"Project Cars" has garnered a large and loyal following of virtual motorsports fans thanks to its impressively realistic car physics. However, the series lacked several features that are required in a modern racing sim. This will be remedied in a scaled-up sequel, which the developer announced today and should be released this summer.

The career mode has been completely reworked from the ground up and is intended to give players a better sense of progression. In the career mode, players will earn XP through 10 car classes, unlocking upgrade parts and new events. Cleverly, however, if players don't like a particular type of event, they can skip it using in-game currency (earned by playing, no microtransactions). This is so that players do not feel tied down and forced to drive a car they do not enjoy.

You may have noticed that I mentioned car upgrades. This is something that has been missing from Project Cars, and it is great that it is finally here. Up until now you have been able to customize the performance of your car, but now you can radically change your car with new engines, exhausts, suspensions, and more. While this is hardly a groundbreaking feature for a racing game, it adds a whole new dimension to Project Cars' sensational driving model.

This also means that you will be able to drive your favorite cars all the way through your career, from the lowest levels to high-end events, and boost their performance index with new parts. Developer Slightly Mad Studios wants players to feel like they are constantly improving and progressing, so they can earn experience points and in-game currency no matter which mode they play, including multiplayer. In some cases, you don't even have to finish first: simply participating is enough. Of course, the higher you finish in a race, the more rewards you will receive.

Multiplayer has always been a big part of Project Cars, and there are three distinctive ways to play in the new game. Quick Play allows players to get into the race using skill-based matchmaking. But if you prefer something more deliberately crafted, the Scheduled Event mode offers developer-crafted races. Finally, the Custom Lobby is a classic Project Cars sandbox experience, where you can tweak the rules, weather, cars, and courses to create the race of your choice.

Slightly Mad also promises improved stability and latency during online play with the use of relay servers. It is also nice to see that the visual customization you apply to your car, whether it is a simple paint job or an elaborate decal design, will be visible to other players during online races. Also, if a car suitable for an online event is not available in a personal garage, it can be borrowed to participate in the event. Accessibility is something the developers hope to improve in PC3, and they are trying to remove as many barriers to enjoyment as possible.

There is also a new asynchronous multiplayer mode called Rivals, which has its own ranking and reward structure; Slightly Mad will manage a series of events, with fresh daily, weekly and monthly challenges. Good performance will climb the leaderboard and earn XP by defeating other players. They can also fall below the board, which gives them incentive to jump back in and try to regain their position. Conveniently, these leaderboards are divided into divisions based on skill, so beginners don't have to compete with experienced drivers.

That's all the new elements, but there are more. Two new tracks have been unveiled, including the streets of Shanghai and Interlagos, the legendary motorsports circuit in São Paulo. Gamepad controls have also been tweaked to make driving with the gamepad more satisfying. New post-processing effects, camera shake, and motion blur have been added, and the single-player AI has been revamped. If this is all good, Project Cars 3 should be pretty special.

Project Cars 3 is scheduled for release this summer.