In 1976, the South African Armoured Corps issued a new project for a "New Generation Armoured Car", intended to replace the 4x4 Eland 90 in service as they were struggling to provide adequate support for the heavier Ratel IFVs in tank warfare. Three 8x8 prototypes were designed, based on the Ratel (Concept 1), Eland (Concept 2), and Alvis Saracen APC (Concept 3), each fitted with a 77 mm high-velocity gun from retired South African Comet Is. However, after mobility trials in 1979, none of the prototypes were considered suitable and the project stalled. New requirements were issued in 1980, and further prototypes were developed, based roughly on the Concept 2, which eventually formed the basis of the Rooikat.

Introduced in Update "Red Skies", the Concept 3 is a well-rounded light tank with an excellent gun, a decent reload speed, and adequate ammunition. Though larger and heavier than the preceding SARCs, the Concept 3 is by no means a slouch, offering good mobility and adequate acceleration on paved surfaces, though it may struggle more when operating off road. Make good use of terrain to keep the lightly armoured hull protected, and use the vehicle's excellent reverse speed to reposition or retreat at a moment's notice. While the gun is powerful for the rank, the turret traverses slowly in both planes; combined with the extreme rocking of the hull when firing or moving, it can be difficult to achieve a suitable firing solution quickly.