Everything You Need To Know About Le Mans UItimate

It’s been a long time since an official Le Mans game was last released, with Le Mans 24 Hours (known to those in the US as Test Drive Le Mans) arriving on PlayStation 2 back in 2001. The licence has been passed around various franchises since then, but we’ve never had a proper title dedicated to the famous endurance race.

That’s until now, anyway, with Motorsport Games’ Le Mans Ultimate now available on PC in Steam Early Access. Based heavily on rFactor 2, the new title is the official game of the World Endurance Championship and includes every round of the season in addition to the famous 24-hour jewel in its crown.

Here’s everything you need to know about Le Mans Ultimate.

Which cars are in Le Mans Ultimate? Being the official game of the World Endurance Championship, you can expect to see almost every car from the series available in Le Mans Ultimate. It’s worth noting that its initial line-up is based on the 2023 season, meaning cars come from the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGTE classes. Sadly, the Garage 56 NASCAR Chevrolet Camaro doesn’t make the roster.

Hypercar

Toyota GR010Ferrari 499PPorsche 963Cadillac V-Series.RPeugeot 9X8Glickenhaus SCG-007Vanwall Vandervell 680LMP2

Oreca 07LMGTE

Aston Martin Vantage GTEPorsche 911 RSRCorvette C8.RFerrari 488 GTE EvoWe’d expect to see cars from 2024 onwards added over time, including the LM GT3 class which will debut this season and new top-class entrants from BMW, Lamborghini and Alpine.

Which tracks can I race on? Every round from the 2023 World Endurance Championship season is virtually recreated in Le Mans Ultimate, all seven tracks raced on last year are available in the game.

Sebring International Raceway (1000 Miles of Sebring)Circuit Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (6 Hours of Portimão)Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps)Circuit de La Sarthe (24 Hours of Le Mans)Autodromo Nazionale Monza (6 Hours of Monza)Fuji Speedway (6 Hours of Fuji)Bahrain International Circuit (8 Hours of Bahrain)We’d expect this to expand over time too, with Qatar’s Losail, Italy’s Imola, Brazil’s Interlagos and the US’ COTA surely set to arrive to keep in line with the 2024 WEC calendar.

What single player game modes are available?In early access, Le Mans Ultimate launches with just one single-player game mode: Race Weekend.

This is a sandbox-type mode allowing you to configure the classes in a race, weather forecasts, and any time or fuel/tyre wear scalings you’d prefer.

A championship mode is planned for the future, but this will reportedly only include Hypercar and GTE classes. Sadly, as of the time of writing, there are no plans for a career mode. Let’s hope this changes.

Does it have online multiplayer? Online multiplayer is available in Le Mans Ultimate’s early access, although currently it’s relatively limited in what you can do. Daily races are available, with weekly and ‘special’ events on offer too. You can also host private sessions.

There are plans for an asynchronous co-op mode which will allow you to team up with friends in endurance races against the AI, though this isn’t available just yet.

When will the game have a full release?Le Mans Ultimate launched in early access on 20 February, 2024, and Motorsport Games has yet to confirm any full release plans. We’d expect the finished product to be some time away yet.

What are the minimum PC specs?Right now, Le Mans Ultimate is only available on PC. That’s not all too surprising as it’s based on rFactor 2, which has only every been available on PC since its 2016 release.

As it’s based on a relatively old simulator, the minimum specs required for Le Mans Ultimate are fairly low, but you’ll always have a better experience at the recommended or higher.

Minimum
OS: Windows 10 or 11
Processor: Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD FX-8120
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GeForce GTX 950 (4GB) or AMD Radeon RX 470
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 30 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

Recommended
OS: Windows 10 or 11
Processor: Intel Core i5-9600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB, Radeon RX 580 8GB
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 30 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

Will Le Mans Ultimate come to PlayStation or Xbox? There are currently no concrete plans to bring Le Mans Ultimate to either PlayStation or Xbox. However, Motorsport Games has expressed a desire to do so in the future. Speaking with RacingGames.gg, its chief executive officer, Stephen Hood, said: “A lot of people are asking when Le Mans Ultimate is coming to consoles – probably more so than VR. People want it on the PlayStation and Xbox. Getting the official Le Mans World Endurance game onto PlayStation and Xbox would be amazing. It’s our dream.”

For now though, to get your sim racing fix on either console, you’ll need to stick with the likes of Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport or Assetto Corsa Competizione.