The Crew Motorfest

The Crew Motorfest
Standard Edition cover art[a]
DevelopersUbisoft Ivory Tower[b]
PublisherUbisoft
DirectorStéphane Beley
ProducerGrégory Corgié
Composers
Platforms
Release
  • PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S
  • September 14, 2023
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • October 8, 2026
GenreRacing
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

The Crew Motorfest is a 2023 racing video game developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the sequel to 2018's The Crew 2 and the third game in The Crew series, and was released on September 14, 2023. A Nintendo Switch 2 version will be released on October 8, 2026. The game is set in an open world environment; scaled-down versions of the Hawaiian islands of Oʻahu and Maui. It has received generally positive reviews from critics.

Gameplay

The Crew Motorfest is set in a scaled-down version of the islands of Oʻahu and Maui in Hawaii.[1][2] It is themed around a festival that serves as the main area for accessing the various events in the game, which is similar to that of the Forza Horizon series of games.[3][4] Its gameplay is similar to that of the previous games in the series, featuring online multiplayer features referred to in game as a "crew", as well as being able to control vehicles other than cars such as planes and boats.[5]

The main part of the game is "Playlists", which consist of a series of staged events, side activities, and challenges. As of July 2026, there are 32 playlists, each with a different theme such as vintage cars, RC cars,[6] Lamborghini,[7] Porsche 911, Ferrari,[8] BMW, and NASCAR,[9] alongside collaborations with influencers and lifestyle brands such as Supercar Blondie, Liberty Walk, Donut Media, and Red Bull.[10]

Multiplayer modes include the "Grand Race" and "Demolition Royale". The Grand Race a long race that is approximately 10 minutes long with 28 players online split up into three sections for three tiers of racing. The sections and tiers for each race is chosen by random and swaps every 30 minutes, while the race route is random for every race. Demolition Royale is the game's demolition derby-based battle royale mode, where up to 32 players are put into crews with the main goal of driving their demolition-type vehicles to destroy the racers of other crews in a shrinking safe area. Power-ups spawn in the safe area to give racers an advantage, such as shields and health. The Demolition Royale ends when only one crew still has at least one racer remaining.

The Main Stage, the game's live-service mode, consists of a monthly theme with unique limited-time rewards. Each week of each month, players earn experience to fill up the Revisit, Compete, and Explore timelines to earn rewards. After filing up one of the Main Stage timelines, the player unlocks the "Legend" timeline, filled with its own set of limited-time rewards.

Every week, a sub-theme of the main stage theme will be used for the "Summit Contest" (previously called "Summit Clash"), a weekly themed contest where players compete in nine challenges—six races and three feats—to earn points for a tiered ranking of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

Like its two predecessors, The Crew Motorfest requires a constant internet connection to play, but on September 12, 2024, Ubisoft announced that Motorfest will be getting an offline mode, following a major controversy from gamers and critics over the shutdown and license revocation of the first game.[11]

Development and release

The Crew Motorfest was developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower.[2] It started as a DLC expansion for The Crew 2, although that changed when several ideas for changes in progression structure weren't compatible with the current game engine.[12]

It was internally known as Project Orlando during development until October 2022 when the title and setting of the game were leaked.[13] Before the Motorfest name was decided, it was tentatively entitled The Crew Motorcamp.[12]

It was announced with a teaser trailer released on January 31, 2023.[14] A closed testing period for Motorfest on PC began on February 1, 2023, with testing for consoles coming at a later date.[15] The game was released on September 14, 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.[1][16] Journalists noted the similarities between Motorfest and the first two Test Drive Unlimited games (2006 and 2011), which several developers from Ivory Tower worked on previously and also share Oʻahu as a main setting.[2][15]

Post-release

During the 2024 Ubisoft Forward which was held on June 10, Ubisoft announced that The Crew Motorfest would include another Hawaiian island, Maui, along with "The Chase Squad" content. It became available on November 6, 2024 as part of the Year 2 plan.[17]

A level editor feature called TrackForge, was added into the game in March 2026. According to creative director Julian Hummer, the team consulted TrackMania developers when creating the editor. During the first week of the update, over 30,000 user-made tracks were created.[18]

On July 8, 2026 Ubisoft announced that they were releasing the game for the Nintendo Switch 2 on October 8. [19]

Reception

According to review aggregator website Metacritic, The Crew Motorfest received generally favorable reviews from critics.[25] In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 35 out of 40.[24] The game was nominated for "Best Sports/Racing Game" at The Game Awards 2023.[26]

It debuted as the second best-selling game of the week in the United Kingdom. It also became the fastest-selling entry in the series.[27]

Notes

  1. ↑ The cover depicted the Toyota Supra (A80) and the Lamborghini Revuelto on the foreground, with the Ford Bronco doing airbourne on the background.
  2. ↑ Additional work done by Ubisoft Barcelona, Ubisoft Belgrade, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Kyiv, Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft Odesa, Ubisoft Pune, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Shanghai, and Ubisoft Toronto.

References

  1. 1 2 Good, Owen S. (January 31, 2023). "Ubisoft racer The Crew gets another sequel: The Crew Motorfest". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Reilly, Luke (January 31, 2023). "Ubisoft Reveals The Crew Motorfest, Heads to Hawaii". IGN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  3. ↑ Wales, Matt (January 31, 2023). "The Crew Motorfest takes Ubisoft's open-world racer to Hawaii this year". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  4. ↑ Franzese, Tomas (January 31, 2023). "The Crew Motorfest brings a racing festival to Hawaii this year". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Ubisoft announces 'The Crew Motorfest', opens beta registrations - Times of India". The Times of India. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  6. ↑ Bigg, Martin (April 29, 2026). "The Crew Motorfest's RC cars expansion arrives 6th May". Traxion.GG. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Automobili Lamborghini renews its collaboration with Ubisoft". Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  8. ↑ Iwaniuk, Phil (July 1, 2025). "Ferrari's now in The Crew Motorfest, and yes, you can drive an F40". BBC Studios (via Top Gear). Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Ubisoft, NASCAR Announce Collaboration with The Crew Motorfest". NASCAR Digital Media. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Everything new in The Crew Motorfest Season 6". Red Bull. March 13, 2025. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  11. ↑ Dinsdale, Ryan (September 12, 2024). "Ubisoft Adding Offline Modes to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest, But the Original Is Gone for Good". IGN. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "The Crew Motorfest did indeed start life as DLC, previously called 'Motorcamp'". September 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ Kuhnke, Oisin (October 18, 2022). "The Crew 3 Might Have Been Renamed To "Motorfest"". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ Jones, Ali; West, Josh (January 31, 2023). "With The Crew Motorfest, Ubisoft finally brings the thrill of Forza Horizon to PS5". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Ivan, Tom (January 31, 2023). "Ubisoft has announced The Crew Motorfest for release this year". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  16. ↑ Good, Owen S. (June 12, 2023). "The Crew Motorfest goes to Hawaii, comes back with a launch date". Polygon. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  17. ↑ "The Crew Motorfest Unveils New Island of Maui and More at Ubisoft Forward". June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  18. ↑ Bigg, Martin (March 11, 2026). "How Trackmania inspired the "biggest feature ever created" for The Crew Motorfest". Traxion.GG. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  19. ↑ Life, Nintendo (July 8, 2026). "The Crew Motorfest Arriving On Switch 2 This October". Nintendo Life. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  20. ↑ "The Crew Motorfest PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  21. ↑ "The Crew Motorfest PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  22. ↑ "The Crew Motorfest Xbox Series X Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  23. ↑ "The Crew Motorfest Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  24. 1 2 Romano, Sal (September 27, 2023). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1817". Gematsu. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  25. ↑ "The Crew Motorfest". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  26. ↑ Spangler, Todd (November 13, 2023). "The Game Awards 2023 Nominations: Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3 Lead the Pack With Eight Noms Each (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  27. ↑ Sinha, Ravi (September 20, 2023). "The Crew Motorfest Sets First Week Sales Record for Franchise". Gaming Bolt. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
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