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Pacer

Pacer

R8 Games Ltd · released Oct 28, 2020

ActionIndieRacingSimulationSportsPCPlayStation 4Xbox One

PACER is high-octane anti-gravity racing at its most destructive. Customise your craft and weapons then engage in the campaign, a single-player race or compete against your rivals in explosive online multiplayer for the ultimate combat racing experience.

Steam page ↗OpenCritic ↗Metacritic 77 · users 5.5 ↗
69
VGC Score
·No trend datamedium confidence
74%
At launch
72%
Steam all-time
73%
Press
100%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (OpenCritic)–7324
All-time Steam reviews72%68402
Metacritic user ratings––0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)100%970
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 1 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 1 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (43)

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.

  • 80
    Cubed3Cubed3
    trust 70Jun 27, 2021

    “Pacer successfully fills a gap in the market for high speed, anti-gravity racers. Those who are wishing for an experience reminiscent of the Wipeout series will be pleased on how this project has turned out. Tight and precise controls, matched up with a large assortment of maps and customised crafts makes for a very fulfilling experience. Issues such as those posed by hard-to-reach weapons can be overcome by practising and improving knowledge of each turn in every track - alas the lacklustre sound effects from the crafts is seemingly all that is available. These tiny issues aside Pacer makes good on its promise, even if it took a long time to get there.”

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    PC InvasionPC Invasion
    trust 69Oct 29, 2020

    “Solid in some ways, less-than-desired in others, Pacer is a fairly good futuristic racing game with some caveats.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    Push SquarePush Square
    trust 69Oct 29, 2020

    “The game doesn't get everything right. Menus and UI are a little clumsy, and you're unlikely to feel attached to any of the teams in the career mode. However, it has it where it counts, fun, speedy racing, lots to do, and a CoLD SToRAGE soundtrack. WipEout fans looking for a new entry: this is as close as you'll find.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    LevelUpLevelUp
    trust 69Dec 10, 2020

    “Ironically, the futuristic theme and the year in which it debuted, 2020, makes PACER a beautiful journey to the past we aspired at the end of the 90s.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    ZTGDZTGD
    trust 68Apr 20, 2021

    “Pacer is a good game on its own merits but it is nothing special, and when Wipeout HD Collection is still being sold for half the price of Pacer (and the other titles I mentioned at the beginning of this review are also less than Pacer) it is extremely hard to say this game that is just “good” is worth your money when competitors are out there for less. Pacer does not exist in a vacuum, and therefore I can not recommend it over other Wipeout inspired titles, which there is at least one on every current platform.”

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    EurogamerEurogamer
    trust 66Mar 12, 2021

    “Fast, slick but with a few too many flaws, Pacer is nevertheless a fine futuristic racer.”

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    SECTOR.skSECTOR.sk
    trust 66Apr 13, 2021

    “R8 Games tried to create a new WipEout and they succeeded. Well, partially. The game is fast and catchy but it's not as good ad original.”

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    GameGrinGameGrin
    trust 65Nov 19, 2020

    “Though there are a lot of issues under the hood, Pacer is a decent anti-grav racer at heart. If R8 Games continue to tinker, tweak, support and add enough post-launch content - the potential is there for this series to become a serious contender.”

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    JumpCut PLAYJumpCut PLAY
    trust 65Apr 1, 2021

    “Pacer is a thrilling racing game with plenty of content, variety and customisation. A couple of rough edges and slightly disappointing combat keep it from reaching true greatness but it’s still a fun trip down memory lane, even when you’re going at 1,000 kilometres per hour.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    TheSixthAxisTheSixthAxis
    trust 65Oct 29, 2020

    “Pacer is a magnificent anti-grav racer that's more than capable of filling the Wipeout-sized hole in your life.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Metro GameCentralMetro GameCentral
    trust 64Nov 12, 2020

    “Pacer, aka WipEout: Pacer, is the closest thing to Psygnosis games we've played in recent years. It has evolved a lot since Formula Fusion and although it can improve more, it's a must have for fans of the genre and WipEout fans.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Game Forces PTGame Forces PT
    trust 64Nov 14, 2020

    “PACER presents itself as a title that seeks to improve an experience based on a solidified formula. Still, it manages to introduce some new features that may please fans of the genre. Even so, we feel that there could be a greater willingness on behalf of producers to evolve or even reformulate this formula. With cutting edge graphics, great customization of our ships, great variety of tracks and a captivating soundtrack, it is certainly a good option for a wide range of players, from the most experienced to novices.”

    read full review ↗

…and 31 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. PACER Patch 1.10 Now LIVE!
    Dec 10, 2020significant · resets scoring window
  2. PACER Patch 1.06 Now LIVE on PC
    Nov 28, 2020significant · resets scoring window
  3. PACER Patch 1.05 Now LIVE!
    Nov 21, 2020significant · resets scoring window
  4. PACER - Patch 1.04 Notes
    Nov 14, 2020significant · resets scoring window
  5. PACER - Patch 1.03 NOW LIVE
    Nov 2, 2020significant · resets scoring window
  6. January update
    Jan 14, 2020
  7. Pacer Community Update
    Aug 12, 2019
  8. Update 1.3.186 Hotfix 2
    Oct 1, 2018
  9. Update 1.3.186 hotfix
    Sep 22, 2018
  10. Update 1.3.186 Released
    Sep 18, 2018
  11. Formula Fusion Patch 1.2.62
    Dec 13, 2017
  12. Formula Fusion Patch 1.2.62
    Dec 13, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  13. Formula Fusion Patch 1.2.54 Released!
    Dec 9, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  14. Formula Fusion Patch 1.2.54 Released!
    Dec 9, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  15. Formula Fusion Patch 1.2.11
    Nov 24, 2017
  16. Formula Fusion Patch 1.2.11
    Nov 24, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  17. Formula Fusion Update 1.2.2
    Nov 23, 2017
  18. Formula Fusion Update 1.2.2
    Nov 23, 2017
  19. Formula Fusion Update 1.2.1
    Nov 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  20. Formula Fusion Update 1.2.1
    Nov 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  21. PATCH 1.1.179
    Aug 23, 2017
  22. PATCH 1.1.179
    Aug 23, 2017
  23. UPDATE 1.1.176 (22/08/17)
    Aug 22, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  24. UPDATE 1.1.176 (22/08/17)
    Aug 22, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  25. 170630 UPDATE!
    Jun 30, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  26. 170630 UPDATE!
    Jun 30, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  27. 170616 UPDATE!
    Jun 16, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  28. 170616 UPDATE!
    Jun 16, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  29. PERFORMANCE PATCH 20170601 0620H GMT
    Jun 3, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  30. PERFORMANCE PATCH 20170601 0620H GMT
    Jun 3, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  31. we've just released an EA update
    Apr 28, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  32. we've just released an EA update
    Apr 28, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  33. We’ve just released an EA update!
    Apr 28, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  34. We’ve just released an EA update!
    Apr 28, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  35. DECEMBER UPDATE LIVE!
    Dec 21, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  36. DECEMBER UPDATE LIVE!
    Dec 21, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  37. update coming
    Dec 17, 2016
  38. update coming
    Dec 17, 2016
  39. update 20160819
    Aug 18, 2016
  40. update 20160819
    Aug 18, 2016significant · resets scoring window

…and 12 earlier patch announcements.