Can sim racing be addictive?

Yes, sim racing can be addictive—just like other video games, especially those with a strong reward system and competitive elements. While there are no physically addictive substances in the traditional sense, like alcohol or nicotine, psychological mechanisms can take effect:

• Competition and rankings : Online racing thrives on leagues, Elo systems, and iRatings (e.g., in iRacing). This can encourage the urge to "run one more race" to improve one's ranking or make up for a loss.

• Realism and immersion : Steering wheels, pedals, VR or triple-screen setups make driving feel extremely real – many players lose themselves for hours without realizing it.

• Learning Curve and Progression : Sim racing is technically demanding. The constant pursuit of improving lap times or perfecting driving techniques is motivating, but can also lead to overexertion.

• Community and social bonding : Online leagues, team races or endurance events (e.g. 24-hour races in iRacing) create strong commitments and group dynamics – similar to e-sports titles.

Whether this leads to addiction depends largely on personality, life circumstances, and self-control. It becomes problematic when sim racing regularly interferes with sleep, school/work, relationships, or health. Researchers summarize this as "gaming disorder," which is recognized by the WHO as a potential behavioral addiction.

👉 In short: Sim racing itself is not automatically “more dangerous” than other games, but it does have addictive potential due to its high level of realism, competitive nature and time-consuming races.