iRacing Raises Subscription Prices Starting in August 2026

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iRacing has confirmed a subscription price increase that will take effect on August 18, 2026. It's only the second time the company has touched membership pricing in its nearly twenty years of history, so the news has landed like a bucket of cold water for a good chunk of the community.

If you don't have an account yet and you're thinking about jumping into the official grid before prices go up, here's the link with 40% off new accounts.

iRacing's new prices

Here's how direct subscription pricing looks starting August 18:

• 1 month: $14.75 (previously $13.00)
• 3 months: $37.50 (previously $33.00)
• 12 months: $124.50 (previously $110.00)
• 24 months: $222.50 (previously $199.00)

Steam prices will go up by a similar amount. What isn't changing, for now, is the price of cars and tracks, which stays exactly the same as before, so if you already have an account and just need to expand your garage, this doesn't affect you.

If you're in Spain, remember these figures are in dollars and don't include VAT, which gets added on top depending on your tax region. Worth keeping in mind when comparing the final price to what you're paying right now.

How to dodge the increase (for now)

Anyone who renews before August 18 keeps the current prices. Heads up though, the added time gets tacked onto the end of your current subscription, it doesn't replace it, so you can renew right now even if you've still got months left and bank that extra time for later. If you've got auto-renew turned on and don't do anything, the charge will already reflect the new pricing once your renewal date after August 18 comes around.

If you're looking to get the most out of your subscription now that it's going to cost a bit more, check out our guide on the best iRacing purchases for Season 3 2026, covering the cars and tracks that pay off the most on the current calendar.

Why the price is going up

iRacing is justifying the increase by pointing to everything the sim has grown since the last time they touched pricing: hundreds of new features, a base package that's now close to 30 cars and 25 tracks, and development investment that includes a new proprietary graphics engine and the single-player career mode they've been teasing for months. Basically the classic "we're charging more because there's more now" explanation, which is probably true, but isn't exactly fun to read with your bank account in mind.

The company insists all the content and new features remain included in the subscription at no extra cost, and that the plan is to keep pouring money into development over the coming years. In other words, this probably won't be the last time we hear about big improvements, but it doesn't look like it'll be the last price increase either if the sim keeps growing at this pace.

And here's where we'll throw in a bit of our own opinion: we get that the sim needs to keep investing and that costs are rising for everyone, but the vibe we've been getting in iRacing's lobbies lately isn't that of a service getting better across the board. Grid quality in a lot of series has taken a hit, and the firm hand needed to boot out the people who ruin races for everyone else still hasn't shown up. Raising the price without tightening up there too feels, to us, like only doing half the job.

And now we'd like to ask you: What do you think about the price increase? Do you think it's justified? We look forward to hearing from you.