Choose Project CARS 2
Choose Project CARS 2 if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 80.7% positive across 5,859 reviews.
Project CARS 2 vs Project CARS 3
Project CARS 2 and Project CARS 3 both land in Racing on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Racing games on Steam. Project CARS 2 (2017) is 3 years older than Project CARS 3 (2020). Project CARS 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (80.7% positive) than Project CARS 3 (53.1% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Project CARS 3
Choose Project CARS 3 if it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 1,086 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Project CARS 2 and Project CARS 3 sit in Racing on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Project CARS 2 |  Project CARS 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Genres | Racing | Racing |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Verified |
| Price | Price unknown | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 80.7% positive (5,859 reviews) | 53.1% positive (1,086 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Slightly Mad Studios | Slightly Mad Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Racing games on Steam.
- Project CARS 2 (2017) is 3 years older than Project CARS 3 (2020).
- Project CARS 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (80.7% positive) than Project CARS 3 (53.1% positive).
- Steam Deck: Project CARS 2 is Deck Unsupported, Project CARS 3 is Deck Verified.
Project CARS 2 vs Project CARS 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, Project CARS 2 or Project CARS 3?
- On Steam reviews Project CARS 2 scores higher (80.7% positive) than Project CARS 3 (53.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Project CARS 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Project CARS 2 or Project CARS 3 first?
- If you want chronology, Project CARS 2 (2017) came out before Project CARS 3 (2020). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Project CARS 2 and Project CARS 3 similar?
- They overlap on Racing on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.