Project CARS

It has some rough edges that will hopefully be ironed out in time and remains a must-buy for racing fans even with its flaws.

By ignoring the rulebook, this newcomer has made itself a contender for racing sim royalty. [Aug 2015, p.66]

That’s the real achievement here: that you can play it however you like. By removing any elements of linear progression, Slightly Mad has proven that players are smart enough to come up with their own direction through a game like this. Long may this approach to design reign.

Forget “The Real Driving Simulator”, Project CARS is racing simulation at its finest. [July 2015, p71]

Quotation forthcoming.

Project Cars is most definitely not the game for someone who wants to chase down experience points and unlock new items on the way through a game. Players who just want full access to an incredibly difficult and realistic driving simulation will find all that they are looking for with this one, though.

Project CARS features an excellent roster of cars and tracks, and delivers some of the most exciting and visceral racing action money can buy. It's not for everyone, since driving the game can be quite tough, even with all the assists turned on, but for those who are up for a challenge, few other racing games are as involving and potentially rewarding as this.

Project CARS strips back racing to what it should be: just the car, the track and you.

There's little point in building suspense: is Project Cars as good as, or better, than Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport? That's the question most of us have been waiting to have answered...Put simply: yes, it's at least their equal.

A truly fine racing game, and for PlayStation 4 owners this will be the first next-generation racing game of worth for serious revheads to sink their teeth into. Racing beginners, or people who are used to racing games where powerslides are enough to get around corners may feel very frustrated with this one at first, but I can't think of a racing game that is more worth taking the time to get to know, and master, than this one.

Deep and demanding but incredibly user-friendly, Project CARS is real racing done right.

Project Cars proves to be as difficult as its users want. It offers challenges to anyone from casual to experienced players. With an important selection of cars and tracks, we also love how alive each race feels.

Project Cars is a game that driving simulator lovers will enjoy. Entertaining solo modes, online options and superb tracks will for sure give the game a lengthy life, even when the available cars aren't that many.

Project CARS is a great alternative to the genre and in some areas even exceeds to its competitors, due to the knowledge of its community and not having to be true to any tradition.

Slightly Mad Studios has created easily the best console simulation racer of all time here, a testament to their love for cars and a beautiful reminder of why racing games appeal to people.

Project CARS is simply the best racing sim that money can buy on eighth generation consoles thanks to a very nice physics engine and very decent content. A must buy for petrolheads.

In a genre where it can be hard to differentiate yourself, Project Cars makes its mark. It's not as strong as it could be in all areas, but Slightly Mad Studios' attention to detail and racing chops make the game a contender.

Bugs aside, a tremendous and uncompromising simulation of a kind we may not have seen previously on consoles. [July 2015, p.89]

The most comprehensive and involving driving simulator we've seen on consoles in years. [July 2015, p.106]

You won't experience the full extend of this game if you don't own a racing wheel, but that doesn't mean that you won't enjoy every second of your time on the track.

While Project Cars is certainly demanding, I remain willing to put the time in because the reward of nailing a perfect overtake or completing a clean lap is so satisfying.

For the most realistic driving simulation available though, Project CARS is all you’ll need.

Project Cars is not the most authentic racing game in history, but it's a very well made mix between arcade racing and simulation. A slightly inadequate AI and varying quality of the cars hold it back slightly, but Project Cars is still one of the best racing games in recent years.

It’s difficult to think of a driving game on console that engages you more fully than Project Cars.

I think a lack of any sense of progression and a highly restrictive structure that basically says, “if you’re not ardently passionate, get out,” is a detriment. I don’t think a simulator needs to be quite so…aloof...But if you’re in that hardcore driving fan category, it’s a no-brainer.

Project CARS is a great example of a game that is designed to get players to be better at what they love to do, without having to integrate designs that can hurts the game’s potential for its hardcore audience.

Project CARS is an ambitious take on the racing simulator that brings a lot of fresh ideas and improvements to the genre. A number of patchable flaws hold it back, but with an innovative career structure and the challenging but rewarding car handling and racing, this is almost essential for racing fans.

Project Cars is a game that requires practice, patience and a whole lot of skill. It's not the easiest game to pick up and play, but it's definitely one of the most rewarding when you put in the time and finally nab yourself a podium finish.

That said, Simply Mad’s latest earns a pretty easy recommendation for anyone looking for a racing game unambiguously and unapologetically locked in the simulation category. Its vision is clear, and there can be little doubt that much love and passion was poured into its crafting.

A viable alternative to the old guard of driving simulators, that values freedom of choice and gritty realism over needless feature creep.

​Project CARS is super challenging, but it offers a lot of satisfaction in return. The only thing you have to bring to the table is love for auto racing. It is a spectacular simulation game, it is amazing to enjoy on consoles, but the menus still give us nightmares.

Issues with A.I hold it back from greatness, but Project CARS is on the right track with its sandbox career, community-focused online experience and A-grade car handling mechanics.

If Slightly Mad Studios wanted to prove they could build an engine to compete with the likes of Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, Project CARS is a definite success, with driving that feels as realistic as anything else out there. If they wanted to compete with the polish and robustness of those bigger titles, though, they’ve come up slightly short.

Think of this as a motoring playset – a production line of components that you need to order and assemble for yourself. Once you get the controls where you want them, your car exactly how you like it, and your race day tactics tightened up, it delivers an exhilarating ride, but few will have the patience – or, indeed, the willpower – to reach that point, and thus it's hard to imagine this outing achieving the mainstream success of other competing motoring series.

Graphically stunning, dynamically awesome, aurally beautiful. This is what Project Cars could have been if pest control had done a better job exterminating those pesky bugs. [Issue#258, p.66]