The numbers for the most played racing games on Steam in January 2024 are in, and the first month of the year sees a new leader of the racing pack.
Image credit: Playground Games
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.
After spending most of the second half of 2023 at the top of the list, BeamNG.drive had to yield to Forza Horizon 5 again – but only just. While FH5‘s January peak is significantly higher, both titles are very close when it comes to average players. Big publisher and open-world setting versus indie developer and sandbox premise – it sounds like an uneven fight on paper, yet the very different approaches are a close match month after month.
Further down the order, Automobilista 2 made another big step forward. After an average player increase of 44.34% in December already, it seems that Reiza Studios’ continued efforts pay off in 2024 as well. Off the back of its Endurance Pack and Le Mans release on New Year’s Eve as well as smaller updates throughout January, the sim has hit an all-time high for average players again.
Interestingly, the start of the WRC season did not help EA Sports WRC‘s numbers. Instead, it lost more ground to DiRT Rally 2.0, which is still the most played rally game as a result. This is despite the January update to fix numerous big bugs, especially in career mode.
Most Played Racing Games on Steam in January 2024 (cap at 250 avg. players; top values in bold)
What do you make of the most played racing games on Steam in January 2024? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
Image credit: Playground Games
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.
After spending most of the second half of 2023 at the top of the list, BeamNG.drive had to yield to Forza Horizon 5 again – but only just. While FH5‘s January peak is significantly higher, both titles are very close when it comes to average players. Big publisher and open-world setting versus indie developer and sandbox premise – it sounds like an uneven fight on paper, yet the very different approaches are a close match month after month.
ACC & AMS2 Gain More Traction
Meanwhile, Assetto Corsa Competizione managed to jump F1 23. This is likely due to the release of the new update and GT2 Pack DLC, which also introduced the Red Bull Ring to the premier GT3 sim. With the Formula One season set to kick off on March 2 in Bahrain, F1 23 might be fired up more frequently again around that time, though.Further down the order, Automobilista 2 made another big step forward. After an average player increase of 44.34% in December already, it seems that Reiza Studios’ continued efforts pay off in 2024 as well. Off the back of its Endurance Pack and Le Mans release on New Year’s Eve as well as smaller updates throughout January, the sim has hit an all-time high for average players again.
Interestingly, the start of the WRC season did not help EA Sports WRC‘s numbers. Instead, it lost more ground to DiRT Rally 2.0, which is still the most played rally game as a result. This is despite the January update to fix numerous big bugs, especially in career mode.
| Title | Avg. players | Peak | Gain % |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 13,350.1 | 26,152 | 4.02 |
| BeamNG.drive | 13,056.7 | 22,956 | -1.7 |
| Assetto Corsa | 9,679.0 | 18,605 | 0.09 |
| Forza Horizon 4 | 5,970.0 | 12,596 | -3.36 |
| SnowRunner | 4,354.8 | 8,643 | 7.62 |
| Need for Speed Heat | 4,313.1 | 11,808 | 10.25 |
| Assetto Corsa Competizione | 2,735.6 | 7,276 | 8.49 |
| F1 23 | 2,615.6 | 5,804 | -16.5 |
| CarX Drift Racing Online | 2,499.2 | 4,807 | -3.68 |
| My Summer Car | 2,063.6 | 4,586 | -1.51 |
| MX Bikes | 2,024.6 | 3,559 | 29.79 |
| Need for Speed Unbound | 1,755.7 | 4,659 | 6.39 |
| Dirt Rally 2.0 | 1,025.0 | 2,054 | -8.49 |
| Trackmania | 882.2 | 2,770 | 21.25 |
| Automobilista 2 | 848.0 | 2,491 | 32.64 |
| EA Sports WRC | 809.0 | 1,763 | -15.58 |
| Asphalt 9 Legends | 785.4 | 1,208 | -6.16 |
| F1 Manager 2023 | 766.9 | 1,525 | -9.25 |
| Need For Speed Payback | 639.6 | 1,695 | -15.97 |
| Forza Motorsport | 588.2 | 1,043 | -18.03 |
| Wreckfest | 533.3 | 1,440 | 9.54 |
| rFactor 2 | 507.4 | 1,363 | -8.09 |
| Disney Speedstorm | 488.5 | 946 | -28.83 |
| The Crew 2 | 452.9 | 785 | -4.24 |
| RaceRoom | 407.9 | 917 | -8.66 |
| MudRunner | 398.4 | 991 | -14.68 |
| F1 22 | 381.1 | 773 | -32.56 |
| WRC 7 | 325.5 | 1,065 | -23.13 |
| RIDE 4 | 279.3 | 691 | 7.32 |
What do you make of the most played racing games on Steam in January 2024? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
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