If you're looking for a sequel, Project CARS 3 is not the game that you are looking for. The new game of the franchise has become a run&collect version of the sim racer game that it was, giving an arcade experience to a simulation racing. Money and experience become the thread of the career along several race types to progress into different challenges and championships. At least, is more attractive way to give a sim racing experience, but isn't perfect.

I feel the greatest mistake that Project CARS 3 makes is being called what it is. Fans of the previous two games probably won’t find what they expect here, while those who disliked them could possibly be put off by the name. This is essentially a paradigm shift for the series, taking it into new territory with mass-market appeal. And for racers like me, who like a game that controls well, has rewarding progression, and who aren’t particularly bothered by the absence of serious sim elements, it’s Slightly Mad Studios’ best and most accessible game yet.

By ditching much of the hardcore sim superstructure, what is left is is a fun, accessible racing game that can easily be mentioned in the same breath as Forza Motorsport. It’s fast, good-looking and, with the exception of some dim-witted AI, super fun to play. If you are in the market for a racing game, you can do a lot worse than Project CARS 3.

While there are numerous better and more comprehensive racing games out there, Project CARS 3 is nonetheless a remarkably solid racer in its own right, with a slew of cool options, customisation features, cars, tracks, and more. If you're in the market for a spiffy new racing title, Project CARS 3 is certainly a solid choice.

Project CARS 3 is good, but not good enough to compete with the likes of GRiD or Forza Horizon. The path chosen by Slightly Mad studios for the third version of the game is full bumps that divert the whole series from being pioneers of the semi-simulation genre to an average racing game.

Project Cars 3 might not be the sequel you expected from the series, but its shift to a more arcade style of racing is one that makes the series approachable for the first time. It's not a clean cut from its roots, and Project Cars 3 retains just enough of its simulation options to provide enough of a challenge with all of its assists turned off. The transition isn't seamless, with some confounding racing objectives and uneven AI that takes the sting out of some events. But if you're looking for another way to get out on a virtual track, Project Cars 3 is an exhilarating new alternative.

Impossible to recommend to fans of Project CARS 2, Project CARS 3 is a total 180 for the series. It’s easy to pick up and play and the racing here is robust enough for some casual thrills and spills, but ultimately it cribs from so many other racing games that racing gamers probably already own that it’s simply inessential.