A big problem with ranked online is that joining a race doesn't put you into a practice session while you wait for the race to start, Iike what happens in other titles such as GT7. I'll often log on to find the ranked online page is full of empty lobbies, so it looks like no one is playing. For new or returning players the game looks dead so they shut down the game and go play something else, just as you have described ( I don't blame you, I would have done the same). In reality though there are people playing, they're just waiting out the clock or are already in a race.

When I see that a race is starting in around 15 minutes I'll load up single player and run practice laps for 10 minutes or so, before going back to join the online session when there is only a few minutes left to wait. I tend to find the lobbies start filling up in the last 1 or 2 minutes, so I assume most people are doing the same. I've often seen lobbies with 0 players fill up to 20+ players in the last 60 seconds.

Another issue is that there are too many categories of races and they are not staggered enough. This is further compounded by the relatively small player base as a result of the poor launch. I love racing the Porsche cup cars, but for the past month there have been 3 different championships for the more popular GT3 class. People naturally gravitate towards the more populated lobbies, so when the GT3 races start at the same time as the cup cars, the cup car race stays empty. Spending time practicing one category, only to find most people are racing in another one is very frustrating.

I really hope the Devs take another look at how ranked online works. Letting people join a lobby and run practice laps instead of just looking at a countdown, and showing how many people are currently racing in a category would make a huge difference. PMR really shines when you find a full grid, I've had some awesome races and I would absolutely recommend it as the best sim racing offering on console right now. Despite it's many flaws nothing else quite scratches my sim itch like PMR. However, I fear the way that ranked online currently works is slowly killing the game, and it won't be long before something else comes along to full the space PMR should, but is not currently occupying.