Project Cars 3
Project CARS 3 is a racing video game developed by Codemasters subsidiary Slightly Mad Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was released on 28 August 2020 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game marks a departure from the realistic, motor simulation gameplay of the series' first two instalments, with the game featuring more arcade-style racing and simpler mechanics.
Project Cars 3
- Date
- 2020.
- Publisher
- Project Cars 3 was published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.
- Language
- English and French.
- Genre
- sim racing.
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Documentary summary
Project CARS 3 is a racing video game developed by Codemasters subsidiary Slightly Mad Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was released on 28 August 2020 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game marks a departure from the realistic, motor simulation gameplay of the series' first two instalments, with the game featuring more arcade-style racing and simpler mechanics.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q65242784 · wikipedia · Project CARS 3
In this article
The object
The object
3 received mixed reviews from critics. It is also the last mainline instalment in the Project CARS series, as future development of the series was cancelled by Slightly Mad's owner, Electronic Arts, in November 2022. The game was delisted in August 2025 and the online servers were shut down in February 2026.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Project CARS 3 • Developer — Slightly Mad Studios • Publisher — Bandai Namco Entertainment • Series — Project CARS • Platforms — * PlayStation 4 • Windows • Xbox One • Released — 28 August 2020 • Genre — Motorsport Simulator • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer
Gameplay
Gameplay
Project CARS 3 introduces more customizable cars that are available to race over 140 global circuits. The game also features 24-hour cycles, various seasons, and weather effects. The career mode has been rebuilt, with the artificial intelligence being enhanced. The game also support VR on PC. According to CEO of Slightly Mad Studios Ian Bell, the game is a spiritual successor to the Need for Speed: Shift series, which was also developed by Slightly Mad Studios. Having been acquired by British video game developer and publisher Codemasters, which is known for the Formula One series, Colin McRae Rally series and the Dirt series, in November 2019, Project CARS 3 is expected to share some elements from Codemasters' similar genre video game series TOCA, or Grid. The game received its first game trailer on 3 June 2020. The game also features a refined multiplayer mode. New content includes cars such as the Audi TTS, Koenigsegg Jesko, Lotus Evija and the Bugatti Chiron, plus circuits such as Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Circuito de Jerez and Tuscany. Unlike its predecessors, this game does not feature tyre wear or fuel depletion, and as such, there are no pit stops. This has prompted criticism from fans of the series.
Development and release
Development and release
Project CARS 3 was developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The development began in the fall of 2018 after the commercial success of Project CARS 2. Instead of switching to parent company Codemasters's Ego engine, the game is still powered by the same engine as its predecessors. According to studio CEO Ian Bell, it could have been called Project CARS Sideways instead of Project CARS 3 to signpost the series heading in a different direction, but ultimately the call was overruled. The game was released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 28 August 2020. On 24 July 2025, it was announced that the game would be delisted from all digital storefronts on 24 August 2025, most likely due to expriring licenses. The game's online servers were also shut down on 24 February 2026.
Sales
Sales
The game reached number 5 in the US physical sales chart, and 17 in the UK, selling 86% less than the previous game. The PlayStation 4 version of Project CARS 3 sold 2,404 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the 24th bestselling retail game of the week in the country.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
2020
Project Cars 3 published.
2020
Project Cars 3 is recorded as published in 2020.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
United Kingdom.
Country
Project Cars 3 is associated with United Kingdom.
Country
Reception
Project CARS 3 received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, being recommended by 48% of critics. IGN's Luke Reilly said that: "Project CARS 3 is a racer so fundamentally different from its immediate forerunners it's bordering on unrecognisable. It abandons the sim racing sensibilities and adopts a radically different driving feel and a new career mode mostly made up of snack-sized racing and driving challenges. There's never a time when it feels like an actual sequel to Project CARS 2 – and that is disappointing." Jacob Hull from Push Square gave a score of 6/10, claiming: "Project CARS 3 marks a significant departure for the series, abandoning most of its sim heritage in favour of arcade racing. Offering a variety of different cars and tracks, there's plenty of content on offer, making for a fun distraction, but it lacks the excitement we expect from wheel-to-wheel racing. It takes inspiration from all over the place, but it's perhaps most closely aligned with Sony's own DriveClub. It would seem, then, that the PS4 cycle is ending the way it began. We're just not sure we'd pick this over what's come before." The PlayStation Official Magazine UK said it was a "patchy, unbalanced, and shallow racer with obvious technical issues". GameSpot criticised the AI, but said it had "a more arcade style of racing is one that makes the series approachable for the first time."
Context
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Project Cars 3 stands. Published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Developed by Slightly Mad Studios. Issued for Microsoft Windows. Recorded as video game.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q65242784: Project Cars 3
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Project CARS 3”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Awards
• Year — Award — Category — Result • 2020 — Gamescom 2020 — Best Simulation Game
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Project Cars 3 Will Be Delisted In August, Marking The End Of The Racing Franchise. GameSpot.
- 2.Robinson, Andy. Project Cars 3 will feature a new Career Mode and customisation options. Video Games Chronicle. 3 June 2020.
- 3.Lawler, Richard. 'Project Cars 3' trailer has some sim racing fans worried. Engadget. 4 June 2020.
- 4.Patrick, Kyle. Ian Bell Expands on Project CARS 3 Approach: 'Less Sandbox, More Fun'. GTPlanet. 2 January 2019.
- 5.Robinson, Martin. Project Cars 3 takes the series in a new direction. Eurogamer.net. 4 June 2020.
- 6.Stocksdale, Joel. 'Project CARS 3' revealed with more customization than ever before. Autoblog. 4 June 2020.
- 7.Allen, James. Project CARS 3 won't have pit stops, tyre wear or fuel consumption. TeamVVV.com. 29 June 2020.
- 8.Robinson, Martin. Project Cars 3 announced for Xbox One, PS4 and PC later this year. GamesRadar+. 2 January 2019.
- 9.Evans, Andrew. Project CARS 3 Will Be a 'Spiritual Successor to Shift'. GTPlanet. 31 December 2018.
- 10.Reilly, Luke. Project CARS 3 Promises to Be More 'Democratic, Welcoming, Supportive'. IGN. 4 June 2020.
- 11.Harrison-Lord, Thomas. Project CARS 3 could have been called Project CARS Sideways. Traxion. 23 June 2024.
- 12.Kim, Matt. Project CARS 3 Announced for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. IGN. 4 June 2020.
- 13.Project CARS 3 launches August 28. Gematsu. 24 June 2020.
- 14.Project Cars 3 Will Be Delisted In August, Marking The End Of The Racing Franchise. Gamespot.com.
- 15.Metacritic. Project Cars 3 for PC reviews.
- 16.Metacritic. Project Cars 3 for PS4 reviews.
- 17.Metacritic. Project Cars 3 for Xbox One reviews.
- 18.OpenCritic. Project CARS 3.
- 19.Project Cars 3 Review – into the Horizon.
- 20.Reilly, Luke. Project CARS 3 Review. IGN. 26 August 2020.
- 21.de Izokay, L'avis. Test : Project Cars 3 : Coup de frein pour la simulation de Slightly Mad. Jeuxvideo.com. 27 August 2020.
- 22.Hull, Jacob. Project CARS 3 Review (PS4). Push Square. 26 August 2020.
- 23.Issue#180, Sep 18, 2020, p.78
- 24.GameCentral. Project Cars 3 review – best of both worlds. Metro. 27 August 2020.
- 25.Rivers, Buck. Project CARS 3 review: A fun but drastic shift into reverse. Screen Rant. 25 August 2020.
- 26.Bohn, Jacob. Review: Project CARS 3. Hardcore Gamer. 24 August 2020.
- 27.CBS Interactive. Project CARS 3 for PlayStation 4 reviews. Metacritic.
- 28.CBS Interactive. Project CARS 3 for PC reviews. Metacritic.
- 29.UK Charts: Soft week for physical sales despite new releases. 31 August 2020.
- 30.Romano, Sal. Famitsu Sales: 9/7/20 – 9/13/20. Gematsu.com. September 17, 2020.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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