There is something special about a great driving game that makes you want to take the long way home. It might be the sound of an engine opening up on an empty road, the thrill of threading a car through a series of perfect corners, or simply the pleasure of watching a beautiful landscape unfold beyond the windscreen. The Crew Motorfest understands that appeal and builds an entire festival around it, inviting players to celebrate everything from Japanese street racing to American muscle cars against Hawaii’s spectacular backdrop. It is a game that wants you to fall in love with driving all over again, and while it occasionally gets in its own way, it delivers an experience that is difficult to resist.
Ubisoft has taken a different approach to the open-world formula established by earlier entries in The Crew. Rather than focusing on an enormous stretch of the United States, Motorfest concentrates on Oʻahu, one of Hawaii’s most recognisable islands. The result is a more compact playground packed with contrasting environments, from Honolulu’s busy streets to winding mountain roads, volcanic slopes, lush forests and sun-drenched beaches. It may sacrifice some of the geographical scale associated with its predecessors, but the trade-off is a world that feels purpose-built for racing.
The festival itself provides the game’s central identity. This is not simply a matter of arriving at a race, finishing first and moving on to the next event. Motorfest celebrates different aspects of automotive culture through themed campaigns, curated challenges and a vast collection of vehicles that encourage experimentation. Whether your passion lies with vintage machinery, modern supercars, Japanese tuning culture or off-road adventures, there is a good chance that something here will speak to you.
Hawaii Is the Star of the Show
Oʻahu is arguably the game’s greatest achievement. Its environments offer a welcome change of pace from the familiar countryside, city streets and highways that dominate many open-world racers. One moment you might be carving through Honolulu’s urban roads, surrounded by buildings and traffic, and the next you could be climbing towards a volcano or navigating a twisting route through dense tropical vegetation. The variety keeps the scenery interesting and ensures that the journey between events can be just as enjoyable as the races themselves.
There is a particular pleasure in simply driving without a specific destination in mind. The island invites exploration, offering coastal roads designed for cruising and mountain routes that reward anyone who enjoys a challenging sequence of bends. Its beaches, greenery and dramatic terrain create a colourful backdrop that gives the festival a distinct holiday atmosphere. For a game centred on speed and machinery, that sense of place matters enormously, because the surroundings help turn every drive into an experience rather than a journey between menu screens.
Visually, Motorfest makes a strong impression. The tropical lighting, detailed landscapes and gleaming vehicle bodies create the kind of spectacle that encourages you to slow down occasionally and appreciate the view. Of course, racing games are rarely at their best when you spend too long admiring the scenery, but it is a testament to the world design that the temptation exists. Even after the novelty of the island has worn off, the contrasting environments help prevent the open world from becoming visually monotonous.
The more compact map also makes practical sense. A gigantic world can look impressive on a feature list, yet size alone does not guarantee memorable driving. By bringing different types of terrain closer together, Motorfest makes it easier to move between activities without spending excessive time crossing empty stretches of road. The island feels like a playground rather than a geographical endurance test, and that is a sensible decision for a game whose main attraction is the sheer variety of things to drive.
Playlists That Celebrate Car Culture
The Playlist system is the backbone of the experience, organising events into themed campaigns centred on different corners of automotive culture. Rather than presenting a disconnected collection of races, the game encourages you to explore a particular style of driving and the machines associated with it. Japanese street racing, American muscle and classic motoring each receive their own flavour, giving players a reason to try events they might otherwise overlook. This structure adds personality to progression and helps make the festival feel like a celebration of cars rather than a conventional racing championship.
The most effective Playlists do more than change the vehicle selection. They introduce specific rules, visual treatments and driving conditions that alter how you approach the road. Some events restrict tuning options to suit their theme, while others introduce distinctive presentation styles or challenge you to race using visual cues rather than a minimap. Motorsport-focused events can also introduce considerations such as tyre wear, encouraging a more measured approach than simply keeping the accelerator to the floor.
These changes are important because variety is essential to a game that contains so many races. If every event followed the same pattern, the huge selection of cars would eventually become little more than a collection of different ways to complete identical tasks. Playlists help avoid that problem by giving individual campaigns their own character. They also encourage players to step outside their comfort zone, which is particularly valuable for anyone who normally sticks to a favourite class of vehicle.
There is a slight downside to this structured approach. Locking certain tuning options or imposing specific vehicle requirements can occasionally feel restrictive, especially when you have spent time building a car to suit your personal driving style. Yet these limitations can also be part of the fun, forcing you to adapt rather than relying on a single overpowered setup. The best events make their restrictions feel purposeful, creating challenges that are memorable precisely because they ask something different of you.
Behind the Wheel
Driving is where The Crew Motorfest needs to deliver, and it generally succeeds in making racing enjoyable. The handling strikes a balance between accessibility and enough physical feedback to make different vehicles feel worth experimenting with. Fast cars reward smooth cornering and careful acceleration, while off-road events demand a different relationship with the terrain. The game is approachable enough for casual players to enjoy, but its varied events give more experienced drivers reasons to refine their technique.
The sensation of speed is particularly important in an open-world racer, and Motorfest makes good use of its roads to create moments of genuine excitement. Wide coastal routes allow powerful cars to stretch their legs, while tighter mountain sections demand greater precision. A sweeping bend taken perfectly can feel every bit as satisfying as crossing the finish line in first place. These little moments are the reason racing games remain so compelling, and Motorfest understands that the pleasure is not always found in winning.
The ability to switch between vehicle types adds another dimension. Cars are naturally the main attraction, but boats and aircraft expand the ways you can travel around the island and approach certain challenges. Seamless switching gives the world a playful quality, allowing you to transform your mode of transport without interrupting the flow of exploration. It is an entertaining reminder that The Crew has always aimed to offer something broader than a traditional road-racing simulator.
That breadth comes with a trade-off, however. A game covering cars, motorcycles, boats and aircraft has to accommodate very different forms of movement, and not every activity will appeal equally to every player. Those who arrive primarily for competitive car racing may find the additional vehicle types more of a diversion than a necessity. Still, their presence adds variety and gives the festival a sense of scale beyond the limits of the road.
More Than 700 Vehicles to Collect
The vehicle roster is one of Motorfest’s biggest attractions, with more than 700 vehicles across cars, motorcycles, boats, planes and other forms of transport. For enthusiasts, that breadth invites the kind of automotive daydreaming that makes collecting almost as rewarding as racing. There is something satisfying about working towards a legendary machine, adding it to your collection and taking it out on a road that suits its character. The festival makes that desire central to progression.
Different vehicles also provide a reason to revisit events. A route that feels comfortable in one car may become a completely different challenge in another, particularly when power, grip and handling change dramatically. The ability to experiment encourages players to discover favourites they might not otherwise consider. For anyone who enjoys automotive culture as much as competition, finding the right machine for the right road can become a pleasure in its own right.
Collection Import is another welcome feature for returning players who own The Crew 2. Being able to bring eligible vehicles into Motorfest helps preserve continuity across the series, rather than forcing long-time fans to abandon everything they previously earned. It acknowledges that a virtual garage can represent dozens of hours of effort and attachment. Not every player will use the feature, but for those who have invested heavily in the previous game, it is a meaningful addition.
The concern is that collecting can become tangled up with the game’s wider live service structure. An enormous roster is exciting, but players also need a fair and enjoyable way to earn the vehicles they want. When progression feels rewarding, the pursuit of a dream car can provide a satisfying long-term goal. When the systems around it feel overly demanding or encourage additional spending, the excitement risks being replaced by frustration.
The Live Service Speed Bump
For all its strengths, The Crew Motorfest is not free from the problems that can accompany a modern live service game. Its requirement for a Ubisoft account and an internet connection means that access depends on more than simply owning the game and having a working console or PC. That may be acceptable to players who enjoy online features and regular updates, but it remains a significant limitation for anyone who prefers a self-contained single-player experience.
The dependence on online infrastructure also raises questions about long-term accessibility. Racing games can become personal favourites that players return to years after release, whether to revisit a favourite event or simply enjoy driving around the world. An always-online requirement makes that relationship more complicated, because the ability to play is tied to services beyond the player’s direct control. It is difficult to ignore that concern when considering the lasting value of a game built around collecting and progression.
Monetisation is another potential frustration. Live service systems can help keep a game fresh through regular additions and new rewards, but they can also blur the line between earning content through play and being encouraged to spend more money. A large vehicle roster is less impressive if the journey towards desirable cars feels unnecessarily restrictive. Players should feel excited about the next addition to their garage, not wonder whether the experience is being structured to push them towards a purchase.
These issues do not erase the quality of the driving or the appeal of Hawaii, but they do prevent the experience from feeling entirely carefree. A festival built around freedom and enjoyment should make players feel welcome, and intrusive restrictions can undermine that spirit. The core game remains strong, yet its online dependency and live service approach are reminders that a great racing experience can still be held back by decisions surrounding it.
A Festival Worth Visiting
What makes The Crew Motorfest work is its understanding that car culture is about more than speed. It is about the vehicles people dream of owning, the roads they want to explore, the sounds engines make, and the communities that form around particular styles of driving. The Playlist system gives those interests room to breathe, while the Hawaiian setting provides an inviting backdrop for the whole celebration. There is enough variety here to keep players moving between different kinds of events, and enough freedom to make simply exploring the island feel worthwhile.
It also benefits from knowing what it wants to be. This is not a hardcore simulation attempting to reproduce every aspect of professional motorsport, nor is it a stripped-back arcade racer focused exclusively on short bursts of action. It occupies a comfortable middle ground, offering accessible handling and spectacular scenery while providing enough variation to reward those who want to master its events. That balance is a large part of its appeal.
Final Verdict
The Crew Motorfest is an excellent open-world racer with a strong sense of identity. Hawaii is a spectacular setting, the Playlist campaigns bring welcome variety to the event structure, and the enormous vehicle collection gives enthusiasts plenty of reasons to keep building their garages. Its driving is accessible without being shallow, while the combination of road racing, off-road challenges and alternative vehicle types creates a festival that feels genuinely varied.
The always-online requirement and monetisation structure remain significant drawbacks, particularly for players who want a racing game they can enjoy independently of ongoing services. Some Playlist restrictions may also frustrate those who prefer complete freedom over how they configure their vehicles. Nevertheless, these shortcomings do not outweigh the strength of the driving, the quality of the world design, or the sheer pleasure of discovering another beautiful road across Oʻahu.
For anyone who loves open-world racing, The Crew Motorfest is well worth visiting. It may not be perfect, but it captures the excitement of automotive culture with colour, confidence, and an impressive amount of content. Sometimes, all you really want is a beautiful island, a great car, and a road that keeps going just a little further.
