Review: Crash Drive 3 – PS5, PS4

M2H’s Crash Drive series is back with a third instalment, which is actually the first one to release on PS4 and PS5. Is it any good? Or does this crash and burn? Find out in our Crash Drive 3 review.

It took me a little while to warm up to Crash Drive 3, and I’ll be brutally honest, I didn’t really like the game to begin with. My first impressions were “yuck, this is a mobile game” and while that’s true, I soon discovered that it was irrelevant.

Game Information
Release Date: July 8th, 2021
Developer: M2H
Publisher: M2H
Availability: PSN (Digital)

Crash Drive 3 is indeed a mobile game and you can play it for free on your Android or iOS devices. It’s also a paid game on console and PC, costing around £15/$16, which seems a bit steep compared to the zero cost on mobile, but it is what it is. And after having played the mobile version, I reckon you’re getting a fair deal on console and PC.

So, what’s it all about? It’s not about racing, so forget about that. It’s a multiplayer game where you’re constantly being put up against other players whether you like it or not. You can play offline, but that’s the slowest way to earn cash. Money is used to unlock new vehicles and levels to play in, and the quickest way to earn money in Crash Drive 3 is to play the game properly, which means taking part in the events.

There are a load of game modes in Crash Drive 3, and the way it plays out is a little similar to playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 online. You get put in with a bunch of players and a constantly rolling playlist of game events. One round will have you chasing down an oversized beach ball, another will have you racing across the map to be the first to tag the blue ring. Some of my preferred game modes were Cops & Robbers and King of the Crown. I got a genuine thrill when I was the crown holder and I knew that everybody was gunning for me. Likewise, when I was the last of the robbers and everybody else had been converted to cops, I loved the thrill of the chase. I even managed a few victories.

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What I didn’t like so much was not being able to switch off from the online nature. Even in offline mode, the game cycles through its game modes, declaring you the loser if you don’t take part in the competition against yourself.

The game sets challenges every few hours, and these are outside of the normal game modes. So, for example, performing a certain stunt with a particular vehicle, or getting X amount of stunt points. Doing these tasks gets you a nice little cash bonus. But the game doesn’t care if you want to focus on these for a while, or if you just want to explore the maps a bit – it’s constantly prodding you to take part in an event. I found myself wishing I could disable this. I even checked the menus and settings to see if it was there somewhere, but it wasn’t.

Another low point is in how the cars feel. They’re good fun to throw around and there’s definitely a taste of Tony Hawk and Rocket League, but you don’t feel that in the hand. There’s no rumble to speak of and there’s no feeling of heft or weight behind any of the vehicles. It doesn’t help that the in-game camera can be a nuisance, too, often throwing itself around in ways that hinder the playing experience.

Outside of those few annoyances, Crash Drive 3 is surprisingly fun. I warmed to it eventually and got stuck in the loop of wanting to open the next map, so I got involved in as many events as possible to bag as much cash as quickly as I could. It didn’t take long at all to get all of the maps unlocked, and once I did, I didn’t really have much motivation to keep on playing. I still had fun and the developers are the real winners here because while I won’t play it anymore on my PS5, I’ll probably dip in and out of it on my phone.

Review Disclaimer: This review was carried out using a copy of the game provided by the publisher. For more information, please read our Review Policy.

Primary version tested: PS4. Reviewed using PS5.