Rennsport

Last updated
Rennsport
Rennsport Cover Artwork.png
Cover art featuring a Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
Developers
  • Competition Company
  • Teyon
Publishers
  • Competition Company
  • Nacon (consoles)
Engine Unreal Engine 5
Platforms
Release13 November 2025
Genre Racing simulation
Modes Single-player, multiplayer

Rennsport (stylized in all caps) is a 2025 sim racing video game jointly developed by Munich-based [1] studio Competition Company and Polish video games developer Teyon. [2] [1] The game was made available through closed beta [3] and could be accessed via the Epic Games Store [4] through waitlist invitation on 6 June 2023. The game moved into open beta in July 2024, and into early access in December 2024. On 7 March 2025, the game was confirmed to be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S with Nacon publishing the console versions. [5] The game left early access for a full release on 13 November 2025. [6]

Contents

Gameplay

Rennsport is a simulation, combined with custom Unreal Engine 5 graphics. [7] Esports is a major focus in Rennsport; the game is closely tied to and was formally unveiled alongside the ESL R1 tournament. [8] The game was originally released on early access with a free-to-play business model, also featuring a battle pass. This was later discontinued ahead of its launch in favor of a traditional buy-to-play model. [9]

Rennsport R1

In 2022, Competition Company and Teyon announced a partnership with ESL, with the developers confirming that the game would be developed with esports in mind. [8] Full details were revealed of the partnership's joint project in January 2023, with a new esports tournament called ESL R1, based around online series and in-person LAN Major events functioning in similar fashion to the Counter-Strike Major Championships which ESL have previously hosted. [10] A number of high-profile teams would participate in the tournament, with a total prize pool of €225,000. [11] ESL dropped their sanctioning of the series in 2025, with the tournament now running as Rennsport R1.

At the foundation of the tournament, Rennsport was at an open beta stage, which meant R1 was used as a test bed for the game's development, gathering direct feedback from players participating in the tournament. [12]

Development

Details on Rennsport were revealed on 8 April 2022 by Competition Company. According to the developers, the team behind the game consisted of "professional drivers, racing strategists, programmers, and esports experts." It would be developed using Unreal Engine 5 as its graphics engine, modding would be a feature, and players would be able to trade digital assets, with personal cars containing their own vehicle identification number. [8] Competition Company CEO Morris Hebecker clarified that the game's digital assets would not be non-fungible tokens. [13] A partnership with ESL was also announced. [8]

Physics engine allegations

Competition Company and Teyon faced allegations during Rennsport's closed beta stage regarding the game's internal physics code, which was found to be identical to the isiMotor 2.5 engine used in rFactor 2. [14] Both teams wrote a blog post in response, stating that they had acquired a license to the isiMotor engine directly from Image Space Incorporated, using it as a foundation to create a physics build for the game. [15] Competition Company CEO Morris Hebecker affirmed that all internal code was "created by us, commissioned, or licensed appropriately". [16] Studio 397 and Motorsport Games, developer and publisher of rFactor 2 respectively, released a joint statement denying any involvement with Competition Company or Teyon, stating that they had not issued a license to them, or to any other developer. [17]

Reception

Rennsport received "mixed" reviews from critics according to review aggregator website Metacritic, with players finding the game "generally unfavorable". Many critics concluded that Rennsport felt unfinished, with some likening the gameplay to a beta release or an early access game, though others agreed that the game featured a solid foundation to build from. [18] [19]

References

  1. 1 2 "Teyon – INTRODUCING RENNSPORT". teyon.com. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  2. ↑ "Teyon – Rennsport". teyon.com. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  3. ↑ Team, RENNSPORT Dev (2023-06-06). "First RENNSPORT Closed Beta keys are underway". RENNSPORT. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  4. ↑ "RENNSPORT". Epic Games Store. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  5. ↑ Iwaniuk, Phil (7 March 2025). "The rebirth of Rennsport: racing sim is coming to console, and rethinking its monetisation". Top Gear . Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  6. ↑ Hegevall, Petter (18 September 2025). "Rennsport releases on November 13th for PC, PS5, and Xbox". Gamereactor . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Dain-Smith, Ben (2023-09-08). "Rennsport: Everything We Know About The Sim Racing Game". HotCars. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  8. 1 2 3 4 McGregor, Ross (2022-04-08). "New sim Rennsport to focus on esports and modding". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  9. ↑ Nicholson, Jonno (2025-08-21). "Rennsport shifts from 'free-to-play' model ahead of cross-platform launch". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  10. ↑ Harrison-Lord, Thomas (2023-01-12). "ESL R1 is the new Rennsport-based esports series, unveil 23rd January". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  11. ↑ "Everything you need to know about the ESL R1 2023 Spring Major". Everything you need to know about the ESL R1 2023 Spring Major. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  12. ↑ Harrison-Lord, Thomas (2023-02-05). "How the ESL and Rennsport are working together to deliver ESL R1". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  13. ↑ Harrison-Lord, Thomas (2022-05-27). "RENNSPORT sim's digital ownership "not an NFT"". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  14. ↑ Bigg, Martin (2023-10-05). "Rennsport Admits Physics Are NOT Built From Scratch". RacingGames. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  15. ↑ The RENNSPORT Team (2023-10-04). "A Deeper Dive In Physics". RENNSPORT. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  16. ↑ Hebecker, Morris (2023-10-03). "Addressing the online rumours about RENNSPORT". RENNSPORT. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  17. ↑ Harrison-Lord, Thomas (2023-10-03). "rFactor 2 technology "not issued to any game developer" following Rennsport allegations". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  18. 1 2 "RENNSPORT critic reviews - Metacritic (PS5)". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  19. 1 2 "RENNSPORT critic reviews - Metacritic (XSX)". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  20. ↑ "RENNSPORT Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
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