The end has largely arrived for a popular sim racing and game franchise, as Project CARS 3 will leave digital stores in August 2025. And online modes will cease to be active after February 24th, 2026.
Released in 2020 to a mixed reception, the third title from Slightly Mad Studios was an attempt to create a more approachable, arcade-style spin-off game from the previous two sim racing entries in the series (which were both delisted from digital stores back in 2022).
Unfortunately, this surprised some fans of Project CARS and split the fanbase. A fourth Project CARS title was in development as a return to more serious simulations, until it was cancelled by EA in 2022, effectively also closing Slightly Mad Studios, who were owned by EA as a result of being acquired by Codemasters in 2019 (despite that, Project CARS games were published by Bandai Namco).
The end dates for sales and online play have been announced via the digital store listings
“Update on PROJECT CARS 3. All product sales will end on: August 24th, 2025 23:59 UTC. Please note that times may vary by region. If you bought the game digitally it will remain in your library and can be redownloaded in the future. Any DLCs purchased before August 24th, 2025 23:59 UTC will still be available to use after this date. The game’s online modes will also remain active until February 24th, 2026.“
You’ll still be able to buy new or used physical copies after August, if you really want to enjoy the single player modes in the future. Prices aren’t likely to skyrocket in the near future, but it’s worth checking out eBay now if you’re interested in an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 edition. And with the current price on Steam at £49.99, it’s clear the publisher isn’t looking to get one last push on digital storefronts.
The legacy of Slightly Mad Studios does live on, however. While Automobilista 2 licensed the Madness game engine to good effect, many of the team have since reformed as Straight4 Studios, currently preparing Project Motor Racing for release on PC and consoles in November 2025.
No reason has been revealed for the decision to delist Project CARS 3 from sale, but it’s likely to be expiring licenses for cars and tracks, along with the fact that sales have inevitably tailed off over time. Which also means there’s not much demand for the online servers to continue. It’s always a bit sad to see older games disappear, especially if you’re interested in the history of sim racing, but it’s somewhat inevitable unless a developer wants to convert them to an open source project available to the community to maintain. And it’s not bad timing to potentially convert the few remaining Project CARS 3 racers across to Project Motor Racing.
All they had to do was put it on a 50% or lower sale – I’d buy it just to see how it is, with no expectation.
It’s never been on sale since the early releases as far as I know.
Completely agree – it’s strange that it never got a discount (I’m pretty sure Project CARS and Project CARS 2 were given various promotions during their lifetime).