''Project CARS 3'' is a

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

developed by

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts. Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling in Oct ...

subsidiary

Slightly Mad Studios Slightly Mad Studios Ltd. is a British video game developer based in London. Founded in 2009, it is best known for the ''Project CARS'' series of racing games that it developed from 2015 until the series' discontinuation in 2022. Codemasters acq ...

and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was first released on 28 August 2020 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

. The game was poorly received by the public, being criticized for a departure from its features compared to its predecessors. It is the last title in the ''Project CARS'' series as the development for the fourth installment was cancelled by Slightly Mad's owner,

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...

in November 2022.

Gameplay

''Project CARS 3'' introduces more customizable cars that are available to race over 140 global circuits. The game also features 24-hour cycles, various seasons, and weather effects. The career mode has been rebuilt, with the

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

being enhanced. The game also support VR on PC. According to CEO of Slightly Mad Studios Ian Bell, the game is a spiritual successor to the '' Need for Speed: Shift'' series, which was also developed by Slightly Mad Studios. Having been acquired by British video game developer and publisher

, which is known for the ''

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

'' series, ''

Colin McRae Rally ''Dirt'' and ''Dirt Rally'' (stylized as ''DiRT'' and ''DiRT Rally'', formerly known as ''Colin McRae Rally''), also known as ''EA Sports Rally'', is a rally racing video game series developed by Codemasters and published by Electronic Arts und ...

'' series and the ''

Dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a gener ...

'' series, in November 2019, ''Project CARS 3'' is expected to share some elements from Codemasters' similar genre video game series ''

TOCA TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The company organises and administers the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and the support series to the BTCC, sometimes known as the T ...

'', or ''

Grid Grid, The Grid, or GRID may refer to: Common usage * Cattle grid or stock grid, a type of obstacle is used to prevent livestock from crossing the road * Grid reference, used to define a location on a map Arts, entertainment, and media * News ...

''. The game received its first game trailer on 3 June 2020. The game also features a refined

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

mode. Unlike its predecessors, this game does not feature tyre wear or fuel depletion, and as such, there are no pit stops. This has prompted heavy criticism from fans of the series.

Development and release

''Project CARS 3'' is still developed by

and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The development began in the fall of 2018 after the commercial success of '' Project CARS 2''. Instead of switching to parent company Codemasters's Ego engine, the game is still powered by the same engine as its predecessors. The game released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and

on 28 August 2020. New content includes cars such as the Audi TTS,

Koenigsegg Jesko The Koenigsegg Jesko is a limited production mid-engine sports car produced by Swedish automobile manufacturer Koenigsegg. Introduced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the car succeeds the Agera. The name ''Jesko'' is a tribute to the company fo ...

Lotus Evija The Lotus Evija is a limited production electric sports car to be manufactured by British automobile manufacturer Lotus Cars. Unveiled in July 2019, it is the first electric vehicle to be introduced and manufactured by the company. Codenamed "Typ ...

and the

Bugatti Chiron The Bugatti Chiron is a mid-engine two-seater sports car designed and developed in Germany by Bugatti Engineering GmbH and manufactured in Molsheim, France, by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. The successor to the B ...

, plus circuits such as

Autódromo José Carlos Pace The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, is a motorsport circuit located in the city of São Paulo, in the neighborhood of Interlagos. It was inaugurated on 12 May 1940, by the federal intervener Adhemar de Barros. The t ...

Circuito de Jerez Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto (formerly known as Circuit of Jerez and Circuito Permanente de Jerez), is a racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, south of Seville and deep within the sherry-producing region in th ...

and

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

Reception

''Project CARS 3'' received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

. IGN's Luke Reilly said that: "''Project CARS 3'' is a racer so fundamentally different from its immediate forerunners it’s bordering on unrecognisable. It abandons the sim racing sensibilities and adopts a radically different driving feel and a new career mode mostly made up of snack-sized racing and driving challenges. There’s never a time when it feels like an actual sequel to ''Project CARS 2'' – and that is disappointing." Jacob Hull from Push Square gave a score of 6/10, claiming: "''Project CARS 3'' marks a significant departure for the series, abandoning most of its sim heritage in favour of arcade racing. Offering a variety of different cars and tracks, there’s plenty of content on offer, making for a fun distraction, but it lacks the excitement we expect from wheel-to-wheel racing. It takes inspiration from all over the place, but it’s perhaps most closely aligned with Sony’s own

DriveClub ''Driveclub'' is a racing video game developed by Evolution Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 4. It was announced during the PlayStation 4 press conference on 20 February 2013, and, after several delays, was rel ...

. It would seem, then, that the PS4 cycle is ending the way it began. We’re just not sure we’d pick this over what’s come before." The PlayStation Official Magazine UK said it was a "patchy, unbalanced, and shallow racer with obvious technical issues". GameSpot criticised the AI, but said it had "a more arcade style of racing is one that makes the series approachable for the first time."

Sales

The game reached number 5 in the US physical sales chart, and 17 in the UK, selling 86% less than the previous game. The PlayStation 4 version of ''Project CARS 3'' sold 2,404 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the twenty-fourth bestselling retail game of the week in the country.

Awards

References

External links