rFactor 2
- November 12, 2015
- Studio 397
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"rFactor 2 is a highly customizable racing simulation with a focus on realism, featuring mixed class road racing, advanced vehicle and race customization, and realistic dynamics. It offers support for both single-player and multiplayer modes, with dynamic day-night cycles and weather conditions. The game also allows for real-road technology, endurance events, and driver swaps in multiplayer mode. A variety of add-ons and customizations are available through the community."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Incredible physics and force feedback, providing a realistic driving experience.
- Extensive modding community with a variety of free and paid content available.
- Recent updates have improved the user interface and loading times significantly.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate.
- High cost of DLC content, which is often necessary to access a wider range of cars and tracks.
- Frequent bugs and crashes, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.
- graphics952 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics in rFactor 2 are widely regarded as outdated, with many users noting that they fall short compared to contemporary racing simulations like Assetto Corsa and Project Cars. While some tracks and DLC content showcase improved visuals, the overall graphical fidelity is inconsistent, often described as clunky or reminiscent of older titles. Despite these shortcomings, many players emphasize that the game's exceptional physics and driving experience can overshadow the graphical limitations, making it a worthwhile choice for serious sim racers.
“The graphics, physics, and sounds are so much better than the rest.”
“The realistic physics, gorgeous graphics, and vast amount of content make it a must-play for any racing fan.”
“Great game with awesome graphics.”
“Rfactor 2 probably has the worst graphics out of all the sims I have tried.”
“The graphics, whilst not key for a sim, are really quite poor (the sun visors on cars have more non-aliased steps in them than you'd ever want to see).”
“The graphics are the most inconsistent part of this game, and I suspect that is one of the main things that puts a number of people off.”
- optimization172 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering and poor graphics, particularly in VR and multi-monitor setups. While some players have managed to achieve smooth performance after extensive tweaking, others find the initial setup frustrating and time-consuming. Overall, the game is seen as demanding on hardware, with a need for better optimization to enhance the user experience.
“I find rf2 to be one of the best sims for VR gaming, realism, force feedback detail, and rendering performance.”
“It's not the prettiest at all but it's highly optimized, runs beautifully smoothly and again, the feel - especially the force feedback is incredible.”
“Superb performance, I run rfactor 2 in surround mode (triple screens 5760x1080) with everything maxed out, the game looks amazing and framerates are consistently 100+ depending on track, always above 75fps though.”
“Graphics are straight out of 2006 but performance is pretty poor on VR and on tri-monitor.”
“Game is poorly optimized and tracks load very slowly.”
“Optimization is a joke -- it looks terrible and runs worse.”
- stability136 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players experience frequent screen freezes, connection issues, and a complicated user interface that requires extensive troubleshooting. Overall, the game is described as an unfinished product that demands more maintenance than enjoyment, leading to widespread disappointment among the community.
“Runs great, Steam Workshop support is a big plus, technically never had issues, running with really high FPS on Linux.”
“Runs great in VR also!”
“Runs great.”
“The game is an incomplete, buggy train wreck.”
“So much potential, so much amazing content... yet you'll spend most of your time trying to understand why it freezes, or won't run well, why things fail for no good reason... you'll spend a ridiculously disproportionate amount of time tweaking files, reinstalling, Google searching problems, troubleshooting, etc. It's not worth it.”
“The 24-hour race suffered from multiple mass disconnects, client screen freezes, and accidents with invisible objects on a clearly untested circuit.”
- gameplay86 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay in rFactor 2 is praised for its realistic physics, detailed car mechanics, and immersive simulation experience, making it a favorite among racing enthusiasts. However, players have noted significant issues with the user interface, lack of base content, and some frustrating game mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While the game excels in providing a deep and satisfying simulation, it requires a powerful PC and can be challenging for newcomers to navigate effectively.
“Great simulator gameplay... can really feel the raw power of the car when using a full simulator.”
“Brilliant gameplay, lots of tracks and cars, and seems so realistic!”
“Rfactor 2 is a brilliant racing sim that has huge mod support and heavily relies on its community to provide content for everyone, still though studio 397 continue to make the game ever better with themselves providing content in the ways of DLC or workshop content, the gameplay is satisfying.”
“The gameplay is just appalling.”
“No part of this game ever has me coming back to it purely for the gameplay, and instead I only ever play it when I accidentally see it on my desktop and feel guilty for buying it and not playing.”
“In gameplay, your car will go slow despite the HUD and telemetry showing something like 200 kph, but because of the CPU slowdown, your car moves far slower than what is shown on telemetry.”
- story30 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The reviews consistently highlight that the game lacks a traditional story or career mode, which some players find disappointing compared to other racing titles like Assetto Corsa Competizione. While the focus is on authentic driving simulation rather than narrative, players acknowledge that the intense and realistic driving experience can still be rewarding despite the absence of a storyline. Overall, the game's emphasis on simulation over storytelling is a significant point of contention among users.
“It may lack the story and drama of some racing games, but you'll find it far more enjoyable and rewarding to drive after you put in the practice time.”
“I came in contact with rFactor 2 coming from ACC - which is an amazing GTR game, but after installing the two rFactor 2 GT bundles and going out on Sebring, I was petrified by how authentic the cars react, the stability you expect from a GT car, the sensation of weight transfer, the reaction of the tires on the braking spaces and on corners, incredible FFB... long story short, rFactor 2 is an intense experience for a guy like me - past of his early youth and who was a professional rally driver for more than a decade and who now has the pleasure to experience sim racing at a level as authentic as possible regarding the car's handling.”
“Yes, there is no career mode, or story behind it.”
“But it is dated, lacks a story/career/guide the way Assetto Corsa Competizione delivers it.”
“I should say it is not a game; first, it takes a long time to set up and properly calibrate to each system. Second, there is no story; it is not a car driving role-playing game, it's a simulator, which brings me to point three: it is hard.”
“Yes, there is no career mode or story behind it.”
- monetization18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The monetization model of rFactor 2 is criticized for being aggressive and unfriendly to new players, relying heavily on expensive DLC packs and in-game purchases for essential content like cars and tracks. While some players appreciate the potential for improvement in bundling and regional pricing, many feel that the current system is exploitative and not worth the investment, leading to a negative overall experience.
“Rf2's monetization model is currently based on single-time purchases of DLC packs and the sale of the game itself.”
“Now, I still think they should get better bundles with discounts on items you already own, regional pricing, and a more consumer-friendly monetization system overall, but it is cool to see that they can change this stuff.”
“So rFactor 2 is an interesting case; online racing, while improved, isn't that good and the monetization is the worst I have ever seen. You need to buy all cars to race with a race that has multiple DLC cars, and it's a lot of money, but driving feels nice.”
“Very realistic sim with a very aggressive monetization model and unfriendly UX for new players.”
“If you're not yet aware, in-game purchases for maps and cars are ridiculously expensive.”
“You will never get your money back (the ugly monetization of tracks like Nürburgring or Le Mans through the workshop will ensure that) and neither will you get your time back.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be extremely tedious, often requiring significant time and effort to set up controls, particularly with certain hardware like direct drive wheels. While the feedback from the game can be excellent once properly configured, many users feel that the grinding process is overwhelming and time-consuming.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Extremely tedious to set up (especially with a DD wheel), but when it's done right... my lord, is the FFB excellent.”
“Setting up the controls is very tedious.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, with some players finding it amusing while others feel it falls flat, likening it to a bad joke. Despite this, there are notable mods that inject humor, such as a Santa driving a delivery van, which adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience. Overall, the humor seems to be a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the comedic elements while others are left unimpressed.
“This game has amazing mods, like an F1 mod to funny ones that involve Santa driving a delivery van.”
“You may think it is funny that I'm saying the DLC is pricey when I play iRacing, where every track or car is around $15.”
“Funny really.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, particularly the main menu track, which is described as awesome and inspiring. Players appreciate how the music enhances the overall experience, complementing the game's visuals and user-friendly interface.
“The music is awesome and inspiring; you see in-game engine animation of cars and tracks, the menu is simple and easy to use, and the stills for each section really show how beautiful - yet simple - the graphics are.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional response from users indicates a strong dissatisfaction with the game, leading some to seek refunds and express a reluctance to engage with it further.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a realistic sunlight effect that enhances immersion without being overly stylized, appealing to players who appreciate a more grounded aesthetic.
“The realistic sunlight atmosphere creates an immersive experience that feels genuine and relatable.”
“The realistic sunlight atmosphere is refreshing; it's not overly stylized, and I appreciate that.”
