Imagine waking up one morning, after almost two decades of staring at the same menu, and suddenly bam! everything looks different. Not “they changed the yogurt lid” different, but truly different. That’s what just happened in iRacing.
And no, I’m not talking about the launcher that gray little hallway that only says “enter the game.” I’m talking about the core: what you see when you actually open the simulator.
First Impact: Is This a Simulator or Netflix in Dark Mode?
The first thing you notice is the style shift. Farewell to the blinding whites of the old school, hello to a dark mode with black backgrounds you can tweak for opacity. Want a transparent HUD to feel like a hacker? Done. Prefer everything solid like it’s Word 2003? Also possible.
The juicy part is that you can now move almost everything. Almost. That top bar is still glued on as if someone used industrial adhesive. Everything else is like playing The Sims: drag and drop widgets wherever your heart desires.
Just beware: sometimes you click and it doesn’t move. It’s that kitchen drawer that jams precisely when you’re late.
The HUD: Between Freedom and “Hmm, That’s Odd”
Credit where due. You can customize the HUD per car, adjust size (though spoiler: past 140% it doesn’t change on some systems even if the slider claims 300%), and rearrange to taste.
Flip on the “show everything” mode and every possible window appears, even the ones you’ll barely touch. Like opening a drawer and discovering socks you forgot existed. It’s useful, but then you must reorganize, and here’s the catch: there’s no undo button. If you misplace a panel, prepare to play UI Tetris until it looks decent again.
Scroll, Scroll, and More Scroll
Here’s where I sighed. Previously, you opened Options and zap! everything was visible. Compressed? Yes. Practical? Absolutely. Now… infinite scroll.
Want to change force feedback? Get ready to scroll like you’re reading the iTunes terms of service. It’s prettier, more segmented, better categorized, but sometimes aesthetics are the enemy of speed. And really would a search bar be so hard?
Before, you had two tabs: Graphics and Replay. Easy. Now it’s all grouped, but buried under a sea of scroll.
The good news: you can separate settings for in-car and replay/spectator modes. The bad news: finding where the number of visible cars lives feels like hunting keys after locking the door.
And if you own an ultra-wide monitor, brace for tears. Menus remain locked to 16:9, leaving two dark oceans on the sides. All that empty real estate could host two or three extra columns… but nope.
In the Car: Here’s Where It Actually Evolves
Once you jump on track with your Mustang GT4, the difference is tangible. Everything is cleaner, more modular, and more flexible.
You can still move HUD elements like before but better. Some elements now have mini settings of their own, like the virtual mirror or the pit-lane limiter (which even lets you choose European or American signage nerdy but charming).
Not everything is perfect: some black boxes in “large mode” show… exactly the same info as in “small mode.” More stretched window than added value. Others do make sense enlarged standings, relative, and weather can display more entries or a longer forecast, which is actually useful.
Little wish list item: a grid/snap system. On 3440×1440, aligning elements at the exact same height is like cutting a straight line without a ruler.
The setup area is the part that changed the least. The layout is basically the same, just visually refreshed. Explanations moved from the bottom to the right, icons got a facelift, and life goes on. If it worked before, it works now.
Is it perfect? Nope. Is it a step forward? Yes though with stumbles. The key is that they can now add features that used to be impossible. Meanwhile, we make peace with the scroll of doom and the IKEA-style HUD assembly.
Because once the car fires up, menus fade from memory. And that’s where iRacing still wears the crown.
- Remember, you can join iRacing clicking here.
See you on the track!
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