20 December 2025

EA Game Shutting Down on March 19

By newsgame

EA has confirmed that Real Racing 3 is going to be shutting down in March 2026. The publisher confirmed that Real Racing 3 has already been removed from all app stores as of December 18, 2025, and players only have a limited amount of time to play it before it’s gone for good. This impending shutdown once again raises the conversation about game preservation, which is especially important when discussing online-only games that are lost forever when the servers go down.

Real Racing 3 launched back in 2013 on mobile devices, and was the sequel to 2010’s Real Racing 2. The game had tons of updates over the years, bringing more tracks from real locations and cars from real manufacturers. Despite its age, it was undoubtedly among the best mobile racing games, offering realistic online gameplay on a smaller screen. Up to eight players can compete against one another in online races, and according to the game’s store page, it boasted over 200 million downloads over the years. However, the game’s freemium business model drew controversy from some players, despite solid in-game mechanics. It’s fair to suggest that, overall, Real Racing 3 had a pretty good run across 12 years.

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EA Confirms Real Racing 3 to Shut Down on March 19, 2026

In a statement posted on the EA website, the publisher confirmed that the servers for Real Racing 3 will be shut down for good on March 19, 2026, after which point it will be completely unplayable. The racing game has already been pulled from the App Store and the Google Play Store as of December 18, meaning anyone who hasn’t already downloaded it will not be able to do so. Players can still redownload it from their account history if they previously downloaded Real Racing 3, but no new downloads are possible at this point. In-app purchases have been disabled, too. Players can no longer spend real money in-game, although any existing currencies can still be spent between now and the March 19 shutdown date. According to EA, a final update will give players 1000 gold, an Audi S1 e-tron quattro, and a 2023 Rimac Nevera to all players. Those who already own these vehicles will receive more gold instead.

This makes Real Racing 3 the latest EA game to announce a 2026 shutdown date. There are already a few notable games set to be sunset by EA next year, including the likes of Anthem and The Sims Mobile. Just recently, it was also confirmed that NBA Live 19 will be closed in January, too. EA keeps a historical record of all its games that have been shut down over the years and tends to give players plenty of notice before they go down. So, while it’s sad to see them go, at least fans get a window of opportunity to say their goodbyes to these games. While it’s just the four EA games announced for closure so far in 2026, it’s so frequent that it wouldn’t be surprising to see even more added to that list next year.

All EA Games Shutting Down in 2026 (So Far)

Anthem (January 12, 2026)
The Sims Mobile (January 24, 2026)
NBA Live 19 (January 30, 2026)
Real Racing 3 (March 19, 2026)

The closure of Real Racing 3 reignites the debate about game preservation, especially for online titles. The Stop Killing Games movement is well-publicized and appears to have blown up this year. However, whether it has made real progress towards helping the preservation of games remains to be seen. It’s an ongoing struggle, one that seems likely to be ongoing for a long time yet.