Le Mans Ultimate has surpassed 500,000 base-game sales and 1.2 million individual DLC sales, but Motorsport Games is also building a larger online business around RaceControl.
As of 30th June 2026, RaceControl had 40,520 paid subscribers, around 230% more than a year earlier. Subscription revenue reached approximately $1.4 million during the first half of 2026, up nearly 349% year over year.
That gives Motorsport Games three sources of revenue around Le Mans Ultimate: the base game, downloadable content and RaceControl subscriptions.
The structure is still different from iRacing, where a membership is required to access the service. But LMU is increasingly relying on some of the same ingredients that have supported iRacing over the long term: organized competition, recurring subscriptions, paid content and regular updates.
RaceControl is becoming a larger part of Le Mans Ultimate
RaceControl provides the official online competition platform for Le Mans Ultimate and rFactor 2.
Its financial contribution has grown quickly. Approximately $1.4 million in RaceControl subscription revenue during the first six months of 2026 represented around 18% of Motorsport Games’ total revenue for the period.
Players can still buy Le Mans Ultimate DLC individually and keep it permanently, but RaceControl Pro+ also provides access to first-party Studio 397 DLC for Le Mans Ultimate and rFactor 2 while the subscription remains active.
That gives players two ways to access additional content: buying it outright or accessing it through a subscription.
iRacing puts the subscription first
The main difference is structural.
iRacing requires an active membership to use the service.
Its membership currently includes 32 cars and 29 tracks, more than 125 official series, round-the-clock online racing, matchmaking, licence and rating systems, team racing and more than 25 special events each year. iRacing says its global community exceeds 350,000 sim racers.
Cars and circuits outside the included content are sold separately. Cars generally cost $11.95, while tracks typically cost $11.95 or $14.95, with discounts available when buying multiple items.
For iRacing, the subscription is the entry point.
For Le Mans Ultimate, the base game remains the entry point, with RaceControl and DLC added around it.
Organized competition is where the comparison gets closer
iRacing has built much of its longevity around structured online competition.
Official racing is divided into seasons and series, with matchmaking, licence progression and driver ratings helping organize players of different skill levels.
Le Mans Ultimate is investing in the same broad area. Updates have expanded online racing and championship functionality. Version 1.2, for example, introduced further improvements to Online Championships alongside new content and physics changes.
RaceControl gives those systems a centralized home instead of relying only on conventional multiplayer servers.
That matters particularly for endurance racing, where multiclass events, long races and team competition benefit from a persistent system that organizes drivers and gives them reasons to return.
DLC is already a substantial part of LMU’s business
Motorsport Games says Le Mans Ultimate has sold more than 1.2 million individual DLC units alongside over 500,000 copies of the base game.
That is equivalent to roughly 2.4 DLC units for every base-game copy sold, although it is not the same as saying every owner has bought 2.4 DLC items. Some players may own several, while others may own none.
The content pipeline is continuing through 2026.
Version 1.4 arrived in July alongside the beginning of the USA Track Pass, which is planned to include six American circuits across three DLC packs. The first pack added Daytona International Speedway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
iRacing uses a different commercial structure, but both platforms depend on continued additions of cars, circuits and features rather than replacing the simulator with a new annual release.
Keeping players racing matters more as the platform grows
A base-game sale generates revenue once.
Subscriptions, DLC and organized competition only work if players continue using the platform.
iRacing has spent years building that retention around driver ratings, licences, career statistics, official series, special events and leagues. Player progression remains attached to the same service rather than being reset by an annual sequel.
Le Mans Ultimate is much younger, but its recent numbers show why retention is becoming important.
After Version 1.2 launched in December 2025, Motorsport Games reported record concurrent player numbers. The company later said April 2026 produced Le Mans Ultimate’s highest average daily active user figure to date.
Alongside 40,520 paid RaceControl subscribers, that gives Motorsport Games a growing audience it can serve beyond the initial game purchase.
Similar direction, different business models
Le Mans Ultimate has not adopted the iRacing business model wholesale.
iRacing requires a subscription and covers a much broader range of motorsport disciplines. Le Mans Ultimate is sold as a standalone game focused primarily on endurance racing, with RaceControl subscriptions and DLC layered on top.
The scale is also different. iRacing advertises a community of more than 350,000 sim racers, while RaceControl reported 40,520 paid subscribers at the end of June. Those numbers measure different things and should not be compared directly.
The similarity is in how both platforms try to extend their lifespan.
Organized online racing, subscriptions, paid content and regular updates all give players reasons to remain inside the same ecosystem rather than moving on after completing a conventional game cycle.
Le Mans Ultimate’s 500,000 base-game sales show the size of its current audience. Its 1.2 million DLC sales and 40,520 RaceControl subscribers show how Motorsport Games is beginning to make money from that audience after the initial purchase.
Le Mans Ultimate is not becoming iRacing. But its growth increasingly depends on some of the same fundamentals: keeping players racing, selling new content and building recurring revenue around an active online community.
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