Modding-friendly arcade racer Formula Legends is out now - works well on Linux / Steam Deck

If you have the need for speed but don't want to play one of the various full simulators, perhaps Formula Legends might be just the ticket you need. You can't even play the latest F1 games on Linux systems anyway.

With bright colourful and inviting visuals, this is a game designed for racing fans who find the serious sims just a bit too demanding. Formula Legends is a bit of a weird one though that sits somewhere between an arcade racer and a light simulator, because without any assists on it does feel a bit more like a proper sim but with controls and an overall feel that are a bit more like an arcade game - and when you turn on assists it's very much an arcade racer so you could call it a "sim-cade" racer.

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For the content and gameplay, I don't have a whole lot special to say about it. There's only 3 different game modes split across story mode, time attack and a custom mode where you can set things up how you like. All pretty standard stuff there for such a racer. The vehicles and tracks are only inspired by the real world too, as they don't have the licensing. So with the story mode (which doesn't exactly have any story) you just run through AI races using vehicles inspired by various eras.

Even with the more approachable nature of it, there's still a fair bit you need to keep an eye on when you're burning rubber. It has tyre wear, tyre grip, fuel consumption, damage simulation and weather conditions - all to keep you on your toes. There's even a tiny mini-game when you go into the pit to press a few buttons to get repaired and refuelled.

I really like that they're leaning into the modding community too. While other bigger racers stick in anti-cheat and try to protect their precious micro-transactions and such, this is a single-player modders delight (if a community builds up around to to make some that is). Although, modding support will come "soon" after launch.

On Desktop Linux (Kubuntu 25.04) with Proton 9.0-4 it has been working perfectly, my PC hasn't broken a sweat with all the settings cranked up to max. Not overly surprising though, it's not exactly graphically demanding.

For Steam Deck gamers, even with the details all on "Very High" it will stick to nearly 60FPS. Just turn them down one notch to High and you should be absolutely fine on performance.

Pictured - Formula Legends on Steam Deck

Don't go in expecting any multi-player features at all though, this is firmly designed as a single-player experience. And, honestly, that works against it. The AI drivers are…quite often complete morons. Completely bunching up, smashing into each other in groups around some corners and so on. If you're going to make a pure single-player racer, the AI needs to be better than this.

Aside from the racer stupidity, the actual racing is a real blast. The vehicles sound great, and mostly control great apart from some strange quirks at times with the handling. Soaring past opponents, and then attempting to stay on the track as I'm going way too fast for the corner. It's a challenge that still surprised me given the inviting nature of the game.

From the developer:

"We’ve all poured our hearts and souls into Formula Legends’ development," said Francesco Bruschi, CEO of 3DClouds. "We have been blown away by the positive response to the game from media, content creators and players, with launch being just the next step for us."

"We’ve designed Formula Legends to be fully mod-able - from the smallest in-game livery logo to entire car models and more," Bruschi added. "The PC version of Formula Legends can be easily decompiled and recompiled allowing the community to mod, tweak and create whatever they want and share their efforts with others. We can’t wait to see what they create!"

They have some big post-release plans too including:

Just a few days after launch

• Free update With Minor Fix and Custom Configurations (MOD) available.

October

• Free update including bug fixes, various improvements, and new features such as the Custom Camera (Cockpit)

November

• Double free update with new features currently in development, including wheel support and manual gearbox.

December

• Release of the first seasonal “Early ‘10” DLC, featuring:

  • New teams and drivers

  • 2 new vehicle models

  • A new chapter of the Story Mode

Overall it's a fun time if you're in the market for a new racer that's hard to pin down where it belongs. Just keep in mind it's single-player only and the AI racers do need some tweaks to not be so stupid.

You're not going to be making your wallet cry with this one either at £19.99 / $19.99 / €19.99.