NASCAR 25’s journey to its October 14, 2025, release has been a rollercoaster. After years of lackluster titles like NASCAR 21: Ignition, which bombed with a 43 Metacritic score, fans were skeptical when iRacing Studios and Monster Games announced a new game on Unreal Engine 5.

Early teasers sparked hope with promises of laser-scanned tracks, 190 licensed drivers, over 400 paint schemes, and all four NASCAR series: Cup, Xfinity, Truck, and ARCA. But disappointment crept in when Dev Diaries showed only cockpit views and menus, leaving out real racing action. The track list, missing key venues like Bowman Gray Stadium and ARCA’s Berlin Raceway, didn’t help, and fans on Reddit and Twitter ripped the lack of transparency, with some swearing off pre-orders.

Then came the latest gameplay demo, and it’s flipped the script. Cup Series driver Anthony Alfredo took the wheel at Homestead-Miami Speedway, giving fans their first true taste of NASCAR 25 in motion. From lap one, it was clear this wasn’t another half-baked effort. The visuals, including sun glare, tire marks, and trackside shadows, screamed Next-Gen polish.

The engine roar and cockpit shake pulled players right into the driver’s seat. Alfredo’s run showed off a game that feels alive, with cars dancing on the edge of control, a far cry from the stiff, scripted feel of past titles.

What really caught the eye was the handling. The demo showcased tight corner entries and loose exits, mimicking the real-world challenge of wrestling a stock car around Homestead’s 1.5-mile oval. The AI didn’t just follow a single groove; some hugged the bottom, others kissed the wall, creating dynamic racing lines that felt like a Sunday broadcast.

Alfredo leaned on a fully functional rearview mirror, a fan-favorite feature missing from earlier games, to navigate traffic with precision. The weight transfer under braking and throttle was spot-on, reflecting the nuances drivers like Christopher Bell or Denny Hamlin talk about weekly.

Sound design sealed the deal. Engine growls, tire squeals, and the hum of the pack synced perfectly with the action, making every move immersive. Unlike the choppy frame rates of NASCAR 21: Ignition, this demo ran smoothly, with Unreal Engine 5 flexing its muscle. Even smaller touches, like detailed Xfinity car liveries and laser-scanned track bumps, showed a level of care missing from the franchise for years.

This isn’t just a step forward, it’s a leap. NASCAR games have struggled to capture the sport’s intensity since the EA days of the early 2000s, often criticized for weak physics or buggy launches.

Reddit’s NASCAR community, quick to roast the game’s earlier vague teasers, is now singing a different tune after Alfredo’s Homestead demo.

Fans flip from doubt to hype

One fan nailed the vibe, “When he was practicing, the grandstands were full. Outside of that extreme small detail, I can’t wait to get my hands on this!” The packed stands during practice might not match real-world testing, but the immersive visuals, including sun glare and rubber buildup, had fans forgiving the cosmetic exaggeration. The Unreal Engine 5 polish, from track textures to crowd details, has players itching to jump in, even if the grandstands were a bit too race-day perfect.

Another user cheered a long-awaited feature, “We have a mirror!” Alfredo’s use of a functioning rearview mirror in the cockpit view was a game-changer, fixing a major gripe from NASCAR 21: Ignition’s bare-bones setup. It’s a nod to iRacing’s sim roots, boosting awareness in tight packs and making races feel more authentic. Fans see it as a sign that the developers are listening, aligning the game closer to hardcore sim standards.

The AI impressed too, “Looks like it will be fun. I hope you can adjust the AI a little bit though. Overall, I’m excited!” Alfredo navigated a field where AI cars mixed it up, some running low, others high, mirroring real NASCAR strategy at Homestead. While sliders for AI difficulty weren’t shown, the varied lines suggest a dynamic system, a big step up from the single-groove bots of past titles. Fans are hopeful for tweaks to dial in the challenge.

Simulation nuts got a boost, “I’m pleasantly surprised by this. I want to see the actual difficulty options and how close to ‘sim’ I can make it.” The demo’s tight-in, loose-off handling nailed Homestead’s real-world feel, with Alfredo fighting the car’s balance like Bell or Hamlin would.

While menus for physics tuning weren’t revealed, the sim-like weight transfer and track fidelity have hardcore players optimistic for a game that can flex between arcade and iRacing-level depth.

Xfinity fans chimed in, “Those Xfinity cars look and sound great. Already the most realistic scan/scale of tracks and cars we’ve ever seen.” The demo’s Xfinity cars popped with crisp liveries and roaring audio, backed by laser-scanned tracks that capture every bump. It’s a far cry from NASCAR Heat’s dated models, and fans are stoked for the multi-series depth across Cup, Xfinity, Trucks, and ARCA.

One user summed it up, “Holy shit it looks fantastic! Love the sun glare down the front straight when he raced at Homestead. How the car handles, being tight in, loose off looks so real! The AI changing their lines as some used the bottom line in the turns, others up next to the fence, awesome realism. One nitpicky thing is that to have realistic crowd numbers.”

The sun glare, realistic handling, and multi-line AI had fans buzzing, with only the overdone crowd size drawing a minor quibble. After months of doubt, Alfredo’s demo has Reddit lit up, proving NASCAR 25 might just deliver the stock car sim fans have been begging for.