Project Motor Racing Review Summary

Enjoyable Driving & Car Roster: Players consistently praise the core driving experience, highlighting realistic car behavior, enjoyable physics, and a fun, predictable feel. The diverse and well-modeled car selection, especially classic and GT types, is also highly appreciated, offering unique experiences.

Strong Game Foundation & Potential: The game is widely recognized for its strong potential and solid foundation, despite any initial imperfections. Many players believe it offers an excellent base that will improve significantly with future development and polishing, promising a great experience over time.

Good Graphics & Smooth Performance: Reviewers report generally good to excellent graphics, often after minor adjustments, and smooth performance across a range of hardware configurations. The game runs particularly well on mid-to-high-end PCs utilizing modern technologies like DLSS and Frame Generation, often exceeding performance expectations.

Tunable & Detailed Force Feedback: Force Feedback (FFB) is highly praised for its detail and responsiveness, particularly after users tweak the extensive in-game settings. It effectively conveys critical information like road texture, bumps, weight transfer, and tire grip, enhancing immersion significantly.

Credible Simulation & Physics: The game is regarded as a serious simulator with strong, detailed core physics and a realistic tire model that rivals established titles. Players appreciate the authentic sense of speed and how the physics allow for precise car control and realistic handling on the limit.

Unfinished, Overpriced Release: The game launched in a demonstrably unpolished and incomplete state, resembling an alpha or beta version rather than a full release. Players expressed significant disappointment and felt the full price was unjustified for a product riddled with bugs, poor optimization, and unfulfilled promises.

Aggressive, Unaware AI: AI opponents are consistently criticized for being overly aggressive, driving on a fixed 'rail,' and showing no awareness of the player's presence. This behavior leads to frequent, unavoidable collisions, ruining the single-player and career mode experience for many.

Weak, Unrealistic Force Feedback: Force feedback (FFB) is widely reported as weak, non-existent, or highly unrealistic, failing to convey crucial road and tire sensations. The FFB settings are also confusing, poorly documented, and require extensive, difficult tweaking for each car to achieve even acceptable results.

Unrealistic Car Physics & Handling: Car handling and physics are broadly criticized for being unrealistic, with cars feeling floaty, lacking weight, and prone to excessive sliding or having inconsistent grip. This makes cars difficult to control and detracts significantly from the intended simulation experience across various vehicle types.

Major Performance & Stability Issues: The game suffers from severe optimization problems, resulting in chronically low frame rates, constant stuttering, and frequent crashes, even on high-end PCs. Multiplayer is also plagued by lag, connection errors, and long wait times, rendering it largely unplayable for many users.

Complex FFB Setup: Players report that configuring Force Feedback (FFB) is complex and time-consuming, requiring adjustments both globally and for individual cars. This intricate setup process is compared to other simulator titles.

Key Features Missing: Several anticipated features, including VR support, DNF mechanics, cautions, rolling starts, and formula cars, are notably absent at launch. This contrasts with some pre-release hype about the game's physics and FFB realism.

Standard Career Progression: The career mode follows a typical loop where players earn money, purchase and repair cars, and participate in championships. Users can select starting conditions and progress through various series.

Demanding & Requires Patience: The game is not suited for casual play, demanding patience to fine-tune controller and general settings for an optimal experience. It's perceived as a dedicated racing tool rather than a hardcore sim, yet not a simple arcade title.

Graphics Adjustments Recommended: Players recommend starting with the game's 'Recommended' graphic presets and adjusting settings exclusively from the main game menu. Fine-tuning specific hardware profiles can significantly impact frame rates.

AI Cars Impact FPS: The number of AI cars significantly affects frame rates, leading to noticeable drops, especially at race starts or on specific circuits with high car density. This makes achieving consistent performance during competitive races challenging.

DLSS/FG Mixed Effectiveness: Player experiences with DLSS and Frame Generation are inconsistent; some report performance improvements, while others see no gain or suffer from severe visual artifacts like ghosting. Its reliability as a performance solution is questionable.

Replay Mode 30 FPS: Replay mode is consistently capped at 30 frames per second, regardless of system capabilities, leading to a perceived lack of smoothness and lower visual quality compared to live gameplay.

External Tools for Stability: Some users find it necessary to employ external tools to achieve stable 4K60fps, implying that the game's native optimization may not be sufficient for high-resolution, high-framerate gameplay.

Reported Server Issues: While some find online performance acceptable, a few players have reported encountering server issues. These isolated incidents suggest potential underlying instabilities that could impact multiplayer experiences.

Game is unfinished; wait to buy.: A significant number of players believe the game was released prematurely, feeling more like an Early Access or Beta product than a full release. They strongly advise against purchasing it in its current state, recommending potential buyers wait for substantial patches and updates or consider a refund.

High potential, needs major updates.: Despite the current issues, a notable portion of players see significant potential in the game's core mechanics and future prospects. They express hope that dedicated development, including performance optimizations, bug fixes, and new content, will eventually transform it into a highly recommended title.

Simcade lacks hardcore sim depth.: The game is often characterized as a 'simcade,' a blend of simulation and arcade, which disappoints players seeking a pure, hardcore racing simulator. Many reviewers suggest opting for established titles like Assetto Corsa, iRacing, Automobilista 2, or Le Mans Ultimate for a more authentic sim experience.

Mixed solo and controller play.: Some players have found enjoyment in the game's single-player content or when playing with a controller, suggesting it might appeal to casual racers. However, recommendations in this area are mixed, with specific caveats about hardware or desired gameplay depth.

Overhyped, buyer's remorse.: Many players express deep regret for pre-ordering the game, feeling misled by significant pre-release hype, developer promises, and endorsements from influencers like Ben Collins. This led to widespread disappointment, with players feeling they wasted their money on an unfinished product.

Fails against genre standards.: The game consistently falls short when compared to established racing simulators like iRacing, ACC, AMS2, or even previous titles from the same studio (Project CARS 1 & 2). Players feel it doesn't meet the expected quality or features of a modern racing sim, highlighting a regression in some areas.

Mixed driving feel, needs tuning.: Initial driving impressions are mixed, with some finding it okay at events but others expecting better handling. Players also highlight that adjusting settings like FOV and experimenting with control options can improve the experience, indicating a need for better default settings or easier customization.

Desires more content, immersion.: Players are looking for more diverse content, including additional tracks, a wider selection of older cars, and a focus on specific racing eras (e.g., 80s-00s). There's also a call for improved immersion details like grittiness, dirt effects, and dynamic camera movements to enhance the sense of speed.

Hope for developer fixes.: Despite current issues, players retain some hope that developers will actively address bugs and implement necessary improvements through future updates. There's a mixed sentiment regarding trust in the developers, but a general desire for the game to be fixed.