The Switch had a good number of racing games despite the console's lack of analog triggers, but most of those games were of the kart variety, although there were a few futuristic racers. Traditional simulation or even simcade racers were very underrepresented on the platform, and the situation has only slightly improved on the Switch 2. One of the games that has made it over is The Crew Motorfest, which is a pretty big deal considering that it represents an open-world racer, a genre that has been growing in popularity.

The setup is very different from past games in the series, which is good since it gives each entry its own identity without the player needing to be familiar with what preceded it. You've been invited to Motorfest, a festival that celebrates everything about car culture, from the cosmetics to the races. The festival takes place in Hawaii, but there's no competition that you're trying to win. You're just there to enjoy the vibes while taking part in some casual competition along the way.

The quickest way to describe the gameplay mechanics is that it's mostly similar to what you'd find in the Forza Horizon series but pared down a bit. You have an open world to race in, and going off-road is encouraged. Driving is a joy unto itself, as you're rewarded for doing things like almost colliding into other cars or drifting, though don't expect to gain much XP from these activities nor should you expect rewards for doing things like crashing against fences. Loads of icons litter the map to indicate things you can do, and while there are secrets, don't expect anything to the level of barn finds in Forza. Other things, like taking photos, are too involved; you need to wait for certain weather conditions and times of the day to find the required shot. Activities like slalom runs and speed traps are more enjoyable because of the lack of specific requirements for completion.

Before going into the major differences, there are a few things to note when it comes to driving. This game has the nitrous boost. That doesn't seem like a big deal, since a number of arcade and simcade racers have this feature, but the Forza Horizon series doesn't have nitro, so those who were introduced to simcade racing via that series will find the presence of nitro to be invaluable. The nitro also goes a long way in correcting the game's oversteer with some vehicles, but it isn't severe enough to make the handling feel like a mess.

The first major difference is that the game isn't just about cars. Carrying over the idea that was first introduced in The Crew 2, you get to drive more than just cars. Motorcycles, boats, and small planes are at your disposal, and while they aren't as abundant as cars, there's a decent number of different manufacturers to choose from in these categories. While their inclusion is nice, you'll use them more while going between events, as the number of events that involve boats and planes is quite low. Motorcycle-only events tend to also be low, since bikes are usually allowed in most car races.

The biggest difference is the presence of playlists, which all have races that revolve around a specific theme. For example, you'll have one playlist dedicated to racing with American muscle cars, and there are a few drag races. Another is all about Japanese cars with some events focused on drifting. Another playlist takes you on a tour around O'ahu, but is more relaxed since you need to finish the race but not necessarily in first place. Yet another has you taking sides in a debate between Lowriders from the West Coast and Donks from the East Coast, complete with more drag races and even car dancing. There's another playlist all about off-road racing. The variety of things to do is what makes the playlists compelling, even though some will complain about how long each event takes to complete, since they seem to go on far longer than in most other racing titles.

The playlists are also a great idea because the individual events in the lists flow so well into one another, and there's not much time spent traveling between events. The constant talking can be distracting, but it gives each playlist its own self-contained story. However, each event in a playlist has you riding around in a loaner vehicle, and this is going to be a point of contention for players. With very few exceptions, you're forced into that loaner vehicle for the race. That ends up being good for those who just want to go through most races without having to get the required vehicle first. However, you can't use your own vehicle unless you decide to replay the race after completing it once. Part of the appeal for most racing games is seeing how far you can take one vehicle, even with upgrades, before you're forced to change to another car in your garage to continue. That sense of personal progression is gone, and there's no sense of satisfaction in taking a lower-class car and beating the competition with it.

Winning an event also reveals a few other quirks to the overall structure for victories. You'll get some car upgrades for most races, but all you're given is an icon for said upgrades. You're never told what they are, and since it turns out that those upgrades are only good if you have the correct car for them, those upgrades are useless until you find out that you meet the qualifications for making them useful again. The other quirk is with your cash earnings. Compared to the cost of the average vehicle in the game, it feels like you need to do loads of grinding before you can afford any car. Considering the number of cars in the game, trying to get a decent roster in your garage can become a Herculean task. The game offers up all cars for purchase via microtransactions, but that's not exactly a solution that players want to see.

Beyond playlists, The Crew Motorfest has a few other things you can do. There are competitions that depend on showcasing your car's cosmetics. Multiplayer sessions can have you either participating in big races against 27 other players or play in a demolition derby meant for 32 players. As in Forza Horizon, you have rotating events to keep the game fresh, in case you've knocked out every playlist the game has to offer. There's enough content to keep you busy, but it is surprising that the actual crew feature, where you get to drive around with three other people at the same time, is only good for getting a small boost in credits.

One thing you can count on with most Ubisoft titles with an online component is that the publisher never stops working on a title after it gets published. That fact remains true, as this version of the game has the benefit of over three years of improvements behind it. More vehicles are expected and always welcome, and the same goes for the increase in playlists, but the biggest improvement is in the availability of more islands to play on. The game originally launched with the island of O'ahu, and while the island was packed with a load of missions and activities, the area was still considered to be small when compared to the game's contemporaries. The Switch 2 version launches with four islands in total; the islands of Kaua'i, Ni'ihau, and Maui are all present, complete with additional playlists to take advantage of the new spaces. These certainly make the game feel bigger in scope, but the added environmental diversity is what makes the world more appealing.

The Switch 2 version of the game comes with no exclusives, but it does feature some things that will both excite and disappoint some players. Cross-saving is present, so you can go between multiple platforms with your progress intact. If you played The Crew 2 or plan to play it in the future, you can make a copy of your garage onto this game. This is big for Switch 2 owners, since this is the first entry of the series to have appeared on a Nintendo console. The cross-compatibility doesn't include premium content like the year passes, which is a bummer but quite common. The fact that the Switch 2 release of the game still has you buying those yearly passes is pretty bad, as it would've been nice to throw a bone to Nintendo players by giving them a few of those yearly passes with the base game's purchase. Also, the game requires an internet connection all the time, which may be fine if you have stable internet at home, but it goes against the ethos of the system, where portability is a key selling point and no one can guarantee a constant online connection while on the go.

Graphically, The Crew Motorfest is nice but there are some visible sacrifices to make the game run on the portable system. The environments look gorgeous, especially the vegetation and the lighting, which looks great when it's being reflected off puddles. The cars also look spectacular in motion and when you're looking at them up close. The game moves at 30fps at a 1080p resolution when docked, and while it would've been nice to get to 60fps, 30fps still works well. Less impressive is the fact that the picture looks softer when compared to other platforms, while HDR doesn't pop out as much when compared to other games. It's a surprising turn, considering that some of the environments would really shine with the technology in place. If you're planning to play in portable mode, the softer look is mitigated a bit, but the frame rate is negatively affected because the pacing isn't high enough to produce a smooth experience.

The audio is quite good. The roaring of the engines is crisp, as is the sound of nitrous being fired off. The voice acting may be too abundant for some people's liking, but the acting is solid. The music is where things will get polarizing. On the one hand, quite a number of different genres from electronic to rock to hip hop are represented, but they're more like playlists instead of radio stations. No DJs are present, and changing a station has the songs restart from the beginning. On the other hand, outside of the Red Bull and oldies stations, it's hard to tell what you're listening to, as all of the songs sound the same. It's difficult to tell if the blame lies on whomever curated the soundtrack or if this was an accurate representation of the sonic landscape from 2022-2023, but the lack of any tangible difference between the stations makes the soundtrack less exciting to listen to — even if the songs themselves can be quite good on their own.

The Crew Motorfest is a game that is surprising all around. The marriage of playlists and an open world really make the game fun to play, but the open world itself doesn't match up with some of its contemporaries as far as having loads of stuff to do and discover outside of events. The presence of multiple vehicle types is nice, but you'll only use the planes and boats for travel to other islands. The presentation is also good, but it can stand to be better in some areas. The main selling point for Switch 2 users is that the system has nothing like it until now, and unless Microsoft decides to bring the Forza Horizon series to Nintendo's console, The Crew Motorsport does a great job of being a better-than-expected substitute.

Score: 7.5/10