5 Things Le Mans Ultimate Does Right

Its Early Access release did not come without problems, but also a whole lot of good – here are 5 Things Le Mans Ultimate does right.

Le Mans Ultimate has been out for just over a week since its Early Access release, and as expected, there were quite a few hiccups on the way. However, limited as it may be regarding game modes for now, the official WEC game also boasts some undeniable strengths. Here are 5 things Le Mans Ultimate does right at this early stage already.

1 – The Driving​

To put the most important part first: The driving in Le Mans Ultimate feels sublime. Already regarded as the biggest strength that should carry over from rFactor 2 before LMU even released, the handling model certainly did not disappoint when the game hit Early Access.

The Hypercars in particular have been recreated well in all their complexity. It will take them a while to get up to temperature, but once they are ready to be pushed, they feel extremely convincing. Similarly, once you get used to the LMP2 or GTE cars, they feel intuitive.

Most notably, the driving in LMU does not feel like you need to figure out and adjust to the quirks of the sim’s handling model. Instead, you can focus on getting your head around the different cars themselves – so if we had to describe the driving feel in Le Mans Ultimate, it would be ‘natural’.

2 – The Visuals​

Definitely a rather subjective point, but LMU did positively surprise us with its visuals. When the recommended PC specs were announced to be virtually the same as those of rFactor 2, we were not sure what to make of it – although the newer rF2 content also looks far from terrible, it has to be said.

However, when cranked to the max, the Le Mans Ultimate graphics are surprisingly nice – and not just in the screenshot-friendly hours of dusk and dawn. Even in full sunlight, LMU does shine – excuse the pun. But the blinding reflections from shiny surfaces on opposing cars, the lighting, the tracks themselves all make for some eye candy. Even better are rainy nights, as the reflections in the puddles on track are extremely well done.

This is not to say that there is no room for improvement, though. The rain drops and the way water streaks across the cars’ windshields looks to be rather low-res and a bit like semi-transparent worms, but this should not be too tough to fix – and it certainly is not a top priority, either. Especially since there are cool screenshots to be taken in the hidden photo mode despite this. Can’t find it? Check out our tips and hidden features in Le Mans Ultimate video!

5 Things Le Mans Ultimate Does Right: 3 – The Online System​

Carrying over from rFactor 2, the RaceControl online system of Le Mans Ultimate is the only way to play the game in multiplayer for now. This is not a bad thing, however: Players can participate in short daily races that are run in rapid succession, longer weekly events and a special event in multiple time slots on the weekends.

The daily races come in sets of two per driver rank requirement of Bronze, Silver, or Gold and use fixed setups, while the weekly races and special events use open setups.

Racers have driver rank equivalent to iRating in iRacing, basically indicating their overall pace, and a safety rating, which is based on incidents. After each race, they can see how it changed – and why, as LMU gives a few bullet points that explain the ratings change. They are like mini objectives, like the game expecting you to qualify in a certain position based on your rating and that of your opponents, for example.

Despite some stability issues here and there, the online system in Le Mans Ultimate is generally working well and offers an engaging experience.

4 – The Sounds​

One of the immediate standouts when first loading into a session in LMU is the sound design of the sim. The onboard sounds are uncanny in some cases, like in the Ferrari 499P. The V6 noise, the recuperation whine of the hybrid system under braking – Le Mans Ultimate certainly knows how to up the immersion level through its audio.

One of our personal favorites is the hybrid launch of the Cadillac V-Series.R. A fan favorite in real life as well, the explosion-like boom when the V8 roars to life after pulling away from the pits on electric power is simply sublime. Make sure to crank up the volume!

It is not just the in-car sounds, however. We have caught ourselves more often than we want to admit spending more time on the setup screens in the pits just to hear the other cars fly by the start-finish straight with their variety of distinct engine notes. The Porsche 911 RSR-19 GTE, for instance… We could go on for quite a while here.

5 Things Le Mans Ultimate Does Right: 5 – The Update Frequency​

Okay, to be precise, this is not something the game itself offers, but rather what Studio 397 does to it. Slightly over a week after Le Mans Ultimate’s release, a total of four Hotfixes have been deployed already, the latest coming on February 28. Compared to the review version, these Hotfixes have greatly reduced the number of bugs and made the game more stable, at least on our systems. We cannot imagine that it will be much longer until the first proper patch.

If Studio 397 can keep up this frequency, playing LMU just as frequently should be well worth it. Many sim racers had voiced their concerns about the game being released into Early Access and then dropped due to the financial situation of parent company Motorsport Games. Thus far, however, things are looking good – although it is still early days for LMU in the grand scheme of things.

Be sure to check out our article on missing features we would like to see in Le Mans Ultimate if you have not done so yet! Most of the features are actually on the devs’ radar, so our fingers are crossed that they will be added to LMU soon.



What are your favorite aspects of Le Mans Ultimate? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!