Ubisoft is at it again, and this time they’re throwing a complete curveball at the arcade racing genre with the latest release from The Crew Motorfest. It’s as if they took the script from the previous entries in their hit-and-miss The Crew series and threw it out the window. But here’s the real kicker: you might be pleasantly surprised. From the get-go, the game feels reminiscent of Forza Horizon 5, and that’s no understatement. But boy, does the ride feel exhilarating and breathtaking at times. And if you’re a die-hard fan of the open-world racing genre and have been itching for a new release since FH5 in 2021, well, Motorfest has zoomed onto the scene. After playing The Crew Motorfest for a week, here’s a review of what we think of it and whether or not it’s the rival that Forza has been waiting for at the front of the line.

You’ll immediately notice that The Crew Motorfest is a breed apart from its previous counterparts in Ivory Tower’s revolutionary arcade driving series. Yet none of the previous Crew iterations followed the same rulebook twice, and they were very contrasting. The first installment, The Crew, took you through a campaign story where you infiltrated a criminal gang by completing races and defeating various rivals in events. The second installment, aptly named The Crew 2, focused on your character becoming a racing legend across the United States. So what does The Crew Motorfest do differently from these two? Well, everything you can think of.

The Crew Motorfest welcomes players to a themed festival set in the majestic Hawaii, specifically the island of O’ahu in the campaign. Sound familiar? Well, it could be a similar trope to what we saw in the 2021 edition of Forza, with the gameplay centered around a scaled-down version of Mexico. But I’d argue that Motorfest attempts to serve players with an unashamed car festival experience, with breathtaking visuals and occasionally exciting events. It certainly takes more inspiration from Forza Horizon 5 than its siblings, but it does so while laying down its foundations.

Throughout the campaign, players will come across various playlists that focus on different themes and revolve around different events and races. Each playlist has its own unique ability to appeal to car enthusiasts, with most focusing on different cars for each race and event. While some even feature specific car manufacturers. I enjoyed playing through the carefully curated playlist “911 Legacy A Porsche Story”. Driving those beautiful and legendary 911s through the landscapes of Hawaii made the petrolhead in me focus on everything on my screen. Although with around 15 playlists, you will find a few that are barely on par with everything else, which can make the campaign feel a little dull. It’s not a genre-defining experience, but it’s one that you can really get behind.