Project CARS 3

Project CARS 3 is the third instalment of the popular racing games series, developed by the Slightly Mad Studios team (owned by the British company Codemasters since 2019). In the portfolio of the studio, in addition to earlier parts of the series, you can find such productions as Need for Speed: Shift, Shift 2: Unleashed or Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends.

Mechanics

The core of Project CARS 3 is a Career that has been completely redesigned in comparison to the previous parts of the series. It now has a structure that is more similar to the arcade racing game traditions (the player starts with free road cars and gradually moves on to more and more powerful machines) and is more friendly to newcomers. The game also offers a relatively wide range of possibilities for setting up the difficulty level and car assists - while maintaining realistic settings for veterans (however, the driving model has been somewhat simplified compared to Project CARS 2).

In Career mode we get access to our own garage, which we gradually fill up with purchased cars. We use for that the currency we receive as we reach the next level of experience. The PC3 introduces the possibility of improving vehicles by purchasing parts that increase their performance index (similar to the Forza series). To a limited extent it is also possible to modify the appearance of cars (e.g. ready-made aerodynamic packages, wheels and license plates). In addition, a complex body painting editor has been created and a handful of driver personalisation options are available.

Project CARS 3 also introduced a number of other important changes. Above all, the manufacturer has refreshed the gamepad steering model, giving a nod to the less advanced players, and has developed a new tyre simulation, improved artificial intelligence and increased the impression of speed while driving. The authors abandoned such elements as mechanical damage to cars, pre-race qualifications (in single player mode) and pit stops.

To the disposal of the players were given around 200 cars divided into ten classes and over 140 tracks (including brand new ones such as the Interlagos in Brazil's Sao Paolo or the streets of Shanghai), which can be seen in a full cycle of day and year seasons, in a wide range of weather conditions. Unfortunately, some of the content of Project CARS 2, headed by the famous Spa and Le Mans circuits and rallycross tracks and cars, were missing.

Game modes

Project CARS 3 allows you to play in both single and multi-player mode. The main game mode is Career (described above), which includes classic races, time trials and a new feature in the form of Demolition (smashing gates on time). Multiplayer is divided into two variants. We can compete with other players in the traditional competition (prepared by the players or the developer of the game) or choose the previously unavailable asynchronous Rivals mode, in which we race against the "ghosts" of other users. A new ranking system, challenges and prizes have been developed especially for the multiplayer mode.

Technical aspects

Project CARS 3 was developed on the improved Madness engine, known from previous instalments of the series and Shift cycle. It generates graphics on a quite realistic level, especially the cars have been rendered with great care. No less attention was paid to tracks that resemble real ones.

The game runs on consoles in 60 frames per second. The PC version, which has no limits, additionally supports virtual reality sets and image resolution up to 12K.