Released in 2018, The Crew 2 is an open-world racing game with a massive map covering the entire United States of America to explore. Developed by Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft, the sequel introduced boats and planes to the eclectic vehicle roster. You can switch between each vehicle type on the fly, allowing you to travel by land, sea, or air.
Because it's available on more platforms, The Crew 2 is a popular alternative to Forza Horizon. In 2021, Ubisoft’s open-world racer was the most downloaded racing game on PlayStation. Frequent updates have kept loyal players coming back, but when is The Crew 3 coming out?
The Crew 3 rumoured to be in development
While Ubisoft hasn't officially announced The Crew 3, the sequel is reportedly in development.
In September 2021, fans discovered screenshots of a new project called Orlando set in Hawaii while datamining an update. The screenshots have since been removed online.
One of the datamined files refered to “a breathless crew vs crew race, up to 100 players, with vehicles switch along 3 different sections.”
click to enlarge
+ 3Project Orlando was originally planned as DLC for The Crew 2. However, a report by renowned leaker Tom Henderson via xFire claims that Project Orlando is a "completely new game" with a "new driving engine."
According to the report, Ubisoft's new racer has been in development for some time and could be revealed later this year.
Currently dubbed as "The Crew: Orlando," it's unclear if the next game in the series will be called The Crew 3 or be a reboot for the franchise. According to Henderson, the team "weren't happy with The Crew 2" and are "overhauling everything.
When is The Crew 3 coming out?
Unfortunately, it could be a long wait for The Crew 3 to come out. Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed if The Crew 3 is in development.
In March 2022, Ubisoft announced plans to release more free content for The Crew 2 over the next year. Year 5 content will start in July with three new seasons adding extra vehicles, challenges, and rewards.
click to enlarge + 3As a result, it’s unlikely that The Crew 3 will come out this year if it’s in development as Ubisoft will want to promote new content in The Crew 2.
The Crew games are usually announced at Ubisoft's E3 conference. The first game was revealed at E3 2013 in June and released over a year later in December 2014. A few years later, The Crew 2 was announced in June 2017 at E3. It was then released a year later in June 2018.
According to Henderson, The Crew 3 could be announced later this year. The Crew 2’s Year 5 content ends next July, so this could pave the way for The Crew 3 to arrive in July 2023.
A 2023 release for The Crew 3 would also avoid competition from other high-profile open-world games releasing this year such as Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown and Criterion’s new Need for Speed game, which will presumably have an open world. However, Ubisoft hasn’t officially announced if The Crew 3 is in development or a release date.
We expect The Crew 3 will launch on the current-generation PS5 and Xbox Series X platforms, as well as PC. By 2023, developers should start phasing out releases on last-generation platforms. This means it's unlikely to release on PS4 and Xbox One, allowing the developers to create a richer open world on current-gen platforms.
The Crew 2 next-gen update
While Ubisoft hasn't announced The Crew 3 yet, there is good news for The Crew 2 players. An update in July will add next-gen support for The Crew 2 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
As a result, the open-world racer will run at 60fps on PS5 and Xbox Series X, delivering a smoother experience. The visuals will also get an overhaul with updated skies and lighting effects.
click to enlarge + 3In addition, developer Ivory Tower is improving the car handling in The Crew 2 across all classes. This is in response to fan feedback that the car handling is inconsistent since the Inner Drive update.
Coinciding with Season 5 Episode 1 American Legends, update 1.22 released in March 2022 improved the handling for the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), Chevrolet Camaro SS, and Ford Focus RS Rallycross cars. More handling improvements for other car classes are coming over the coming weeks and months.