I lost myself in my Xbox and a MotoGP 20 during the COVID-19 lockdown in Ireland. Initially, I thought the game was too difficult, but because I had an abundance of time to get good at it, that's exactly what I did. I started life as a Moto3 rookie and finished as a MotoGP champion—I was obsessed. I was so hooked that, once restrictions eased up and we went back to normal(ish) living, I had to stop playing totally because I couldn't manage the addiction. Now, MotoGP 26 is around the corner, and I'm feeling itchy just telling you about it.
MotoGP is dropping on April 29 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S (it’s current-gen only this year for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles), Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2, and promises to be more engaging than ever, thanks to new "rider-based" physics. This is touted as a significant update to the game. The idea is that players will control the rider's movement instead of directly controlling the bike, distributing the rider's weight to influence how the bike reacts.
The game's developer, Milestone, has been making it more challenging since taking over the license in 2013, and I can attest to that. But it's not challenging for the sake of being difficult; it's rewarding and, like anything rewarding, it takes time to get good at it. So, I can only imagine the new physics engine will weed out those who aren't willing to put the time in to master it.
