MegaRace 3

I went in expecting something that would scratch the same itch as old-school arcade combat racers, and MegaRace 3 delivers that in the most archaic, unpolished way imaginable. Originally a 2002 Cryo Interactive title re-released on Steam in 2018, this is a vehicular combat game wrapped in a game-show conceit, with the sarcastic host Lance Boyle (played again by Christian Erickson) serving up caustic commentary between races. If that setup sounds charming to you, you are absolutely the target audience here. If it sounds tiresome, exit now. The core loop is shoot-and-race in a futuristic setting. You pilot one of roughly a dozen modular vessels across tracks that shift their environments as you go, and the combat is baked into the racing rather than bolted on top. The modular ship system is the most interesting mechanical wrinkle: swap out engine components, battle armour, and weapons between races based on your performance, so there is a thin layer of customisation that keeps runs from feeling completely identical. There are two broad ways to play, a mission-based mode where you take on objectives to save the planet, and a straight Arcade Racing Mode if you just want to blast through tracks without story padding. The mission structure at least gives the solo run some shape, even if the writing is very much Y2K vintage. Here is where I have to be honest with my fellow racing fans: this is not a wheel-and-pedal game. Do not dig your Thrustmaster out of the closet for this one. A gamepad works fine, keyboard is manageable, and the handling is loose and arcade-y rather than sim-adjacent. Accessibility-wise, that is both a selling point and a limitation. The low barrier to entry means anyone can jump in, but there is no meaningful depth for players chasing mastery. On Steam, the user score sits at roughly 43 percent positive from around 30 reviews, which is a pretty damning number and honestly matches what you experience in the first hour: a game that is endearing for twenty minutes before the roughness of its age starts to show through the seams. Multiplayer exists in theory, originally via LAN or internet, but in 2026 finding an active online lobby is essentially a lottery you will lose. There is no split-screen, which kills it as a couch party option entirely. Solo nostalgia trip is really all this is. If you grew up with the MegaRace series and want to close the loop on the trilogy, or if you are a retro-curious player who finds early 2000s futuristic aesthetics genuinely appealing, there is something here, just do not expect it to compete with anything made in the last fifteen years. For everyone else, the mixed reception is an honest signal: the price point has to be near-zero to justify the time investment.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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