Project CARS 2 builds on the foundation set by the first game but, despite its relentless realism, is noticeably more user-friendly than its daunting predecessor. Its surprise success arguably paved the way for renowned PC racing simulations like Assetto Corsa and the upcoming GTR 3 being ported to consoles. The gamble paid off too, as the game sold over two million copies – a commendable achievement for an original IP fighting against Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo. In a niche that’s normally reserved for PC players, Project CARS brought serious simulation racing to a wider audience on current-gen consoles for the first time following a successful crowdfunding campaign. The console version of the original Project CARS released back in 2015 was immensely influential. Project CARS 2, on the other hand, is aimed at hardcore motorsport enthusiasts who wake up in the early hours of the morning to catch the latest live Formula One race and spend their Sundays religiously watching the British Touring Car Championship for six-hours straight. Released within just a few weeks of each other, Project CARS 2 has been the underdog competing against the racing game titans Forza Motorsport 7 and Gran Turismo Sport, which should make next year’s annual Team VVV Racing Game of the Year Awards extremely competitive. On the surface, each game is aimed at similar audiences who like their racing games on the realistic side of the spectrum – but in reality, they are drastically different.įorza Motorsport 7 offers a traditional car collecting campaign with an encyclopedic selection of over 700 cars, while Gran Turismo Sport steers in a more online-focused direction to chase the eSports crowd. Competition in the genre has rarely been so fierce as it is on consoles right now, in what has been an unusually hectic year for racing games.

There’s never been a better time to be a racing game fanatic.

Project cars 2 pc preview