Project Motor Racing launched today, November 25th, for PC at $59.99 on Steam and on Xbox and PlayStation 5 at $69.99. It promised to be a new benchmark in sim racing; instead, Project Motor Racing has delivered one of the most troubled launches in recent sim racing history. It has a Metacritic score of 66 and a devastating 16% positive rating on Steam. The sim has faced harsh criticism for severe performance issues, numerous bugs, and inconsistent content quality. Unfortunately, the warning we had in our pre-launch coverage proved well-founded.
Performance Is Dicey
Straight4 Studios announced that Project Motor Racing, using the Giants Engine, combined with their Hadron physics engine. They promised that this would provide promising visual fidelity and authentic handling, but the execution has fallen dramatically short. Something in hindsight shouldn’t be overly surpassing, as the Giants Engine has been the backbone of the Farming Simulator series, about as far from a modern GTP as you can possibly get.
Handing aside, racers report struggling to maintain 60 FPS even on high-end hardware. One Steam review states they have an RTX 3070 and had to drop settings to Low at 1080p, the same PC that runs Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 without issue. Another with an RTX 5080 reports only 20% GPU utilization while running at 20 FPS in 4K. A user with a 7800X3D and RX 9070XT reports constant stuttering, dipping from 100 FPS to 50. And the performance issues don’t even come with a benefit; multiple reviewers noted that the eight-year-old Project CARS 2 looks better, with superior lighting and textures.
Technical Problems Aren’t Even Limited To Performance
Steam reviews paint a damning picture:
- Force feedback is described as “dead.”
- Constant micro-stutters make precise driving nearly impossible.
- Lap times are not saving during practice, qualifying, or races.
- Session progress is not saving, quit after qualifying, and restart the entire weekend.
- Replays locked at 30 FPS.
- No radar or basic HUD elements
- Graphical glitches, including bugged mirrors
The AI Nightmare
Perhaps the most damaging criticism involves the AI. Steam reviews universally describe opponents as “brain-dead” and “the worst AI I’ve ever seen.” Early reviews claim the AI follows the racing line robotically while showing zero awareness of other cars. They brake on corner exits, ram players without consequence, and receive no penalties while players face harsh punishment.
Career Mode Falls Flat
The career mode promised budgets, repairs, and sponsor management, but delivers shallow execution. As one reviewer explains: “Select a playstyle, and you don’t have to touch it ever again, no management, no managing which sponsor should get on your car or livery.”
The Verdict
Based on the general audience’s reception, we think Project Motor Racing needed at least another year in development. The decision to launch at full price instead of Early Access is baffling, given the product’s state, and is honestly quite shameful.
With broken AI, performance issues, shallow career mode, and numerous technical problems, the 16% positive Steam rating tells the story. Ian Bell and Straight4 Studios delivered acclaimed sims before with Project CARS 2, but this launch is a significant misstep. For anyone considering a purchase: wait. This needs major work before it’s worth your money.