WATCH: Automobilista vs. Automobilista 2

The history of the Automobilista games is a tricky one. Created by the Brazilian Reiza Studios team, the first ‘AMS’ simulator originally spawned from a love for the local Stock Car championship.

Touring car racer Copa Petrobras de Marcas was released by the developer on PC back in 2014. This was followed by Stock Car Extreme in 2015, an official game of the Stock Car V8 series. Building upon this by adding more tracks and cars that weren’t just from the stock car series, Automobilista was released in 2016 to universal acclaim. Over time, it gained a dedicated fanbase, as users particularly enjoyed the game’s vehicle handling.

But parts of the sim were starting to get dated. So, for Automobilista 2, the team decided to use the Project CARS game engine – MADNESS – developed by Slightly Mad Studios. A controversial decision, as that meant the game would drive very differently. But it also meant items such as a slick UI, VR support, more cars and tracks and incredible weather effects could be added to the game. The title has also seen a raft of updates since its launch in 2020 and new content. It’s a rare event when a week happens without a new patch.

So, I decided to do a video where I test the first and the second game back-to-back. Has the sequel moved things forward so much that the first is left at the back of the grid, or does the original still have its charms? Watch our video to find out which I prefered.