CarX Drift Racing 3’s Damage Model Set To Smash Expectations

The realistic damage model is set to deliver carnage with satisfying soft-body physics, chassis-bending crashes, and detailed destruction.

For drifting fans, realistic car damage has long been a coveted feature in games. Many titles, such as Forza Horizon 5, feature superficial damage models, with the most drastic crashes causing scratches, dents, and maybe even a broken windshield. Exciting(!)

Titles like BeamNG.drive and Wreckfest have become game-changers for racing and driving gamers. They’ve gained immense popularity due to their game-changing soft-body physics and realistic damage models.

These games have spawned countless viral videos showcasing the crazy amounts of destruction that can be achieved, sometimes making them scarily realistic. With Wreckfest 2 on the horizon, promising an even more advanced physics and damage system, the bar for vehicular carnage is set to rise even higher.

Yet, while it’s possible to execute some tail-happy action in these games, they lack a dedicated focus on drifting. There are no specialized battle modes or convenient tandem lobbies for drift enthusiasts to go door-to-door with the homies.

Thankfully, an unexpected contender, CarX Drift Racing 3, prepares to fill this market void in style.

Previously, the CarX series was known for its indestructible vehicles. Players could slam into concrete barriers at 120mph without a scratch. However, the third installment is set to revolutionize the franchise with a damage model that’s deservedly gaining its fair share of attention online.

We got our first taste of the action earlier in the year when CarX Technologies began showcasing the new damage model, but as always, the fans doubted whether the game would ever arrive. If it did, would the damage really be this good?

After this, things went a little quiet for a while until recently, when the team dropped their latest teaser:

As soon as the trailer begins, we’re treated to two legendary JDM drift cars – the Toyota JZX100 and the Nissan Silvia S14. Both rides sport aftermarket body kits and all the usual supporting mods you’d hope to see.

They immediately launch off the startline at Ebisu Minami (RIP) before launching over the jump, where the JZX100 in the chase position misjudges the jump, which sends him smashing into the wall.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Minami and unlucky enough to see the damage the wall causes first-hand. The teaser perfectly captures the unfortunate carnage that ensues.

Yesterday, the team dropped the best damage video to date, re-igniting the excitement for what appears to be arriving soon:

In this teaser, we get treated to some awesome crashing spectacles, showcasing and confirming just about everything the fans had been hoping to see.

Take this Toyota Soarer, for example. On impact, it lost its hood, exposing the 1JZ-GTE engine in all its glory.

You can also re-enact the everyday challenges of “The Green Hell” (Nürburgring), which will be another familiar aspect to those who are into viral videos. Poor MKIV Supra.

Another incident shows this Toyota GR86, which looks almost unrecognizable after a “minor mishap” with a concrete barrier.

As you probably guessed (and hoped), it’s not only walls that trigger these awesome damage physics, either. This BMW E46 M3 went in a little too eager during a tandem battle, which left it launching into the sky before barrel-rolling along the circuit.

This Nissan Silvia S15 also rear-ended the Nissan 370Z it was chasing down, resulting in catastrophic damage to both rides.

Our favorite aspect is the minor details, though, which will be a hoot to drive with.

Imagine your bumpers hanging off as you bump into your buddy’s door before being driven over and potentially getting stuck between the wheels. Or the trunk lid flapping around and scraping onto walls. These are all real-world scenarios we’ve never experienced in drifting games – until now.

What gets us excited are the in-depth aspects we’re already being treated to. We’d love to see intricate details, such as how fiberglass bumpers explode to smithereens on impact, compared to a plastic OEM bumper that would get twisted under either chassis and potentially cause carnage mid-battle.

While we might be slightly optimistic, some aspects give us hope. If you look closely at this Toyota AE86 crash, you can see the immediately recognizable Hachi Roku’s distinctive pop-up headlight flying through the air!

Some scenes also show impacts to the rear fender of four-door cars, which causes the door to flap around since it can no longer latch.

Another aspect we’re stoked to see is chassis damage. If you look closely, you can see the side impact that has forced the chassis rails into the car – the level of detail is incredible and beyond what we’d hoped for.

Right now, it’s looking like CarX Drift Racing 3 can potentially be a total game-changer for the world of drifting games. We cannot wait to get our hands on it and test these damage physics for ourselves!

While a release date for the game is yet to be announced, it will initially arrive on mobile platforms, followed by PC and consoles.

Although the team often takes quite a while to work on games, with the initial teaser dropping over a year ago now, they dropped CarX Street for PC out of absolutely nowhere just a couple of months ago. This gives us some optimism that a surprise CarX 3 release may be approaching soon. We’ll be sure to keep you updated!