Why are GT3 so popular?

why gt3.jpg
A quick look on Twitch or YouTube and you’ll see most content creators focusing on GT3 cars. Why do they do this? Well, this is what their viewers are demanding, but why are GT3 cars so popular?

We have ACC - where GT3 cars are centre stage, but ACC does have GT4 cars and these handle and drive fantastically well.

Then we have iRacing, which offers a whole host of cars to choose from. Yet GT3 cars seem to be the most popular.

The same can be said for RaceRoom, whilst there aren’t as many players online with RaceRoom compared to ACC and iRacing - in RaceRoom the most popular races involve GT3 cars.

We also have Assetto Corsa, where the choice of cars is practically endless - yet if you jump online there are many servers with GT3 cars.

Is it because GT3 cars are track going versions of cars we’d love to drive on the roads?

Is it because GT3 racing series feature all over the world?

In recent years GT3 cars have seemingly taken over the sim racing world, but this racing category has been over for over 15 years. Some may say they have propelled into the sim racing spotlight by ACC, which released late 2018. But, as most of you will know ACC did not fare well for a long time. Before ACC, I remember driving a lot of GT3 races in Assetto Corsa.

The reason why they are so popular could be because GT3 cars are relatively easy to drive, they have a decent amount of downforce vs power and they have ABS and TC. It could also be down to the choice that drivers have, which may sound strange as drivers are constraining their choice to just one category. There are many manufacturers who have built GT3 cars over the years, so players/drivers can align to their favorite brands. Players/drivers also have the choice of front, mid, or rear engined cars - which then offers different ways to drive these cars.

Why do you believe GT3 cars are so popular and what are your alternative cars to drive?
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About author
Damian Reed
Damian Reed
PC geek, gamer, content creator, and passionate sim racer.
I live life a 1/4 mile at a time, it takes me ages to get anywhere!

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Comments

MJQT
In addition to the cars being straightforward enough to drive that you can focus on pace and racecraft, I think one reason is that ACC is a well-polished sim with lots of features! The GTR2 of its day: comprehensively and immersively simulating a series. Instead of tasting menus of bits and bobs that don't fit together. It's making me consider buying the game and driving GT3 cars, and that's saying something, because I'm not remotely someone who finds GT3 cars appealing.
 
Fernando Zart
If GT3 is popular, my guess is because the cars are rookie-proof, good for average drivers, BoP, so a perfect "entry point". Add to that the beautiful cars and good sounds, and we have a winner. Or do we?
I don't mind them for this very reason. For me, GT3 cars are simply boring. Instead of trying to kill you at every corner, they just race planted.
Classics (60-70s... even 80s sometimes) are my cup of tea.
 
jongen
I've been wondering the same for a while. They aren't my favourite by a long shot, as I prefer 60's sports cars or formula cars, and I do find them overplayed, but I won't mind playing them once in a while despite the gaudy mishmash of unappealing liveries they sport.

There has to be an element of "rich gets richer" - people race GT3s because others race GT3s and can therefore find lobbies, which gets them acquainted with the cars, leading them to start lobbies with GT3s, and so on.

I sometimes host AMS2 lobbies, and it's very frequent to get races with 5 or 6 drivers using the BMW M1 Procar, vintage F1 cars or P1/P2/P3/P4 cars, and just changing to GT3 will instantly boost the number to 25. Sometimes switching back to other classes gives us a mass exodus, but a lot of people stay and say "Oh, the P3 class is great! I hadn't played it before!"

So, yeah, familiarity. Like CSGO players defaulting to Dust II, Starcraft players not even willing to give other factions an occasional go, or the Netflix watcher bingeing Narcos even though they know they would gain more fulfillment out of watching Schindler's List, we sim racers are sometimes set in our ways, I suppose :)
 
D
What you see in RL you will have in sims. F1 is hyped followed by GT3 machines. Copy life in a simulation fascinated us.
 
mantasisg
GT3 is popular because it is pop music of cars. It is middle ground of what everyone equally hates and loves. It is consensus of motorsport. And then as if it would not be enough to build cars along very similar formula, they still BOP them to make everyone happy/unhappy even more equally.

GT3 is popular because they are so IRL, it is most simple for manufacturers and organizers I guess. GTE cars, as far as I am concerned are GT3 too. GT4 cars are GT3 too, just with less time spent at the gym. It is just more simple for everybody, cheaper for manufacturers and so on... Simracers are just parroting reality trends.

Everyone thinks they are super easy to drive. That is a false perception. Usually when it is said it is about driving crazy fast, couple seconds behind top pace for a mortal. More realistic expectation would be to push this expectation two - three seconds back. That is probably where "easy" ends for majority of drivers.

People think that being rich and gentleman will buy tire dynamics and aerodynamics laws.
 
K
I think there's a variety of reasons why GT3 cars are popular in sim racing. For starters, many sim racers aren't necessarily racing fans. F1 cars won't really appeal to them, but race cars that resemble the streetcars they recognize will appeal to them. Perhaps they drove those cars in the games that started them on the path towards sim racing.

For sim racers that are fans of racing, the GT3 class is popular here for the same reason why it's popular everywhere. DTM just adopted GT3 regulations. In America, IMSA just dropped its GTLM class and replaced it with GTD which uses GT3 specifications. It makes sense that as a form of racing becomes popular in real life, it becomes popular virtually as well.
 
SixxeGunnar
For me they are some of the cars I've actually driven. I will probably never drive the 919 Prototype Hybrid or the Merc W12, But I can modify a Benz BMW & or Audi join club and race it on weekends. So, the closeness is very important. Alternately I'm liking the TCR class cars these days as well!
 
RichardHessels
Because rich people want to race their favourite supercars.
But they should not be to difficult to drive, but a bit harder to really master.
Next to that, you can buy them turn-key ready to race (ok ignition-ready)
 
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mantasisg
RichardHessels said:
But they should not be to difficult to drive, but a bit harder to really master.
Click to expand...
Sounds like oxymoron TBH. Putting on super grippy and peaky tires, plus peaking the grip even more by some fancy aero, surely won't make stuff less difficult. Of course, the car will easily be 15seconds faster without trying to go fast. But racing is always about trying hard.

People think that rich gentlemen will get to drive cars that has benefit of road car and a race car in one car. It can't happen.

Just race actual road cars....
 
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XhendrickX
Far from popular as mentioned already compared to F1 games. I do not get the hype around GT3 but I guess they easy to drive and fun.
 
C
GT3 are fun to drive, easy to push to limit and most games have a large grid of them. The cars generally looks great, with exception to the new M4. The cars GT3 based on are also mostly based on desirable cars from manufacturers. They also works really well in multi class setting with faster LMP or slower GT4.

Always live driving them in every game.
 
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K
jongen said:
I've been wondering the same for a while. They aren't my favourite by a long shot, as I prefer 60's sports cars or formula cars, and I do find them overplayed, but I won't mind playing them once in a while despite the gaudy mishmash of unappealing liveries they sport.

There has to be an element of "rich gets richer" - people race GT3s because others race GT3s and can therefore find lobbies, which gets them acquainted with the cars, leading them to start lobbies with GT3s, and so on.

I sometimes host AMS2 lobbies, and it's very frequent to get races with 5 or 6 drivers using the BMW M1 Procar, vintage F1 cars or P1/P2/P3/P4 cars, and just changing to GT3 will instantly boost the number to 25. Sometimes switching back to other classes gives us a mass exodus, but a lot of people stay and say "Oh, the P3 class is great! I hadn't played it before!"
Click to expand...
Funny you mention this. I never play the GT3 cars in AMS2 because there are other categories in the game that aren't included in other sims: the Brazilian stock cars, the endurance prototypes or the classic formula 1 cars. The GTE cars are also a lot more enjoyable. If I want to race GT3s, I launch ACC.
 
Antony Snook
It's a spec series in a way with each manufacturer having the same basic package. Maybe some older models. But it's down to earth. I watch F1 and each team has its own unique airo concept. this makes a big difference from a top to mid and small team. Dont get me wrong i love F1 but many prefer the tighter playing field of GT3. GT3 also has a lot of passing that F1 has been trying to fix for decades now. People relate to the cars as they are modified versions of road models. So a fan may have a car similar that they drive on the road. But there are small elements that are strictly for racing on a race car.
 
toncey
Love for sports cars was the reason I got into sim-racing, so GT3/GTE was naturally what I drove when I first got competitive. Then I discovered open-wheel racing/F1 and its so much better. The tin-top community seems to embrace dirty driving (ie. punting, dive-bombing, brake-checking) whenever they feel the other guy "deserves" it whereas that kind of reckless driving in open-wheel will put the aggressor out of the race in open-wheel. This makes the battles much more exciting.
 
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Alexandre
IMO, short answer, because it is sports car racing. There is a lot of YouTube channel doing challenges with these road cars.
 
Tecno_165
Why are cars with semi-automatic transmissions so popular? Why are assists used in racing at all? Why are people so interested in circuits with only slow sharp corners and no gradual curves or high speed curves? Look at how they butchered the Österreichring, Hockenheimring, Zandvoort, Fuji Speedway, Silverstone, and more. I personally can't understand it.
 

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