The Crew: Motorfest feels like a throwback to the time where almost all racing titles weren’t cloaked in an aura of ultra-realism and seriousness, while somehow still managing to keep its feet firmly rooted in the field of modern gaming expectations and everything that comes along with it – for better or for worse. You’re not going to find any semblance of a heavy narrative, nor elements of your average in-depth vehicle simulation experience. Instead, what Motorfest offers up with gusto is a large, beautiful, and diverse sandbox to play around in, whether it be in the air, on land, or at sea.



The third title in The Crew series, and developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower, you and your personalised avatar pack your bags and head to the gorgeous Hawaiian island of O’ahu for some hot vehicular action, neck-deep in your typical selfie-a-second/good vibes only crowd. As you’ve probably already assumed by this point, the grand Motorfest event has just begun - the entirety of the island having recently been converted into a virtual paradise for vehicle enthusiasts of all kinds.



Pedestrians have abandoned the streets, choosing instead to wildly cheer around the central hub of the festivities in blocked-off areas or near the finishing line for some races. Gigantic inflatables and fireworks pepper the skies above, while the boisterous roars of both distant and nearby engines flood the land below. Motorfest absolutely nails the feeling and atmosphere of participating in an event of such epic proportions, and the highly detailed and destructible surrounding environments are the icing on top of the exhaust fume-scented cake.

Motorfest absolutely nails the feeling and atmosphere of participating in an event of such epic proportions.

Once you’ve made your way through the opening interactive tutorial segment consisting of jumping from one brief race to another, you’re able to finally pick your starter car and add the finishing touches to your virtual in-game likeness. Although you’re given ten pre-set character options to choose from, there aren’t exactly a ton of customisation options for you to play around with, unfortunately. After that business is settled, you’re given a firm pat on the buttocks and sent out into the world to do whatever you want to do, really.



The primary gameplay focus and format on offer here revolves around collections of themed events known as playlists. Each playlist opens with a short clip giving background information related to your choice and consists of several tasks ranging from standard races to time trials, drifting challenges, or even a relaxing ride from point A to point B while taking note of the island’s natural beauty and landmarks. And if you screw up at any point, have no fear! The handy rewind feature reverses the clock, allowing you to retake that insanely sharp turn all over again – this time without flying off into the ocean. Be aware this feature does not stop the clock in time trials.

Thematically, playlists cover a lot of ground and provide decent variety in their offerings – with collaboration selections (Liberty Walk, Supercar Blondie, Donut Media) sitting comfortably alongside the regional or historical alternatives (Vintage Garage, Made in Japan, American Muscle). While zooming through each course, the aesthetic and visual flair slowly ramps up in both detail and density, culminating in some truly impressive moments. I frequently questioned whether I had been sent to another map entirely, a zone totally isolated from O’ahu.



The Vintage Garage playlist, for example, holds your hand and guides you through the history of some of the most iconic vehicles of all time with appropriate screen filters or colour schemes for each decade. The 50’s events come with a drastically washed-out look, transitioning into a strong sepia tone as you make your way into the 70’s. The Made in Japan playlist, on the other hand, fills each course with as many vibrant sources of lighting as possible, extra touches added as you progress towards the final event. Expect plenty of traditional Japanese lanterns draped overhead and colossal neon dragons winding their way around the scenery.

The 50’s events come with a drastically washed-out look, transitioning into a strong sepia tone as you make your way into the 70’s.

Apart from the central playlist stages, a few side activities can be completed for extra experience and cash injections. These mostly consist of open-world encounters that ask you to, for instance, slalom between obstacles in the road or pass through a certain area on the map after reaching a target speed. Unless you’re a completionist, these distractions can become annoyingly repetitive and tedious to focus on pursuing. If you come across one while aimlessly driving around O’ahu, contemplating what you’ll have for dinner that night, by all means give it a go. I assume that’s the design philosophy here, anyway.



The reward for finishing every event in a playlist is usually a new vehicle (with its own unnecessarily dramatic unlock video, seemingly directed by Michael Bay) and an additional string of optional challenges to complete for even more goodies – including viewing a specified area during sunny weather (wait for that sweet idle camera to kick in) or participating in a race without making contact with your opponent’s vehicles.

These challenges must be completed using the listed vehicle, usually requiring a trip to the in-game shop and, potentially, a bit of a grind for more cash if you’re not willing to fork over actual money for the premium Crew Credits currency. Playlists follow a similar pattern, in that some are unlocked by purchasing a specific vehicle and that they can only be initially undertaken using provided loaner vehicles – once you’ve completed an event, you’re free to replay it with whatever you want. If you want quick and easy access to a plane and a boat early on, by the way, I highly recommend checking out the Hawaii Scenic Tour playlist as soon as possible.



Of course, if you’re looking to focus on the multiplayer, or “Live Competition”, aspect after you’ve spent enough time slicing your way through the playlist jungle beforehand, the options currently on offer are a lot of fun. The 28-player Grand Race is easily the most entertaining option, second only to the pulse-pounding, paranoia-inducing 32-player battle royale mode, Demolition Royale – where survival and vehicle destruction go hand-in-hand. On a more relaxing note, maybe you’ll decide to eventually enter one of your rides into the Custom Show display. Whatever your poison, there’s likely something for everyone to enjoy at Motorfest.

The 28-player Grand Race is easily the most entertaining option, second only to the pulse-pounding, paranoia-inducing 32-player battle royale mode, Demolition Royale.

Thankfully, the game modes available to you are all a treat to engage with because of how good the handling for most vehicles feels. Cars, boats, bikes, and planes each have their own quirks and, for the most part, all perform differently – even allowing for near-instantaneous switching from one mode of transport to another, no matter where you find yourself at the time.



There are definite situational preferences depending on the kind of terrain you’ll have to deal with, so just going with the same choice over and over again, or even defaulting to your first car pick, isn’t always the best decision. Building up a robust garage and acquiring as many options as possible is the way to go for the multiplayer-inclined, feeling like significantly less of a priority if you aren’t a collection enthusiast or prefer venturing ahead exclusively solo, for whatever reason. If you played The Crew 2 and are using the same Ubisoft account as you did back then, you have the added option of transferring most (not all) of your vehicles over to Motorfest, if you so choose.

More often than not, the game will take exceedingly lengthy periods of time before dropping me into the world, sometimes outright refusing to work and requiring a full restart.

Firmly holding Motorfest back from attaining higher levels of greatness, issues pop up in a few forms outside of the whole monetization push. Currently, the basic process of logging in seems to be in a somewhat dire state (at least on my end). More often than not, the game will take exceedingly lengthy periods of time before dropping me into the world, sometimes outright refusing to work and requiring a full restart. There have also been plenty of occasions where, after loading in, I’d have to endure a roughly 30-second freeze before smooth movement resumed.



Brief framerate hiccups occur every so often, regardless of your location - the worst offender seems to be the heart of the festival itself. There’s a frustrating reward redemption restriction in place as well, forcing you to first complete three playlists to unlock the Main Stage, before finally stepping up to claim your prizes. These seem to be restricted to the levelling rewards – playlist vehicles can be claimed without meeting this prerequisite. Progressing through each playlist’s campaign also comes with a shockingly large amount of background dialogue from both your vehicle AI assistant, CARA, and the characters tied to each “storyline”. And man, oh man, was I ever tempted on many an occasion to roll that dialogue slider down to zero.

The Crew Motorfest manages to be an incredibly entertaining racing sandbox experience, despite the expected presence of Ubisoft’s monetization and trademark sterility. While some questionable design choices drag the title’s overall quality down a notch, my time in digital Hawaii was largely a memorable and enjoyable one. If you’re looking for an open-world racing experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously, full of vibrant locations, addictive multiplayer modes, and a good amount of vehicles to collect, Motorfest is right up your tail pipe.

*PS5 Review code provided by Ubisoft | Reviewed by Ryan Pretorius