Nearly 10 years ago, the original Gear.Club Unlimited launched on the Nintendo Switch to give that platform a console-exclusive sim racer. The response was mixed, but it did well enough to spawn a franchise on the Switch for the foreseeable future. Fast forward to 2026, and Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is here to continue the run of Switch-exclusive sim racers.
Unlike 2017, when the original didn’t have too much competition, this installment does. And, unfortunately, it doesn’t do a lot to keep you from trying out those other games.
Gear.Club Unlimited 3 Review
This time around, players have two regions to race through in Japan and France. Loading into the game, you have options for the story mode or free play with a variety of events to race how you want. Before getting into the story mode and gameplay, let’s talk about the options.
Luckily, it’s pretty quick because there aren’t many here.
Accessibility options only include the ability to change the game’s language and unit system. Gameplay settings are just as restrictive, as you only have the option to change the brake assist and anti-skid levels, as well as whether your gearbox is manual or automatic.
If you’re looking for a customizable racing experience, you’re better off looking elsewhere. But if that’s not enough to turn you away, then let’s dive into what really matters with racing games—the modes, cars, and racing.
Gear.Club Unlimited 3 comes with the main story mode and free play. There’s no online multiplayer, limiting everything to your console. The free play offers two-player local multiplayer, but if you don’t have others to play with at home, you’re out of luck.
Regarding the cars, you have some nice options to work towards and purchase. The models and designs also look quite nice, especially when on the road. It’s just a shame there aren’t more of them. In 2026, it’s weird to have a brand new game launch with fewer than 40 cars. What makes it more frustrating is the grind to be able to purchase some of the higher-tier vehicles.
The story mode is where you’ll spend most of your time in the game. After getting through the first set of races, you’ll have your garage similar to Gear.Club Unlimited 2. You buy various stations to upgrade your owned vehicles. You can also use your funds to buy decor for the garage, but unless you’ve already upgraded your cars to the max, spending the hard-earned money to buy decorations feels like a waste.
Outside of story mode, the free play is just the events and a “free roam” that is anything but. You just get to race on the same tracks you’ve already been on.
A Real Drag
The racing where Gear.Club Unlimited 3 disappoints the most. When you first get on the circuit, everything seems fine. For the most part, the cars all control well, and the tracks have promise. But the more you play, the more you find the flaws.
Tracks don’t do much to feel special or unique; there’s a frustrating flickering issue, depending on what’s happening on the screen; there’s no vehicle damage, nor is there real punishment for just bouncing off other cars or barricades and going on your way. You can just go as fast as you want, crash, and continue. Sure, you might get fewer rewards when it’s all done, but it’s not enough to be a deterrent.
The AI you face struggles to provide any sort of challenge, making every race in the story mode far too easy. It would be ok if there were ways to alter the difficulty with sliders, but those don’t exist. So, you just find yourself cruising past opponents without much resistance. If, on the off chance you do find yourself in a fight for first, it’s likely because of rubber banding that will see the car around you increase its speed unnaturally, as if by magic.
And speaking of AI, there are some races where you are dealing with general traffic. While it should add an extra challenge, it instead causes you to come to complete stops at times when every lane has cars going at a snail’s pace and jumping around. I even had moments where they would just disappear from the road, only to reappear moments later right in front of me. All of these problems just add up to an experience that just isn’t fun.
There are different types of events you’ll take part in, such as traditional races, beat the clock, and duels. The duels races are interesting because it has you go one-on-one with the goal of staying in front of your opponent long enough to bring their health to zero.
Another problem is that the order of the story events doesn’t really have a rhyme or reason. They just feel “there”, if that makes sense. And, sometimes, you’ll have the same type of event back-to-back-to-back, creating a boring redundancy.
Oh, and long load times and random hangups where the racing stops while the sound continues, forcing you to completely restart the game, go a long way towards keeping you from wanting to load it back up again.
Gear.Club Unlimited 3 Review Verdict
Somewhere under the issues, there’s a good racing experience in Gear.Club Unlimited 3. The problem is, however, getting to that experience requires you to sift through all the AI frustrations, limited content, and lackluster customization options.
With other racing games on the Switch 2, both available now and likely coming in the future, it’s tough to recommend Gear.Club Unlimited 3 at all. Especially at a premium $50 price point. And that’s a shame, because there really is potential for this series to be great.
Gear.Club Unlimited 3
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Gear.Club Unlimited 3
Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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