Choose Project Cars 1 or 2.
Choose Project Cars 1 or 2.
You're considering a Project Cars title at a significant discount during the Steam Autumn sale. The game you're interested in offers realistic physics and strong reviews, so it's a solid choice. Let me know if you'd like more recommendations or help comparing options!
It's clear the second option performs much better, and there seems to be no justification for choosing the first one.
The cost of PC2 is three times higher than the initial version, which might deter potential buyers from investing a lot in this racing title. I tried both PC1 and a small portion of PC2 shortly after release, but numerous game-breaking issues in Project Cars 2 led me to abandon the project. It's unclear if it's still available, though there was an option to switch to an AI driver for races. I often faced problems where the AI would suddenly take control without my input, especially during long endurance events. This happened repeatedly during races, making it frustrating when I was halfway through a 3- or 4-hour session. There were also many glitches, like incorrect grid placement after qualifying and unfair penalties for being out of position at race start. If you qualify for a race, you might end up in the wrong spot on the starting grid, leading to repeated warnings about delays and unfair advantages. It was particularly irritating when I spent 20 minutes in qualifying only to face penalties like drive-through or disqualification. The issue became so common that many players stopped using practice or qualifying altogether, opting instead for random starting positions. There were other oddities too, such as pit crew spawning unexpectedly during races or cars malfunctioning mid-race. Race settings would change randomly, and the lobby would reset to a different lap count after saving. Overall, these problems made the experience quite unpleasant during those early months.
I've mostly focused on hot-lapping because the AI drivers aren't always reliable, and honestly, online play isn't my thing. I'm aware that PCars 1 had some issues too, so it's almost irrelevant. PC2 offers more cars, tracks, and features than 1, plus smoother physics. So aside from cost, I don't see a clear reason to pick 1 over 2. They've been getting updates, though I haven't kept up myself. I also own a wheel, but there were frequent complaints about using PC1 with a controller, which seems to have improved in 2.