Gear.Club Unlimited 3 brings Eden Games’ racing series to PlayStation 5 after initially launching on Nintendo Switch 2, continuing a rather unusual release strategy in which the franchise makes its debut on Nintendo hardware before expanding to other platforms. Published by Nacon, this third instalment aims to offer an accessible alternative to the bigger names in the racing genre, with a selection of licensed cars, a career mode centred on building a racing club, and tracks spread across Japan and the French Mediterranean coast. There is a decent foundation here, particularly for players who enjoy collecting and upgrading cars, but the experience struggles to turn its promising ideas into consistently exciting racing.
The career mode follows an aspiring racer attempting to establish a Gear.Club presence in Japan, recruiting personnel, expanding facilities and challenging rivals along the way. The French coastline provides a contrasting setting, while the club-management mechanics give players something to work towards beyond simply winning races. Earnings can be invested in new vehicles, performance upgrades and garage facilities, making financial decisions part of the progression loop. Unfortunately, the narrative itself rarely becomes particularly compelling. Characters and their conversations provide context for the next competition, but the dialogue lacks the personality and dramatic weight needed to make the rivalries memorable. The campaign is lengthy enough to provide a substantial amount of racing, yet its repetitive structure eventually makes the story feel more like an excuse to unlock the next event than a reason to keep playing.
There is more variety on offer behind the wheel than the straightforward career structure might suggest. Traditional circuit races and point-to-point events are accompanied by time trials, one-on-one duels and the new Highway Rush mode, which challenges players to navigate dense traffic while trying to get ahead of an opponent. The latter is arguably the most distinctive addition, as overtaking slower vehicles at high speed requires quick decisions about when to change lanes and how much risk to take. It provides a welcome change of pace, even if the novelty wears off as similar encounters begin to repeat themselves. The other events are enjoyable enough in short bursts, but the limited variation in objectives means that the sizeable campaign can become a grind. The rewards system at least encourages cleaner driving, awarding additional resources for skilful overtakes and avoiding collisions, although the difference between a successful race and a frustrating one is not always determined by the player’s ability alone.
The driving model occupies an awkward middle ground between arcade racing and simulation. Cars are reasonably approachable, and players do not need to master complicated vehicle physics before they can enjoy the races. There is some satisfaction in learning how different vehicles behave through corners, particularly as more powerful cars become available. However, the handling can feel inconsistent between events, making it difficult to develop complete confidence in the controls. The game also lacks the precision and responsiveness expected from the genre’s leading titles, while collisions sometimes feel strangely weightless. Opponents compound these problems: their behavior can be predictable in one race and frustratingly aggressive in another, with tightly packed groups making clean overtaking unnecessarily difficult. Some career events also create an uneven challenge through restrictive vehicle requirements or opponents with a noticeable performance advantage. With limited assistance and difficulty options, players who struggle with a particular race may find upgrading their car more useful than improving their driving technique.
Collecting cars is one of the game’s stronger attractions. More than 40 licensed vehicles from manufacturers including Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Porsche, BMW and Bugatti provide a worthwhile selection, ranging from accessible sports cars to considerably more expensive performance machines. The garage is also more than a place to admire newly acquired vehicles: players can change paintwork, modify bodywork and rims, and improve mechanical performance. Expanding the club unlocks further opportunities for customisation and upgrades, creating a satisfying connection between racing, earning rewards and developing the collection. These systems give the campaign a useful sense of progression, particularly for players who enjoy gradually building a garage of personalised vehicles. Nevertheless, the game does not always provide enough compelling reasons to experiment with different cars, and much of the customisation loses some of its appeal when the surrounding races become repetitive. The lack of a meaningful damage system also makes the driving feel less consequential than it could – though we realize that that’s a part of getting the real car licenses.
Visually, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 benefits from its contrasting locations and generally attractive car models, with Japanese roads and mountain routes offering a different atmosphere from the winding roads of the French Mediterranean coast. The vehicles receive noticeably more attention than much of the surrounding scenery, and the garage is a particularly good showcase for their exterior details and interiors. On PS5, the game also offers path-tracing options, but the additional reflections do not transform the overall presentation. Environments can look sparse, roadside details are inconsistent, and some reflections fail to convey the quality expected from a contemporary console racer. The technical presentation is therefore a mixed bag: there are attractive moments, but the overall visual quality does not consistently match the ambition of the setting or the hardware on which the game runs. The cars remain the visual highlight, while the tracks and traffic sometimes remind players of the series’ more modest origins.
The audio is similarly uneven. Engine sounds and tire squeals provide enough feedback to support the racing, but the sound design lacks the depth and character that could make individual vehicles feel more distinctive. The soundtrack offers a selection of musical styles to accompany events, yet it does little to elevate the atmosphere and can suffer from interruptions or irregular playback. Neither the music nor the effects are disastrous, but both feel functional rather than memorable. That is disappointing in a game where speed, engine character and the atmosphere of driving through different locations should be central to the experience. Better audio mixing and more convincing mechanical sounds would have helped give the races greater personality.
There is also a significant limitation for players who want to compete with friends beyond the living room. Local split-screen racing for two players is a welcome inclusion and fun to play, especially in a genre where shared-screen multiplayer has become less common, but the absence of conventional online racing multiplayer limits the game’s long-term appeal. The single-player campaign provides plenty of events to complete, and the car-collection loop can keep enthusiasts occupied for hours, but repetition becomes harder to overlook without a broader competitive offering. This is particularly noticeable given how naturally a game built around licensed cars, rivalries and performance upgrades could lend itself to online competition. Gear.Club Unlimited 3 offers enough content to justify its focus on solo play for some players, but its multiplayer limitations make it a less convincing choice for those seeking an ongoing racing community.
Ultimately, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is an accessible racer with a few worthwhile ideas that never quite reach their potential. The Japanese setting, the contrast with the French coastline, the extensive garage and the Highway Rush events give it an identity beyond a basic sequence of circuit races. Developing the club also adds a satisfying layer of progression, while the approachable driving model makes it easy to pick up and play. Unfortunately, repetitive events, inconsistent handling, uneven AI and an underwhelming presentation prevent the game from competing convincingly with the genre’s stronger offerings. Its initial Nintendo Switch 2 release followed by the arrival of the PS5 version is an interesting part of the series’ identity, but the move to more powerful hardware does not automatically resolve the underlying design shortcomings. Players looking for a relaxed, predominantly single-player racing game with plenty of cars to collect may still find something to enjoy, provided they are willing to accept its limitations. For everyone else, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 feels like a solid starting point that needed more refinement before taking the chequered flag.
Score: 6.7/10