian, people in bad faith, all adjectives that match your megalomania
I also have GT7 and sometimes I enjoy it but it is not a simulation.
 
Premium
I guess it's how you view it, after all Gran Turismo claims to be a real driving simulator... not 'Racing simulator' and it does miss the mark on a lot of Racing standards, like numbers on every car racing, prctice before a race Qualifying, having the driver control the car at all times, these things put Gran Turismo firmly into the Arcade/Simcade category for me, added to the default single player mode career mode with insta weather changes and tyres that can wear out before a lap is over... and the cars seem to have thermos flask sized fuel tanks... then yes, Arcade.
There is nothing wrong with Arcade, it makes money and a lot of folks love it for it's ease of use, pick up the controller and blam off you go, then when you've had enough lob the controller and switch over to Celebrity Island or whetever.

Assetto Corsa is not much different to me as I only use it for short periods, though not tho scratch the Racing itch but to play around with mates... that's it really.

GTR2, is for me a Racing simulator, it's deeper than the other two in all respects, and with the addition of mods it's held up pretty well, there I can set races of any reasonable length up to 24 hours, include any cars I've collected over the last couple of decades play with the AI and settings to have worthwhile racing with pitstop strategies and weather playing it's part... the graphics ate a couple of decades old but the depth of gameallows me to imerse myself and ignore that.
So I would say that of the three, GT is arcade, AC is Simcade, and GTR2 is a Sim...

And, Yup, Forza Horizons is a 'Fun Car Game'

I'm hoping that AC Evolution will drop into the Simcade slot, and Project Motor Racing will allow me to give GTR2 a well earned rest.
 
I guess it's how you view it, after all Gran Turismo claims to be a real driving simulator... not 'Racing simulator' and it does miss the mark on a lot of Racing standards, like numbers on every car racing, prctice before a race Qualifying, having the driver control the car at all times, these things put Gran Turismo firmly into the Arcade/Simcade category for me, added to the default single player mode career mode with insta weather changes and tyres that can wear out before a lap is over... and the cars seem to have thermos flask sized fuel tanks... then yes, Arcade.
There is nothing wrong with Arcade, it makes money and a lot of folks love it for it's ease of use, pick up the controller and blam off you go, then when you've had enough lob the controller and switch over to Celebrity Island or whetever.

Assetto Corsa is not much different to me as I only use it for short periods, though not tho scratch the Racing itch but to play around with mates... that's it really.

GTR2, is for me a Racing simulator, it's deeper than the other two in all respects, and with the addition of mods it's held up pretty well, there I can set races of any reasonable length up to 24 hours, include any cars I've collected over the last couple of decades play with the AI and settings to have worthwhile racing with pitstop strategies and weather playing it's part... the graphics ate a couple of decades old but the depth of gameallows me to imerse myself and ignore that.
So I would say that of the three, GT is arcade, AC is Simcade, and GTR2 is a Sim...

And, Yup, Forza Horizons is a 'Fun Car Game'

I'm hoping that AC Evolution will drop into the Simcade slot, and Project Motor Racing will allow me to give GTR2 a well earned rest.
I don't really resonate with this "division" as it ignores a huge part of racing/driving video games. Forza Horizon is a racing game not a "fun car game". Mario Kart is a racing game. Need for Speed is a racing game. If GT is arcade, what are those?

One racing game can be a simulator from the handling aspect, but doesn't have to simulate other aspects of racing. Yet nobody is saying F1 series is a hardcore simulator, since it simulates the weekend, strategies, has proper rules, safety car, etc.

There is more to these games than these 3 words to describe them... it's a complex thing, and arcade/simcade/sim doesn't do it justice...

More so until these terms are defined by the racing game gods, there will be confusion and arguments... as they can mean very different things in different people's dictionaries as it stands today.
 
Premium
You clog up any discussion with your GT7, spitting out judgments on all other games and those who like them by calling them elitist, sectarian, people in bad faith, all adjectives that match your megalomania
I also have GT7 and sometimes I enjoy it but it is not a simulation.
Yes, he calls everyone else elitist fanboys but he’s possibly the new king of the fanboys for gt7. Pretty much frothing at the mouth at the pc elite. I’ve given up reading his posts , they’re exhausting .
 
Premium
Yes, he calls everyone else elitist fanboys but he’s possibly the new king of the fanboys for gt7. Pretty much frothing at the mouth at the pc elite. I’ve given up reading his posts , they’re exhausting .
She.
 
Premium
I have long since lost faith in humanity.
How can such great sims as RRE, LMU, AMS2 record such ridiculously low player numbers.
And as GOAT AC may be, the discrepancy to the other sims does not reflect the quality in any way. No more.
Not even with CSP and Pure.
Don't get me wrong, AC is by far my most played title to date. But the other great sims are simply neglected.
Only my personal opinion...I consider myself a hardcore Sim Racer, but I'm in the minority in the grand scheme of things when it comes to Racing Games, Sims being amonst this.
I suppose also, the majority is the younger generation playing most of all the racing games just wanting all flash, ridiculous speed and rewards, everything a Sim is not:(
 
There are no clear definitions. But even for simulators that everybody call simulators, the level of simulation is obviously not the same. They are helpful terms for initial categorization, but require the user to do their research. Especially simcade, it can be a very wide spectrum of "realism" level. The main problem is that everybody uses these terms differently.

Exactly!!

A lot of people treat simcade as only the games that are closely related to the pCARS or Need For Speed titles... And it's a dirty word to be associated with them... But the F1 series and Forza Horizon can be quite fun if you don't look at them as simulations...

But there's a variety of these titles that fall inbetween those games and the simulations that are born from race engineering data like the pmotor code... The versions of it that haven't been dumbed down for the pCARS or Need for Speed games...

Those in that inbetween zone are more casual motorsports titles...

But with the way developers are today with their lack of research, shown by all developers on the hypercars where the regulations are publicly available and easy to interpret... Although LMU is by far the closest, S397 got a fair bit wrong as well... Just not to iRacing levels like the other developers who simply copied iRacing...

Which has led to the entire industry moving towards the simcade end of town and some residing soley in the casual motorsports title category... With true simulation being left to the modders to spend the time researching that the developers would rather move onto the next DLC release...

In a lot of cases modders have forced developers to up their game and even given the developers the correct code for the car...
 
Really interesting what makes for a simulation. I think GTR2 didn't model anywhere near the sheer number of systems the more modern games do but the intuitive feel of the cars was amazing. If you model just two elements (e.g friction and momentum) really well it is easier to tweak and those two elements are tweaked to perfection, all the other 1000 elements combine to effect just these 2 anyway. So is it any less realistic? I don't know! :D
 
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