Gear.Club Unlimited 3 arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 as a third chapter in Nacon’s long-running racing franchise, taking its cue from past outings with a renewed focus on building a legacy in the competitive world of car culture. The headline addition – a campaign that shuttles players from the sun-soaked coastlines of France to the tight mountain passes of Japan – gives the series its most scenic backdrops yet, and there’s genuine charm in the concept of expanding your club’s influence across continents. At times this narrative backdrop feels thin – characters and story beats never quite transcend formulaic racing tropes – but it does inject purpose into the succession of events, especially when your success literally reshapes your garage and headquarters.
Where Gear.Club Unlimited 3 mostly succeeds, though, is in its scope rather than its depth. The garage system and progression loop provide a satisfying carrot: unlock new cars, tune them within your growing workshop network, and watch your customised fleet evolve as you tackle varied race types. This blend of arcade-leaning racing with light RPG-style progression is one of the game’s more compelling hooks, providing a layer of strategy that complements the core driving experience. However, the gameplay itself rarely deviates far from the expected, and for a title selling itself on immersion in automotive culture, it sometimes feels oddly repetitive – many races follow the same structural pattern with only superficial changes, and standard track events rarely surprise once you’ve grasped the rhythms of throttle and brake.
On the handling front, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 lands firmly in the accessible, arcade-leaning camp. The cars respond crisply and the sense of speed on offer is genuine – particularly on highways where the new “duel”-style races demand split-second decisions and tight lane changes – but precision racers will notice the simplicity of the physics. Opponent behaviour occasionally feels inconsistent, and without a full suite of assists or difficulty tuning options, there are stretches where the AI either rushes ahead or brakes too abruptly into corners, sapping tension from what should be close fights. Still, for many players this balance between challenge and ease will hit the sweet spot, especially if you’re drawn more to progression and car collection than hardcore simulation.
Visually, the Switch 2 version is mixed. Car models themselves are often impressive for the platform, with solid detail and distinctive silhouettes that make unlocking new vehicles genuinely exciting. But the world around them can feel underwhelming; backgrounds and trackside scenery lack the pop and polish of rival racers, and occasional frame hitches or pop-ins interrupt what should be a smooth spectacle. Performance options – a 60 fps Performance mode versus a richer but less stable Graphics mode – give players control over how the game runs, but neither option ever elevates the overall presentation into truly memorable territory. Audio similarly serves the races adequately without becoming a standout element, with engine roars and music doing their job without inspiring.
That said, Gear.Club Unlimited 3’s ambition is clear. It’s a more complete package than previous outings in the series, and it offers a satisfying slice of car-centric entertainment for fans who prefer building and fine-tuning their gear collection as much as they do racing. Local split-screen adds a bit of replay value, and the sense of progression in your club headquarters keeps you engaged through dozens of events. But the omission of online multiplayer at launch and the absence of deeper gameplay variety hold it back from breaking out as a must-own title in the crowded racer genre.
In the context of the Switch 2’s library, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is likely to appeal most to those who enjoy relaxed, accessible racing with a strong personal progression arc. It doesn’t quite match the finesse and technical polish of higher-budget competitors, but it delivers a satisfying driving experience anchored by solid mechanics and a gratifying sense of growth. Fans of the franchise and car culture aficionados will find plenty to like here, but those seeking the cutting edge of racing design may find themselves yearning for sharper competition elsewhere.
Score: 6.8/10
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