Back then, bike racing games made fans of their own: whether it was tearing corners in iconic Road Rash while cops chased you, or nailing a perfect apex in MotoGP 2008 as Rossi. These games packed a punch, but today? They barely make any noise, while car racing games crowd the racing games genre.
So let’s dive into why bike racing games have slowly faded away from the spotlight.
Golden Era Hits Hard
In the 90s and early 2000s, bike racing games ruled the genre. Road Rash exploded with its punk-rock aesthetic and brutal combat, spawning sequels that sold millions. Motocross Madness 2 came in with wild stunts and sold over 35,000 copies in its first year alone.
Then Milestone launched MotoGP in 2001, and suddenly, you had a pure, sim-style bike racing experience that hooked hardcore riders. There was enough hype, and fans and developers alike showed interest in motorbike racing games.
Tech Hurdles Stack Up
Here’s the thing, though: bike racing physics demand much more attention to detail than cars. On bikes, you’re balancing lean angles, wheelies, and those bone-crunching ragdoll crashes. Developers try to keep games approachable enough for casual players, and that’s where they struggle to maintain a balance.
Motorcycle brands like Honda usually shy away from sponsoring or licensing an unpolished or underworked game. On the other hand, car-racing games usually manage to snag a bunch of licensing deals and sponsors, even if the title doesn’t scream F1 25 quality.
As a result, you’ve got no real licensing, and by the time PS3 came around, open-world games like GTA let you jump on a motorcycle whenever you want. So who’s paying for a bike racing title when you could get those thrills for free?
Market Shifts Seal The Deal
Car racing games simply took over by mass appeal. The market for them hit $1.66 billion in 2024, and bikes don’t even come close. Milestone still cranks out MotoGP titles, thanks to a deal with Dorna, and MotoGP 24 even beat sales targets impressively.
However, these are niche titles. MotoGP 20 barely sold ~90k copies on Steam; on the other hand, car racing titles like Forza rake in millions. And with big franchises struggling across the board, bike racing games suffer most without massive open-world appeal.
Even the real MotoGP scene is suffering, and with Rossi gone, the viewership takes a dip, too.
Niche Survival Mode
In today’s gaming world, bike racing games cling to the edges. The Trials series is great if you like physics challenges. Lonely Mountains: Downhill nails the vibe of coasting along flowy trails.
While Sim fans still have Ride 5 and MotoGP 25, and the new Ride 6, featuring over 300 bikes and a festival vibe. A blockbuster revival for the genre has yet to be seen, and we can only hope one is in the works.
Imagine a Horizon-style bike fest, packed with crazy stunts and lean cams. But until someone figures out the balance every dev struggles with and finds a budget, bike racing games might continue fading away. Pick up MotoGP 25 or dust off Road Rash if you’re hungry for biking thrills; options are still out there: you just have to go looking for them.
