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?
About author
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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Actually the most popular class of car by a country mile are the F1 cars.

F1 2021 has more concurrent players than ACC, AC, R3E, RF2 and PC2 put together - according to steamdb.

I'm now just waiting for the "But that's not a sim" wailing.
Not relevant to this thread, nbody's interested in this fact
 
In a spectator's perspeactive - it gives the kids what they wanted, their fave supercars racing each other
It also offer variety - given the choice of spec single seaters (including Indycar), can't blame anybody - who wants to watch the same cars on track together
 
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.

Man, it's a bit discouraging. I agree with you: when I see that the top 3 lobbies are GT3 at Spa or at the Nurb, I'm thinking the same thing. I'm a AMS2 fanboy, but I have no problem recognizing that ACC is the way to go if you want to race GT3s.

But ultimately, I sometimes cave in because, well, I'd rather have 25 people in my lobby racing GT3s than 5 people racing Lotus 23s or Porsche RSR 1973s.
 
I enjoy a good GT3 race online every once in a while. I've always been a Porsche guy, and the GT3 Porsche can be a bit of fun. But, in a world where you can drive 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and 2000's F1, and Indycars, not to mention Group C, GT1, 90's DTM, 90's BTCC, 70's sports cars, Porshe 917's, DRM, 60's touring cars, AC Cobra's, Ferrari 250 GTO's, and a ton of other cool stuff, I am completely baffled why GT3 is so popular.
 
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They are recognizable, they are "real" cars, unlike say any LMP, so it's a lucrative form of advertisement. They are also very diverse in terms of engines and layouts. They are also financially reasonable compared to many other classes, yet they are by far not entry level boring. They are not immensely difficult to drive and they are well balanced against other cars in the field, so the racing is always properly close. Also they are technically available to for all to buy and race, not only factory drivers, strictly with factory ran cars.
 
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While I do like GT3 cars I don't enjoy them as much as other series. Personally I don't like cars that have/use traction control and abs, it takes alot of the finesse out of driving. Maybe it's just because I'm almost 50.
 
If they made a great touring car game and maybe pushed it as hard, it may beat out GT3.

But gt3 are made of poster cars, every one wanted one as a kid and still do. Driving the fantasy cars, if it was GT1 that would be the winner, but these aren't available.
Gt3 is fun tho, fast and you can rub a bit, and so difficult to master.
 
that beauty back of the Porsche and Mclaren in acc, ams2 are eyegarsmic, in rf2 its in the only sim iam able to do a lap under 1:55:3xx in Nürburgring fast chicane with the 911 gt3.

sadly in rf2 most of the gt3 cars look like crappy mods, except for the bentley 19 and that look average vs acc.

didnt like the gt3 cars but if you wanna race online you have to "learn it"
 
Because people want to drive 488s, Bentleys and Huracans. It's really that simple. Also ABS and TC narrows the skill gap a little. Personally I'm not obsessed with GT3s, the assists really doesn't allow me to fully feel the physics of the sim.

But personally if you ask me, the most fun kind of simracing is done in very barebone and light cars, Skip Barber in iRacing, the Ferrari Lauda 312T in AC and the Historic Racing Formula Atlantic mod for AC are my favorite.
 
The GT3 class has the perfect balance of power, handling, and performance in my opinion. I can certainly see the appeal. I love driving them. (I'm a Porsche or AMG guy) But, i also love the challenge of a WTCR, F1, or even a LMP.
 
you literally have to drive them to get a license at a higher stage in some sims

i also don't think they are as easy as people make them out to be. they carry way too much speed for cornering on the road...

if you go to brake for a point at the same distance as a road car, you keep going off the track and missing the corner
 
D
Because of ACC?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
My take on the GT3 is that the cars involved are mostly based off exotic production supercars. Much like the people who like Ferrari and the F1 team, so is the GT3 cars involving the race-modified 488. They are made with assists in mind, so it's an easy car to get into without having to "Graduate" from cars like the MX-5 Cup, or Gran Turismo's career path of starting from used road cars.

Adding to the fact that ACC single-handedly brought GT3 to stardom made it the game people always compare to when any other sim implements a GT3 car. Plus, any real GT3 race becomes a valid point of interest. The exposure really worked.
 
Simple, only 2 pedals and gears on the steering wheel makes it like driving an F1 car, but easier. And they all don’t look the same
 
my favorite are GT4 and Touring cars and main reason for that is that those are cars you can actually own in real life ( non-race versions), which does make it some what relatable
unlike something like F1 car, or Nascar, I know I will never drive/own anything like that
 
Premium
Why are they so popular? Boggles my mind. I think they're just bland and boring to drive, like on rails. Unfortunately servers are populated with GT3s since ~10 years.
 
Premium
I honestly have no idea. But, I'm a senior citizen :p
I'd much rather struggle to drive a vintage car on the edge than have a bunch of computer nonsense and downforce drive the car for me.
I'm almost senior. And my paddle shift steering wheels are collecting dust on the wall behind the rig. I can't remember the last time I raced a car from this century.

But I do understand the appeal of GT3. They have a pleasant ratio of power and handling, which hits the sweet spot for many racers. And the selection of well balanced cars of most brands is vast.

But they're not for me. Because they have paddle shift. Which is too modern and fancy.
 

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