Forza Horizon 6 hit 302,645 concurrent Steam players in May 2026. Mario Kart World passed 15 million units on Switch 2 by June.
These racing games statistics take each figure from the publisher, tracker, or research firm that produced it. The sections cover market forecasts, best-selling titles, Steam peaks, franchise revenue, and esports audiences, each with its period.
Racing Games Statistics
- 302,645Forza Horizon 6 peak concurrent Steam players, 24 May 2026
- 71.53MMario Kart 8 Deluxe units sold, as of 30 June 2026
- 100MGran Turismo series units sold, as of 25 June 2025
- $22.30BTechnavio’s projected racing games market growth, 2025 to 2030
- 78,985Peak viewers, 2025 F1 Sim Racing World Championship
How Big Is the Racing Games Market in 2026?
Technavio projects the racing games market to grow by USD 22.30 billion from 2025 to 2030, at a 13.5% CAGR. The firm splits the market by application into Mobile, Console, PC, and Others.
Mobile was valued at USD 9.70 billion in 2024. Asia Pacific accounts for 43.5% of Technavio’s forecast growth.
Source: Technavio, Racing Games Market Analysis, forecast 2025–2030
How big is the racing simulator market?
Fortune Business Insights valued the racing simulator market at USD 1.19 billion in 2025. Its scope covers rigs, wheels, pedals, motion platforms, VR integration, and simulation software.
Europe held 35.29% of that market in 2025, or USD 0.42 billion. Static simulators led by simulator type.
| Year | Racing simulator market value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | USD 1.19 billion | Valuation |
| 2026 | USD 1.30 billion | Projection |
| 2034 | USD 2.46 billion | Projection (8.3% CAGR, 2026–2034) |
Source: Fortune Business Insights, Racing Simulator Market report, 2025 base year
The two reports use different scopes. Technavio tracks racing game software, while Fortune Business Insights tracks simulation hardware and software, so their totals should not be compared.
What Are the Best-Selling Racing Games?
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tops Nintendo’s Switch software chart at 71.53 million units. Mario Kart World tops the Switch 2 chart at 15.39 million units.
Nintendo’s totals are life-to-date as of 30 June 2026. They include copies bundled with hardware and downloadable versions.
| Title | Platform | Units sold (life-to-date) |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo Switch | 71.53 million |
| Mario Kart World | Nintendo Switch 2 | 15.39 million |
| Kirby Air Riders | Nintendo Switch 2 | 1.90 million |
Source: Nintendo IR, Top Selling Title Sales Units, as of 30 June 2026
Nintendo’s current totals follow earlier series entries such as Mario Kart 64 on the N64 and the handheld Mario Kart DS.
How many Switch 2 consoles has Nintendo sold?
Nintendo reported 23.68 million Switch 2 units and 156.59 million Switch units as of 30 June 2026. These are hardware counts, reported apart from the software totals above.
Kart racing on Nintendo hardware began with Super Mario Kart on the SNES. Rivals such as Crash Team Racing followed on the original PlayStation.
Source: Nintendo IR, Dedicated Video Game Sales Units, as of 30 June 2026
How many copies has Gran Turismo sold?
The Gran Turismo series passed 100 million units sold worldwide as of 25 June 2025. Polyphony Digital and Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the milestone in September 2025.
The count spans every release since the 1997 original, including Gran Turismo 2 on PS1.
Source: Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo 100 million units announcement, September 2025
How many people have played Assetto Corsa?
The Assetto Corsa franchise passed 20 million unique users, Kunos Simulazioni co-founder Marco Massarutto said at SimRacing Expo 2025 in October 2025. This counts unique users since the first game’s 2013 early access, not units sold.
Source: Kunos Simulazioni keynote, SimRacing Expo, October 2025
Racing Games Statistics on Steam: How Many Play Forza Horizon 6?
Forza Horizon 6 peaked at 302,645 concurrent Steam players on 24 May 2026, according to SteamDB. The game launched on 19 May for Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass.
Premium Edition early access pushed Steam concurrency to 172,093 on 15 May. Launch day reached 273,148, per SteamDB data reported by Pure Xbox.
Steam counts cover one storefront only. Microsoft does not publish combined concurrency across Xbox, Microsoft Store, and Steam.
Playground Games announced more than 6 million Forza Horizon 6 players on 21 May 2026. KitGuru notes this total includes Game Pass players, so it is not a copies-sold figure.
Assetto Corsa EVO set its Steam all-time peak of 25,752 concurrent players on 16 January 2025, its early access launch day.
Source: SteamDB, concurrent player records, May 2026 and January 2025; Forza Horizon (Playground Games), 21 May 2026
Racing Game Revenue Statistics: Assetto Corsa and F1 25
Digital Bros reported Assetto Corsa brand revenue of €25.6 million for the nine months to 31 March 2025. That was up 34% from €19.1 million a year earlier.
Group revenue for the same nine months fell 12.3% to €66.4 million. The Assetto Corsa EVO early access launch fell inside that period.
| Reporting period | Assetto Corsa brand revenue | Prior-year period |
|---|---|---|
| Nine months to 31 Mar 2025 | €25.6 million | €19.1 million |
| Quarter to 30 Sep 2025 | €6.4 million | €5.8 million |
| Half year to 31 Dec 2025 | €18.3 million | Not stated in release |
Source: Digital Bros interim reports, periods ending 31 March 2025, 30 September 2025, and 31 December 2025
Digital Bros tied the half-year result to Assetto Corsa EVO and the new Assetto Corsa Rally, which entered Steam early access on 13 November 2025.
EA said F1 25 delivered strong year-over-year net bookings growth in its quarter ended 30 June 2025. The results release gave no title-level figure.
Source: Electronic Arts, Q1 FY26 results, quarter ended 30 June 2025
Racing Games Esports Statistics: Viewers and Prize Pools
The 2025 F1 Sim Racing World Championship peaked at 78,985 viewers on 27 March 2025, per Esports Charts. It set a series record for the championship format.
The event ran from 1 January to 27 March 2025. It logged 809,518 hours watched, 16,663 average viewers, and 49 hours of airtime.
Twitch carried over 82.2% of total watch time. The 2025 prize pool was $750,000.
| F1 esports event | Date | Peak viewers |
|---|---|---|
| F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix Series Vietnam | 2020 | 476,236 |
| F1 Streamer World Cup 2025 | 23 Jun 2025 | 194,046 |
| 2025 F1 Sim Racing World Championship | 27 Mar 2025 | 78,985 |
| F1 Sim Racing World Championship 2023/2024, Event Two | Apr 2024 | 42,877 |
Source: Esports Charts, F1 tournament viewership data, 2020–2025
How much do eNASCAR iRacing drivers win?
The 2026 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series puts more than $500,000 on the line. The champion takes $100,000.
Forty drivers contest a 13-race Championship Series. The finale runs on 13 October 2026 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Source: iRacing, eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series 2026 announcement, February 2026
FAQs
What is the best-selling racing game on Nintendo Switch?
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with 71.53 million units sold as of 30 June 2026. It tops Nintendo’s Switch software chart. Mario Kart World leads Switch 2 at 15.39 million.
How many people play Forza Horizon 6?
Playground Games reported more than 6 million players on 21 May 2026, a total that includes Game Pass. On Steam, the game peaked at 302,645 concurrent players on 24 May 2026.
How big is the racing games market?
Technavio projects USD 22.30 billion in growth from 2025 to 2030, at a 13.5% CAGR. Fortune Business Insights valued the separate racing simulator market at USD 1.19 billion in 2025.
Is sim racing growing?
Assetto Corsa passed 20 million unique users by October 2025. Fortune Business Insights projects the racing simulator market to reach USD 2.46 billion by 2034, at an 8.3% CAGR.
Why do Reddit threads quote different Forza Horizon 6 player counts?
The figures measure different things. 302,645 is SteamDB’s peak concurrent Steam count on 24 May 2026. The 6 million total counts players across all platforms, including Game Pass.
Sources
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html
https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4777282/view/659358246189924986
https://escharts.com/tournaments/f1/2025-f1-sim-racing-world-championship
https://www.technavio.com/report/racing-games-market-analysis