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.
Milestone released a statement, saying the new handling physics, “allows players to control the bike by managing the rider’s weight and movements, delivering a true-to-life riding sensation and faster reactions for intense, high-speed action." But there's more to the physics engine than simply controlling the rider—the real-world lap times, pace, head-to-head ability, and reliability of the rider you control come into the equation, too. However, it's unclear whether riders' ratings will be updated throughout the real-world season, as their performance potentially varies.
There was a big update last year in the form of adding motard, flat track, and minibike training to the game. This year, the developers have gone a step further and included 1000cc production bikes. Now, the game includes almost all other forms of riding that MotoGP riders use to sharpen their skillset. Finally, career mode is getting an update too, to make it more realistic. It'll now include Thursday press conferences, and you'll have a personal manager.
To say it's tempting to buy a console just to play MotoGP 26 is an understatement. Who among us has enough self-control for the latest iteration in the franchise, and will you be downloading it?
