The Crew Motorfest on Switch 2 Is the Console's Best Car Game, Reviewers Say, With One Big Catch

Gear.Club 3 has about 40 cars. The Crew Motorfest has more than 800. That comparison, from Traxion's Martin Bigg, is the simplest way to understand why Switch 2 owners have been waiting for Ubisoft's open-world racer, which landed on Nintendo's console on Oct. 8 as the system's first fully open-world racing game.

Reviews from FinalBoss, CogConnected, Traxion and Worthplaying arrived between Oct. 11 and Oct. 26. TORQFOLIO has not reviewed the Switch 2 version. Here is where those four line up.

What you get

This is the full game with more than three years of updates behind it. Worthplaying's reviewer notes the Switch 2 version launches with four islands, O'ahu plus Kaua'i, Ni'ihau and Maui, and FinalBoss counts more than 30 themed playlists. Traxion says all future updates will hit Switch 2 at the same time as other platforms, including a new off-road expedition playlist built around a winch and upcoming seasons that add Asian cars, taxi missions and semi-trucks. The Bugatti Tourbillon just made its racing game debut here, in a limited-time event.

For TORQFOLIO readers, the playlist list is the draw. Worthplaying describes playlists dedicated to American muscle with drag races, Japanese cars with drift events, an off-road series, and one built around the rivalry between West Coast lowriders and East Coast donks, complete with drag races and car dancing. Traxion highlights the Made in Japan and drift playlists and the manufacturer playlists with live-action history segments.

Where they agree: the content travels

CogConnected calls it "the best traditional driving game available on the Nintendo Switch 2" and praises the variety, from muddy off-road events to highway races. FinalBoss says the arcade driving remains enjoyable despite the cuts and that the themed playlists give the huge roster focus. Bigg says freely exploring the map feels novel on Switch 2 and that the pick-up-and-play handling suits the console.

Returning players get a real bonus. Bigg explains that signing into the same Ubisoft account transfers your career and car collection automatically. The catch is that paid Year Passes do not carry over, and cars bought with them show up locked in your garage unless you buy them again, which both Traxion and Worthplaying call out.

Where they split: how it looks

Every outlet confirms the 30 fps target, but they read the visuals differently. Bigg says it looks mightily impressive for the hardware, with detailed car models and strong lighting, while noting soft image quality, aliasing, pop-in and mirrors with no reflections. FinalBoss is tougher, listing reduced draw distance, simplified lighting and lower-quality textures, and arguing the port makes much more sense in handheld mode than docked on a big TV. Worthplaying found the environments gorgeous but the image softer than on other platforms, and the handheld frame pacing rougher. CogConnected found 30 fps pretty consistent with odd dips.

Controls are another Switch 2 limitation. Traxion notes the console's lack of analog triggers hurts in traffic and in drift events that need precision, that third-party analog controllers are not supported, and that you can map throttle and brake to the right stick as a workaround.

Where they all agree: the online requirement hurts

This is the one complaint every review shares. Without an internet connection, Bigg writes, the game is unplayable beyond the main menu despite its huge single-player campaign. CogConnected tried a phone hotspot and found any drop in connection kicks you out. FinalBoss says that carrying the console with you does not make Motorfest an offline game, and adds that the boxed version is a game-key card that still needs a download. Traxion's verdict line sums it up: "A commendable Switch 2 port, let down by its online connection requirement."

Worthplaying adds a design complaint that applies on every platform. Playlist events put you in loaner cars, and you cannot use your own car until you replay an event, which takes away the satisfaction of building one car up and beating the field with it.

Worthplaying also had notes on the soundtrack. The stations work more like playlists than radio, with no DJs, and switching stations restarts songs from the beginning. Its reviewer found most stations hard to tell apart outside the Red Bull and oldies channels, even if individual songs are good.

How it drives

The handling sits between arcade and sim, closer to Forza Horizon than Gran Turismo, according to CogConnected, which found it a little slippery at times but forgiving thanks to a rewind feature. Worthplaying notes the nitro boost helps correct oversteer in some cars, that near misses and drifts earn small XP bonuses, and that cars share the map with motorcycles, boats and small planes, though the boats and planes are mostly for getting between islands. CogConnected points to 28-player races and crew-based demolition modes for multiplayer, while Worthplaying found the crew feature, driving with three friends, is good for little more than a small credit boost.

TORQFOLIO's read

The reviews agree that if you want a real open-world car game on Switch 2, this is the one, and nothing else on the system comes close on car count or variety. The lowrider and donk playlist alone makes it more representative of street car culture than most racing games.

Buy it if you play mostly at home or always have a solid connection, and you are fine with 30 fps. Think twice if you wanted a game for flights and road trips, because every reviewer says the always-online requirement is a real problem for a handheld console. And if you already own it elsewhere, your progress comes with you, but your paid passes will not.