A return to the series’ roots with a modern edge, NASCAR Heat Evolution is designed with the expertise of real NASCAR drivers like Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and more to deliver a thrillingly authentic racing experience for longtime fans and rookies alike. Take on the biggest names in stock car racing across multiple competitive game modes - including Season Mode, Career Mode and online multiplayer - throughout all 23 licensed tracks in the Sprint Cup Series. NASCAR Heat Evolution’s new adaptive AI adjusts to player performance, giving every driver a finely tuned challenge, while customizable car setups on each track offer the tools to beat any scenario.

Dusenberry Martin Racing (DMR), whose licensing agreement with NASCAR Team Properties runs through 2020, partnered with Monster Games to create NASCAR Heat Evolution, bringing more than 100 years of combined NASCAR games experience to the project.

From the same legendary team that created the critically acclaimed NASCAR titles NASCAR Heat and NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona, Monster Games has a clear vision for NASCAR Heat Evolution.

DMR also teamed up with Official NASCAR Partner Toyota for a special cover athlete competition during the 2016 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. As the top-ranking Toyota driver that day, Carl Edwards secured his position as the first Toyota racer to ever grace the cover of a NASCAR video game.

NASCAR Heat Evolution began with a mission: deliver the most intense NASCAR racing experience. Working alongside Monster Games, known for developing classic NASCAR games like the original NASCAR Heat and NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona, DMR pushed themselves to find innovative ways to make their racing vision a reality.

That meant extensive car tuning options, adaptive AI that adjusts to your skill level, in-depth Career and Championship modes to capture the exhilaration of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, and a new Challenge mode for those who want to step into the cockpit of their favorite drivers and recreate real-life history.

But the biggest thing DMR wanted to do to separate NASCAR Heat Evolution from any NASCAR title you’ve played before is in online competitive multiplayer. As the first official NASCAR game on current-gen console, the devs recognized they had the power to do things never before possible in a NASCAR game. So DMR & Monster Games committed to giving players the real deal: a full field of 40 racers in online multiplayer — 40 human players all going for the checkered flag in the same race.

In previous NASCAR console games, each multiplayer game was hosted by a specific user, and that kind of peer-to-peer system could result in a number of issues — the host could leave, or have a poor connection, and that could negatively alter the entire race. DMR knew that system wouldn’t fly if they wanted to put 40 players together in NASCAR Heat Evolution. they built a new system where each online game’s data is hosted by a server. All race data comes from that server, so the entire race experience is no longer tied to any one player.

There will be three different online lobbies available: No Rules, Normal, and Hosted.

• No Rules: If you’re a beginner just looking to learn, bump, and crash (or you just want to bump and crash), the No Rules lobby is for you. This is a great place to practice, try things out, or just have a good time with friends.
• Normal: For players who want to test their skills but are still looking for a good, clean, and friendly race.
• Hosted: This lobby is for people who are more serious about racing. Race hosts will have the option to decide which level of player can join the race session. For example, if the host only wants racers level 5 or higher, he or she can set that parameter when creating the session. In addition, hosts have the right to boot players from their game.

Within each of these lobbies, players have the option of joining an existing session or creating their own. When creating your own race, you’ll be able to select the track, number of laps, fuel/tire wear, and max number of players. Once a race has been created, it will begin in 60 seconds whether the requested number of drivers have joined or not.

Unfortunately, due to the resources required to balance 40 separate players in one race, caution flags will not be available in online multiplayer. It’s not an ideal situation, but DMR really believe in the new opportunities that multiplayer on this scale opens up. Pitting will still be available in online races depending on the race length and wear options selected. Finally, players have the option to create a private race and invite their friends. This feature is perfect for NASCAR Heat Evolution leagues that want to host weekly races.

Multiplayer will only feature human drivers on the track, so if there are 24 human players in a session, you will see 24 cars on screen. Your starting position is determined by previous lap times at that track. Those with faster lap times will start closer to the front, helping to ensure that players of equal racing ability are placed near one another for a clean start. If a player quits a race for any reason, their car will disappear from the race, but everyone else can continue to compete for the checkered flag. Players who finish online multiplayer races will get Speed Points, as they do in offline racing. There are also a number of PlayStation Trophies up for grabs for those who compete online.