Screenshots & trailers
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 83 | 20 |
| All-time Steam reviews | – | – | 0 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 74 | 267 |
| Backloggd ratings | – | 54 | 368 |
| Xbox store ratings | – | 50 | 540 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 8h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (45)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 85
“Project CARS is the first true next-gen simulator. With a good variety of cars and tracks, this game is pretty solid, considering that it was mostly fan funded. The lightning effects and everything else on the track, gives you one of the most realistic feelings a sim can give you right now. Just keep in mind that it's a difficult game, so it's not intended for newcomers, only really hardcore sim fans will enjoy it and make the most of it.”
read full review ↗ - 68
“Project Cars is not a bad racing game. It's just that as a racing simulator it has way too many flaws, especially in terms of realism during GPs. It abolishes the great chance of feeding an audience which remains hungry due to Codemasters' mistakes in its own F1 games. At the same time, it cannot base its possible success on the presence of other cars, which inevitably stay in the shadow of Formula A category. ”
read full review ↗ - 86
“When it comes to the actual racing, the game gets top marks primarily because of how deep the handling model feels. It also does a fantastic job of giving the player every possible option to tailor his or her experience to their liking. However, everything outside of the racing, such as the career mode, is mere window dressing.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The result of many years of work meets expectations and ranks among the best representatives of the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“That’s Project CARS at its best. No experience points. No parts to buy. No cars to add to your collection. The audacious decision to offer everything up front informs the rest of Project CARS’s design, making it distinct (and sometimes frustrating).”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Project CARS turned out to be an awesome hardcore simulator but the sheer mountain of options and settings might scare off the casual set. The real car freaks won’t mind and are likely to play this one with huge grins on their faces.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Fun but unremarkable sim racing that is impacted by various issues and an overall lack of polish. [July 2015, p.58]”
- 80
“Simply put, this is one of the better racing games out there.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“Beautiful, bold and varied. Slightly Mad are uncompromising in their simulation.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Project CARS was one of the most anticipated racing simulation of 2015. But what we saw before the release is not same as what we see now.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Fantastically versatile Project CARS entertains both champions and festive drivers. It excites them with helpfulness, technology and dynamism, so only details could be reproached. [Issue#253]”
- 80
“If your racing needs are completely fulfilled by Mario Kart and pure arcade action, then sure this isn’t for you and if iRacing is the least you expect from a sim, then again this won’t replace that. For everyone else though, despite some flaws that ask maybe a bit much of the user to get the most from the game, then this is a must have racer.”
read full review ↗
LevelUp
Worth Playing
Eurogamer
GameSpot
Power Unlimited
We Got This Covered
PC Gamer
Gamestyle…and 33 more tracked reviews.