Project CARS

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 502 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 305 out of 502
  2. Mixed: 101 out of 502
  3. Negative: 96 out of 502

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  1. clem666
    Nov 5, 2020
    9
    What an incredible game.
    Firstly, the gameplay is really cool: you can make it very easy by playing in automatic mode or in nightmare mode by playing in manual.
    Secondly, the sound design is perfect: each car has its own engine sound, which is so realistic ! The graphics are also amazing with motion blur, reflections of the sun on sheet metal, wonderful environment... Thirdly,    What an incredible game.
    Firstly, the gameplay is really cool: you can make it very easy by playing in automatic mode or in nightmare mode by playing in manual.
    Secondly, the sound design is perfect: each car has its own engine sound, which is so realistic ! The graphics are also amazing with motion blur, reflections of the sun on sheet metal, wonderful environment...
    Thirdly, customization is just insane ! You can customize your style of driving, the paint on your car, the way the clutch react to your race-style, and even the balance between brakes in the front and in the back of the car ! In Quick Race mode, you can choose the map you want, with the number of opponents you want (even 50 if you want it), number of laps, weather, faults and penalties, tyre adhesion, etc etc etc. You can modify barely everything in engineering mode. There's a lot of different cars from Karts to Formula A, passing by old school BMW, unbelievable rockets and classy McLaren. The game can adapt to everything you can imagine: USB steering wheel, game controller or even keypad.
    Fourth, solo/story mode is really long (about 60 hours of gameplay) while multiplay is cool and still alive.

    As always when you love something (or someone though), you have to realize its defaults:
    Project CARS is kind of repetitive. Yeah, that's still a car game. All you do is racing, again and again. You better love this. Next, as I said, story mode is very long, and still repetitive. One of the thing you may hate the most (as I do) is when it starts to rain while you're driving. After a few minutes, you simply can't avoid your car to spin and spin around as you accelerate. Only thing that can save you is to go to at the stands change your wheels. Wierdly the AI doesn't seem to react to rain. That makes each race under the rain a huge challenge...
    I'm seriously not a huge car games lover but the overall quality of this game is simply impressive.    … Expand
  2. Sanciny
    Mar 7, 2020
    8
    PROS:
    +graphics
    +a lot of customizations and options (difficulty, assistance,...)
    +drive model, physics
    +lot of tracks

    CONS:
    -stereotype and boring carrer
    -small bugs
  3. Marcov88
    Aug 30, 2016
    10
    Absolutely fantastic! The best sim driving! Amazing Cars! Grapic and sound wonderful! Mode Career very immersive! AI perfect! Multiplayer is very very funny! Well done SMS!!
  4. MNO__ONM
    Jul 8, 2016
    8
    This is the 1st iteration of the game. Its content is pretty poor if you compare it with licences installed for many years such as Gran Turismo. However for a 1st edition it is fair enough.
  5. lac61087
    Apr 13, 2016
    9
    I actually played this game on Xbox One a year ago, and enjoyed it, but that version was plagued by performance problems and bad AI(project cars was a buggy mess when it first released) and now i have purchased the PC version since it was on sale(praise lord gaben) and while the AI is still nuts the game just feels a lot better on PC, project cars on console felt like a great racing gameI actually played this game on Xbox One a year ago, and enjoyed it, but that version was plagued by performance problems and bad AI(project cars was a buggy mess when it first released) and now i have purchased the PC version since it was on sale(praise lord gaben) and while the AI is still nuts the game just feels a lot better on PC, project cars on console felt like a great racing game stuck behind prison bars, the game couldn't show it's true colors due to limited hardware of the consoles.

    Project Cars even with it's many flaws is still the most casual friendly racing sim on the market, it caters to both audiences, the casual that just wants to race and the pro that wants to tweak everything to his or her liking, the racing is solid also and can make for some intense racing battles and add the fact that the game is absolutely stunning to look at you really can't go wrong with projecr cars, especially while it's on sale :).

    9/10, better than the console version.    … Expand
  6. Eds
    Apr 8, 2016
    9
    Simulador muito bom, grafico e jogabilidade pena falto historia campanha campeonatos, falto pouco mas de carros e escodearias como ferrari posch e outras mas o jogo otimo
  7. Shadow1
    Apr 4, 2016
    9
    Best graphics in video game of all time , best phycics of all time and this game interesting . Many runs , many cars and this game one of best racing game of all time . 9/10
  8. Collintjuh22
    Mar 13, 2016
    10
    Cool game Project CARS ik heb het een tijdje gespeeld het blijf een leuke game ondanks dat ik niet zo vaak tijd voor nam om het te spelen blijf het een geweldig game
  9. timmiley
    Jan 19, 2016
    10
    01/19/2016 Timothy Miley, 30 year science teacher - Pcars is the best racing program so far and I have been racing cars for 40 years as a hobby and I use this simulation for practice. I have a geforce 970 and top of the line 35 inch monitor. Anyone not experiencing photo realism with this program is missing out. Realism is the name of the game plus physics. For the time of my life, I01/19/2016 Timothy Miley, 30 year science teacher - Pcars is the best racing program so far and I have been racing cars for 40 years as a hobby and I use this simulation for practice. I have a geforce 970 and top of the line 35 inch monitor. Anyone not experiencing photo realism with this program is missing out. Realism is the name of the game plus physics. For the time of my life, I have been having with this GAME????, I would pay $1000, 10 years ago. Pcars is the first simulator to achieve photo realism for home use. They need to be applauded for this accomplishment. I would love to see the coding, because no other company has done this. With the updates and new coding, the program is getting to be perfect. Before Pcars, I was enjoying AC, but there is no comparison between the two in physics. I understand the difference in teams producing the two programs, but AC is thinking too much about consoles for a small team. I am not biased in anyway on this review. I just want people who race cars to know, with the right equipment, this program can achieve incredible realism???????… Expand
  10. SaltPacket
    Nov 8, 2015
    8
    Lots of customizability means you can set up the game to play how you want. However, some little details (i.e. a particular loading message that talks about a feature not in the game) and also the inclusion of older and vintage cars means I could not give it a higher score.
  11. RCBobs
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    VERSION 5.0 REVIEW. Sadly another example of a game that should have been released 6 months later. Bought this game on day one. Played 25 hours. Really disappointed. Tried it again after a few months and I'm much happier. Ghosting through cars and AI bugs are still there but much better. Can now run on full settings at 1080p/60fps on my gtx 970 (up from 45-50 on launch). Just did a oneVERSION 5.0 REVIEW. Sadly another example of a game that should have been released 6 months later. Bought this game on day one. Played 25 hours. Really disappointed. Tried it again after a few months and I'm much happier. Ghosting through cars and AI bugs are still there but much better. Can now run on full settings at 1080p/60fps on my gtx 970 (up from 45-50 on launch). Just did a one hour gt3 race at vs AI at Road America and won by 0.5sec with an intense battle after the pit stop. AI would have knocked me off on lap 2 before. On the difficult end of arcade and the unrealistic end of sim but now I am actually having fun.… Expand
  12. Nickolababaiko
    Sep 6, 2015
    10
    Супер графика! Великолепная картинка смены дня и ночи! Красивый дождь! Качественная физика! Много машин и трасс! Детальнейшая настройка авто(только для истинных симуляторо-дрочеров!) Но вряд ли это будет долго интересно!:(((Супер графика! Великолепная картинка смены дня и ночи! Красивый дождь! Качественная физика! Много машин и трасс! Детальнейшая настройка авто(только для истинных симуляторо-дрочеров!) Но вряд ли это будет долго интересно!:(((
  13. Mozzo72
    Jul 15, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Project Cars! What a game! Great Graphics and a fantastic Gameplay! I you haven't already go this game and you have Assetto Corsa then this game "Project cars" is a must. A good Steering wheel and set up is needed to be able to completely feel the whole experience of this fantastic Racing Simulator. Great Game. I give it 10 out of 10.… Expand
  14. SlimDragon
    Jul 11, 2015
    10
    This sim has some bugs but its really good.

    Seems default settings has ffb strength miles to high which drowns out everything is into a flat line.

    FFB is great once you spend the time to set it up right.
  15. Luandro
    Jul 2, 2015
    10
    Don't believe the children complaining about this game. I have played almost every driving sim out there and I love this game. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the handling (and I'm using a cheap controller), in fact it feels and drives damn realistic when without the crappy hidden assists as in other games! I also love the fact that you can adjust your seats height, angle etc. toDon't believe the children complaining about this game. I have played almost every driving sim out there and I love this game. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the handling (and I'm using a cheap controller), in fact it feels and drives damn realistic when without the crappy hidden assists as in other games! I also love the fact that you can adjust your seats height, angle etc. to suite your own needs. The views and damage models are a major plus for me and looks incredible. (when compared to the crappy viewpoints and damage models of sims like Gran Turismo 6) The graphics are amazing and I prefer this any day over Forza and GT.… Expand
  16. mrcelsius
    Jun 25, 2015
    9
    pCARS is a one of the best racing sim.
    It has really nice physics, graphics and weather/time progression.
    If you really want to enjoy this game 100%, try online racing.
    It's bit frustrating at times(because of some bugs), but you'll have fun, heart beating experience most of the time.
    Come join ultimate racing simulator of the century!
  17. TedEBear
    Jun 21, 2015
    10
    Probably the greatest racing game ever made. The full experience of practice, qualifying, then race day with changeable weather that sometimes catches you out in qualifying. The balance between fun and realism is spot on. Playing this with a cockpit and a 970 GTX and I am in racing Nirvana. Sorry - but this game has spoiled me for all other racing games. I have never seen any game, racingProbably the greatest racing game ever made. The full experience of practice, qualifying, then race day with changeable weather that sometimes catches you out in qualifying. The balance between fun and realism is spot on. Playing this with a cockpit and a 970 GTX and I am in racing Nirvana. Sorry - but this game has spoiled me for all other racing games. I have never seen any game, racing or not, that has such realistic lighting and weather - it puts you there.

    Some things to fix: collision detection. Online cheats. Lap time table hacking. You know, all the usual stuff.

    SMS set out to create the greatest race game ever made and included the community and real racers every step of the way in development and I call this an outstanding success.    … Expand
  18. H-master
    Jun 21, 2015
    10
    Project cars is very well pollished. The graphics are simply amazing. Maybe the best looking game I've ever played. But it's not only beauty on the outside, there is also beauty on the inside! The handling of the cars is just as good as the graphics are.
  19. Renfield
    Jun 15, 2015
    9
    This game is a lot of fun with the Logitech G27 wheel. I do wish there a larger number of street cars in the game. The cars that are available are well detailed, much like the tracks and the environmental effects.
  20. MakeyBx
    Jun 3, 2015
    10
    One of the best racing simulators.
    That says it all.
    Texture - 10/10, Tree - Normal, but could better, Car's - 11/10.
    In game is very flexible configuration of car.
    Assetto Corsa and Project Cars, different games
  21. agentkay
    May 22, 2015
    10
    Project Cars is the first true next gen simulative racing game and a groundbraking one at that. It's the first racing game to present fully dynamic day/night cycle, weather, and track (grip changes based on traffic, weather), combined with advanced tire and car physics that not only rival but actually exceet of kinds like Assetto Corsa or even Iracing. Starting from tires that react notProject Cars is the first true next gen simulative racing game and a groundbraking one at that. It's the first racing game to present fully dynamic day/night cycle, weather, and track (grip changes based on traffic, weather), combined with advanced tire and car physics that not only rival but actually exceet of kinds like Assetto Corsa or even Iracing. Starting from tires that react not only to track temperatures and cool/heat up based on the track temperatures but also by the temperatures of the brakes (that properly simulated by heat and wear) and rims that function as a heatsink, tires age and blister physically if abused, flatspots can lead to punctures and hitting walls or other cars hard causes the tires/suspensition to misalign. Volumetric throttle that is affected by weather/humidity and altitude is just one component of so many that are so highly detailed and simulated that once you grasps and feel the difference it makes when you drive with cars in this simulation at the limit, that it starts to immerse you to a whole nother level.

    The amazing graphics and sound vastly help bringing and aiding the immersion and the sense of speed is incredible. Project Cars is very well optimized and runs exceptionally well even on older Nvidia GPU's however AMD GPU drivers still need a lot of work but that is a common problem.

    Another highlight of Project Cars are the incredible cars. They are the most detailed and best build cars in any racing game to date. The game is worth a purchase just for the cars and their amazing sounds alone and with the combination of the previously mentioned top-class physics.

    The racing tracks, which most are laser scanned, are build with huge attention to detail and passion and easily compete with reference racing tracks from likes of Iracing. Even the ones that are not laser scanned have realistically placed bumps which bring your Forcefeedback to life.

    Forcefeedback is another area where Project Car shines and leaves it's compeditors in its digital dust. It's highly adjustable/configureable to tailor anyones preferences and no sign of canned/faked effects but instead full of details that immerses you further to another level. The FFB is class leading beating already great Iracing FFB.

    The racing AI is excellent, aggressive but respectful of your car if you respect theirs. Give them room just like in real life, they will give you room as well. Side by side racing is not only very possible with that approach but happens all the time.

    The sheer amount of content you get in form of cars and tracks make this a great buy and highly recommendation for any racing/driving game fan! The level of immersion by graphics, sound, physics is something that can't be described by words but HAS to be experienced on your own.

    A mild warning, once you go to Project Cars and get fully immersed, you can't really go back to other simulators, it's that GOOD!

    Enjoy racing everyone!    … Expand
  22. MatPK
    May 22, 2015
    9
    The graphics are great, although not as good as I've expected (I play on gtx970). The game exceeded my expectations in terms of driving pleasure and how challenging it is. The cars are clearly different and require specific handling. I am now going through a career mode and learning curve is just OK. I use xbox pad on PC. I tried to play F1 2014 but it is really boring comparing toThe graphics are great, although not as good as I've expected (I play on gtx970). The game exceeded my expectations in terms of driving pleasure and how challenging it is. The cars are clearly different and require specific handling. I am now going through a career mode and learning curve is just OK. I use xbox pad on PC. I tried to play F1 2014 but it is really boring comparing to Project Cars. Great game!… Expand
  23. Energy88a
    May 22, 2015
    10
    Fantastic game, little tricky to get set up how you like it but once you do it the best racing game out there.
    I think this game has raised the bar as to how a racing game should be, if your a novice you can play it with whatever assists you need and if you are a pro when all assists are off its a real challenge with some of the cars.
  24. GRaFkiyvUA
    May 21, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Игра года и 10-и летия!

    Такой прорыв можно сравнить разве что с Richard Burns Rally и с первым The Need For Speed.
    Физическая модель не уступает RTR, iRacing, RRE,Assetto Corsa.
    То что "графон завезли" не заметит только слепой и обиженый консольщик.
    Набор ГОНОЧНЫХ трасс укладывает на лопатки конкурентов.
    АИ противников (100%) на уровне сложности АС не позволит вам победить в гонке если вы не попали в настройки для конкретной трассы и плохо квалифицировались.
    Симуляция резины на сверхдостойном уровне, а звуки резины например на Жинетте GT5 категории позволяет естественно отлавливать машину на глубоких торможениях или в начале сноса .
    С выходом в розницу Окулус Рифт вау эффект подскочит в разы, я попробовал (сырую и кривую) FaceTrackNoIR 1.7 которая подменяет лицензированный TrackIR https://youtu.be/4hUSxqZnZYE и не смотря на кривизну утилиты не могу не признать вау-эффект от таких фич.
    С учётом вышеперечисленного а также пополнения в игре машин и трасс, с ценой в 25 у.е. SMS/Bandai явно продешевили.
    Можно сетовать на упрощённую визуальную крэш модель, но после столкновения в этом симе вы всё равно далеко не уедете.

    Моя оценка: 4,9/5
    1.Геймплей: 5,0 - удобный мультиплеер по трассам, машинам , соперникам, выбор трасс и гоночных категорий
    2.Прогресс в данном жанре: 5,0 - Физика в игре для широких масс
    3.Графика 5,0 - графон, да, завезли.
    4.Звук 4,5 - Пожалуй самый лучший дсп в играх, а вот перкусии аутентичности звуков двигателя ещё можно расти
    5.Реиграбельность 5,0 - на ближайшие 5 лет РС-рейсинг игра №1    … Expand
  25. Viktorianas
    May 21, 2015
    10
    Dear so called Metacritic,

    There where times when personal computer users where discriminated by not having any proper sim type racing game (i don't count rFactor or Live for speed etc, because of abysmal graphics and lack of official content), i was looking with jealousy at youtube videos of Forza, Gran Turismo, which seem to me a bit too arcade-ish though... But not anymore!!! At    Dear so called Metacritic,

    There where times when personal computer users where discriminated by not having any proper sim type racing game (i don't count rFactor or Live for speed etc, because of abysmal graphics and lack of official content), i was looking with jealousy at youtube videos of Forza, Gran Turismo, which seem to me a bit too arcade-ish though...

    But not anymore!!! At last we PC users have proper racing sim/game with proper physics, graphics, sounds, online system, lots of tracks, damage system, wheather system, cars, (what else you can ask for???) and it is called Project Cars. My G27 wheel now can be used to its full potential (after some tweaking ofc), my blood pressure is being raised a lot these days because of intense online racing, well it is basically most what i care about in racing game is - RACING! This is where pCARS shine, so many variety of different vehicles you can actually race with online, not like Assetto Corsa where you can race only GT3 mostly, have some boring so called track days where people just randomly cruise around...

    Mods...pCars don't have them and what a blessing it is, usually 99% of mods a pure ****, i admit there are some good ones, but the problems arise with different versions, updates, rarely you could race them online, divides online community into many different almost empty servers, so no sir! Let the AC have the mods but pCARS will offer official as much as possible perfected content which i prefer!

    Bugs...yes there are some, but they are there not because of bad/lazy attitude of devs, i mostly blame the sheer complexity and the scope of the game itself, there are so many detail and complexity under the hood that it is insanely difficult to make it work perfectly. You can set whatever the weather, whatever the time in whatever the track (there are A LOT of them), add into equation absurdly deep physics system (just check how complex tire model alone is http://www.virtualr.net/inside-project-cars-seta-tire-model ) and a decent amount of uniquely fine tuned cars, rather small dev team and you have a perfect environment for bugs!
    Give them time to fix that, they are working on that, but you can't concentrate only on bugs when evaluating game according to bugs which will be fixed! If you get sick, do you consider yourself as "bad and useless" or you just cure yourself and become "good" again? :)

    Controllers...well i play with a G27 wheel, but i tried it with keyboard and it is perfectly fine even with all assists off, with them activated it is absolutely enjoyable.

    Conclusion...this is the best thing since bread in racing simulation if you want real racing experience, not cruising (you can do it as well though), bodywork/engine upgrading, career unlocking experience. This game introduced some new features in the genre (like weather system) which will be followed by competitors in years to come.    … Expand
  26. Microcosmix
    May 16, 2015
    10
    The one sim to rule them al!

    This is the most intuitive driving simulator i have played, and ive played them al.
    If you like racing games and are able to drive properly you will have a blast!

    For me this is the game of the year.
  27. devchaos
    May 14, 2015
    10
    Project CARS is the best racing game for PC. Not such great simulation as Asseto Corsa but more playable. And the graphic is amazing. Only driveclub for now have better picture.
    Need more cars and tracks )
  28. Eukee
    May 14, 2015
    10
    Pc from 2011 can handle that game on maximum:
    Intel Core i7-2600K @ 3.40GHz
    Gainward Nvidia Geforce Gtx 580 Driving Force GT Im realy impressed actually a racing sim next to Gran Turismo i started liking Some cars are hard to learn what makes it realy feel good if you manage to learn how each car handles different at certain speed Its not a game for people who use a Potatoe    Pc from 2011 can handle that game on maximum:
    Intel Core i7-2600K @ 3.40GHz
    Gainward Nvidia Geforce Gtx 580
    Driving Force GT

    Im realy impressed actually a racing sim next to Gran Turismo i started liking

    Some cars are hard to learn what makes it realy feel good if you manage to learn how each car handles different at certain speed

    Its not a game for people who use a Potatoe keyboard or controller

    If the game is to hard for you keep trying get a steering wheel learn how each input you give the car/steering wheel react

    The settings you cant acces during racing is kinda meh for configure your racing wheel to make it
    feel good is the only point i dislike so far.

    10/10 PC Master Race    … Expand
  29. Fractalz
    May 13, 2015
    9
    The game that tries to bring racing simulation to the masses as finally arrived. Hope it succeds in its wild ambition. Physics are accurate as can be and you can cut all driving helps until it is a real challenge (real as in reality). At this point you will need a wheel - at least I can't race without helps with a controller, this is no Forza with hidden steering helps (I played a lot ofThe game that tries to bring racing simulation to the masses as finally arrived. Hope it succeds in its wild ambition. Physics are accurate as can be and you can cut all driving helps until it is a real challenge (real as in reality). At this point you will need a wheel - at least I can't race without helps with a controller, this is no Forza with hidden steering helps (I played a lot of Forza 2 and 3). At least you can chose how you play regarding hand holding (which newcomers WILL need). The same can be said about a myriad of other aspects. This is a game to invest time learning, even for simcade veteran racers, I don't really advise buying it for casual racers. who just want to have a occasional race once in a while. But I highly recomend it for those who want to go into sim racing even for the first time.… Expand
  30. SkyEntertain
    May 13, 2015
    8
    Surprising, yet unbelievable. Bandai Games is known for it's massive creation of video games for Japan and other nations worldwide. And we all know they made the Ace Combat Trilogy. Project CARs gives an insane advantage of players to show off their cars into the limit.

    The graphics were way up to date, and how the cars move are accurate as what people could drive with their cars today.    Surprising, yet unbelievable. Bandai Games is known for it's massive creation of video games for Japan and other nations worldwide. And we all know they made the Ace Combat Trilogy. Project CARs gives an insane advantage of players to show off their cars into the limit.

    The graphics were way up to date, and how the cars move are accurate as what people could drive with their cars today. A little note though, there is a notice of glitches along the way, and gamemodes aren't that quite entertaining. So far, you may get yourself addicted to this and the longer you play. The better it gets.

    Just a note. Don't buy if you're not used to cars.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best PC Game of 2015
36
#36 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
58
#58 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 48
  3. Negative: 0 out of 48
  1. PCWorld
    Jan 20, 2016
    70
    The simulator aspects are co-opted and somewhat compromised by a desire to simultaneously appeal to the arcade racer crowd—without actually being an arcade racer.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 8, 2015
    100
    Fantastically versatile Project CARS entertains both champions and festive drivers. It excites them with helpfulness, technology and dynamism, so only details could be reproached. [Issue#253]
  3. Worth Playing
    Jul 6, 2015
    86
    When it comes to the actual racing, the game gets top marks primarily because of how deep the handling model feels. It also does a fantastic job of giving the player every possible option to tailor his or her experience to their liking. However, everything outside of the racing, such as the career mode, is mere window dressing.
    Read full review
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