The final month of the year tends to come with more spare time for many sim racers, and 2023 seemingly was no different. Here are the most played racing games on Steam in December 2023.
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.
Once again, the order at the top of the list remains largely unchanged. Only F1 23 has left its place in the top five, dropping down to seventh overall, behind SnowRunner and Need For Speed Heat. Like many titles, the latter two saw an increase in player numbers in December, likely in part due to the holidays.
The same is true for BeamNG.drive, which keeps its top spot with the most average players over the course of the month. However, the highest peak went to Forza Horizon 5, which still sits in second. Assetto Corsa stays on the final step of the podium, albeit with a healthy margin to the top two.
Looking at the percentage of average players gained, Automobilista 2 stands out as the most improved sim racing title. Despite the big Le Mans update only dropping on New Year's Eve, the title had 44.34% more average players than back in November. The January 2024 numbers for AMS2 should be a good indicator for how many of these players have stuck around, then. The biggest improvement percentage of all games goes to Need For Speed Unbound at 47.91%.
Meanwhile, in its second month since release, EA Sports WRC has lost a considerable amount of players. The title may have seen the addition of the Central European Rally, but the update that introduced it also broke the Career Mode for many players. The ongoing issues with the title likely do not help player counts.
Most Played Racing Games on Steam in November 2023 (cap at 250 avg. players; top values in bold)
What do you make of the list of the most played racing games on Steam in December 2023? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
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.
Once again, the order at the top of the list remains largely unchanged. Only F1 23 has left its place in the top five, dropping down to seventh overall, behind SnowRunner and Need For Speed Heat. Like many titles, the latter two saw an increase in player numbers in December, likely in part due to the holidays.
The same is true for BeamNG.drive, which keeps its top spot with the most average players over the course of the month. However, the highest peak went to Forza Horizon 5, which still sits in second. Assetto Corsa stays on the final step of the podium, albeit with a healthy margin to the top two.
Looking at the percentage of average players gained, Automobilista 2 stands out as the most improved sim racing title. Despite the big Le Mans update only dropping on New Year's Eve, the title had 44.34% more average players than back in November. The January 2024 numbers for AMS2 should be a good indicator for how many of these players have stuck around, then. The biggest improvement percentage of all games goes to Need For Speed Unbound at 47.91%.
Meanwhile, in its second month since release, EA Sports WRC has lost a considerable amount of players. The title may have seen the addition of the Central European Rally, but the update that introduced it also broke the Career Mode for many players. The ongoing issues with the title likely do not help player counts.
Steam: List Of Most Played Racing Games in December 2023
| Title | Avg. Players | Peak | Gain % |
| BeamNG.drive | 13,282.6 | 25,683 | 25.54 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 12,833.9 | 26,907 | 43.83 |
| Assetto Corsa | 9,670.8 | 19,228 | 20.62 |
| Forza Horizon 4 | 6,177.5 | 15,475 | 21.88 |
| SnowRunner | 4,046.7 | 7,802 | 13.87 |
| Need for Speed Heat | 3,912.0 | 12,493 | 30.06 |
| F1 23 | 3,132.5 | 7,450 | -25.4 |
| CarX Drift Racing Online | 2,594.7 | 4,807 | 19.94 |
| Assetto Corsa Competizione | 2,521.6 | 5,726 | 4.93 |
| My Summer Car | 2,095.2 | 4,450 | 42.13 |
| Need for Speed Unbound | 1,650.2 | 4,877 | 47.91 |
| MX Bikes | 1,559.9 | 2,795 | 11.92 |
| Dirt Rally 2.0 | 1,120.1 | 2,382 | 17.45 |
| EA Sports WRC | 958.3 | 1,941 | -23,72 |
| F1 Manager 2023 | 845.1 | 1,733 | -14.47 |
| Asphalt 9 Legends | 837.0 | 1,800 | 20.69 |
| Need For Speed Payback | 761.1 | 1,895 | -25.22 |
| Trackmania | 727.6 | 1,750 | -58.6 |
| Forza Motorsport | 717.5 | 1,185 | -25.53 |
| Disney Speedstorm | 686.3 | 1,532 | -8.76 |
| Automobilista 2 | 639.3 | 2,547 | 44.34 |
| F1 22 | 565.1 | 1,420 | -31.19 |
| rFactor 2 | 552.0 | 1,244 | -4.07 |
| Wreckfest | 486.8 | 1,321 | 5.41 |
| The Crew 2 | 473.0 | 833 | -8.01 |
| MudRunner | 466.9 | 1,034 | -10.4 |
| RaceRoom | 446.6 | 972 | 7.43 |
| WRC 7 | 423.4 | 2,076 | -46.5 |
| RIDE 4 | 260.3 | 670 | -8.32 |
What do you make of the list of the most played racing games on Steam in December 2023? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
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