For Real

PROJECT CARS 2 is the apex of apex-hitting sims, but leaves casuals behind.

- Phil Iwaniuk

When was the last time you were truly immersed and engaged in an activity? Mindfulness types call this state ‘flow’, and positive psychologists say this situation of total involvement is what we really mean when we talk about happiness. So, with that in mind, Project Cars 2 is the most demanding simulation racer I have ever played, and it is a positive psychologist’s dream.

With all the assists off and a decent racing wheel plugged in, it requires so much sustained attention, so many adjustments in response to whispers of feedback from the car, that there’s simply no brainpower left to think about anything other than getting your Audi R18 around the last turn at Zolder. And the rallycross? No space to think about death when you’re doing that, let me tell you. This unprecedented level of simulation is, as you’d expect, really, Project Cars 2’s crown jewel. Driving is its own intrinsic joy, more so than in its 2015 ancestor and, to these hands, it’s better than rivals rFactor 2 and iRacing (don’t @ me).