Motor video games are undoubtedly the most popular among the most fanatical of speed and adrenaline, among the most played are always car condition video games, but what if what we want is to unload all our tension on the back of a motorcycle? We have a wide variety of options when choosing which game to play with, but clearly inferior to the catalog that we find in terms of car racing video games.
We have variety among the few examples that exist, since we have from simulators of the motorcycle world championship, to motocross, where the big jumps and the skids on the mud stand out. In this case, the peripheral chosen to play is the remote control, since a steering wheel would not be the most suitable for driving a motorcycle, and it is difficult to get a replica of a motorcycle with a swingarm for domestic use. In this article we are going to detail which are the best motorcycle games for PC.
MotoGP 21
This is the motorcycle simulator based on the MotoGP World Championship, with identical replicas of the mounts that we see in the real championship and the same riders, as it is an annual saga it is quite continuous between versions, so we choose the version that we choose the gameplay will be very similar. Of course, it shows that the studio listens to its fans, so we will see corrected many errors seen in previous installments, in addition to a renewed graphic appearance.
Although it is evident, the greatest asset of this video game is that absolutely all its visual content is official, thanks to its World Cup license, we will have all the real teams, pilots, motorcycles and circuits. This is not just for the world the premier class, we also have everything we can see in Moto2, Moto3 and 500cc two-strokes and the historic MotoGP four-stroke or the new MotoE mode.
We also highlight a complete career mode that allows us to sign for a real team or create our own. Instead of being a succession of races without incentives, we have, in addition to competing, to manage various aspects of our professional career as pilots, including sponsors, signing personnel or evolving our mount.
Online mode
We have an online mode for twelve players that has been integrated and can be enjoyed with different modes, such as dispute both public and private competitions or even choose to compete in the new season of eSport. All this with dedicated servers that guarantee the optimal disposition to play without lag. This game is progressively updated by its developers so it is improved with each of the patches.
MXGP 2020
Motocross game that finally saw the light despite the pandemic, the game retains all the virtues of its predecessor but improves substantially in the graphic section. It is the first game in which we can play as Jorge Prado, a Galician pilot who represents Spain in the game. The ambient sound goes one step further and recreates the noise of motorcycles like never before like the voices and encouragement of the public to the pilots.
How could it be otherwise, this game includes the 19 circuits that make up the 2020 season after including Lommel and Xanadu in great detail. We have at our disposal the 68 riders of different categories, from 250cc to 450cc as well as more than 10.000 official objects to personalize all the aesthetics and performance of our motorcycle.
It is not far behind in terms of game modes, including the classic Career, Grand Prix, Time Trial and Championship. In the trajectory mode our objective will be to start from the lowest with our own pilot whom we will customize to our liking and we will gain experience and sponsors to ascend to the top.
Online mode
The multiplayer mode could not be missing, greatly improving this section including finally the dedicated servers. This allows for more fluid games without the dreaded lag that ruins the race. We also have a Race Director mode to create our own tournaments and broadcast them live by assigning the cameras.
Ride 4
Saga of the creators of MotoGP that offers a different vision of what motorcycle racing is, pulling for a less serious vision. Let's say that it is the grand touring of motorcycles, betting on simulation using almost any street motorcycle that we can imagine.
In its fourth installment we find a remodeled graphic appearance that comes to fill the next generation PS5 and Series X consoles as well as the most powerful PCs. For the first time we will witness the expected dynamic weather, which will allow us to start a game with cloudy skies and end it raining heavily. The night and day cycle is also included so we can start races in the afternoon and finish them at dusk.
The game modes do not vary much with its predecessor and it is that we start in a career mode where our first choice is the regional league in which we intend to debut as a professional. Depending on what we choose, we will race in one or other circuits in which we will have to pass different tests to ascend. The game is demanding in terms of playability and offers a lot of realism but also a fairly high difficulty if we want to handle the mount at full speed.
We have a garage and money that we can earn as we advance in the game, our objective will be to fill this garage with motorcycles of all displacements and improve them to the maximum. As we advance in the game we will make a name for ourselves and this will give us the opportunity to jump into the world league and the world SuperBikes.
The motorcycle catalog reaches the figure of 175 official Moors from 22 different manufacturers, from 1966 to the present. On the other hand we find a whopping 30 real circuits, recreated to exhaustion. The graphic section has been taken care of with great care, counting on 3d laser scanning for both mounts and pilots. The animations of the riders and the motorcycles in motion are hyper realistic, making it clear the time and care that has been devoted to the visual section.
Online mode
The game has a fairly simple online mode with few game modes, but they will be a tough litmus test to show who is the best driver on the net in races with up to 12 players internationally. A greater number of modes are missing, as well as a local split-screen multiplayer mode.
What is to be appreciated is that we have dedicated servers, so the fluidity and quality of the games will be optimal. In general the multiplayer is good and works correctly, although we are left with a bittersweet flavor if we take into account the scope of the title and the care that has been given to the rest of the sections.
Monster Energy Supercross
The quintessential motocross game sponsored by the Monster brand of drinks in which we find riders, circuits and official teams of the American championship. Something that stands out among everything else is the high level of customization that we find in this title. We can choose between different designs, brands, colors of helmets, glasses, boots, protectors, stickers ... Once a series of reeds is finished, we will get to work on our goal of reaching the top.
We are facing a game that without being a pure simulator, is not a complete arcade, so following the tutorials carefully will help us a lot when driving. There is no difficulty mode, so the difficulty curve will be progressive, from the beginning it is not easy to win a race, but things will get worse as we move forward. Nor will it be easy to keep the bike upright, so it will be very common for us to hit the ground at the slightest miscalculation.
We have a mode called Complex, where we find landscapes based on the islands of Maine, in which we will enjoy kilometers of free driving to test our skills. We also have some SuperCross circuits and one of MotoCross where you can participate with friends.
The graphic section depends on the PC we have, but if we have a good machine, we will enjoy fluid races with quite decent graphics, textures and loading times have been improved. Special mention to the physics of motorcycles and especially the track. Some circuits have muddy surfaces, where our bikes will leave their tracks and skid splashing the mud. The graphics are accompanied by a good soundtrack, which highlights the rock and the deafening noise of the exhaust pipes.
Online mode
This is where we can find less news, since this multiplayer mode does not change much compared to its predecessor, but we can enjoy races with up to 22 players. The game has dedicated servers that will avoid suffering unexpected lag or outages as long as our connection allows us to do so. We can organize championships among the community with the Race Director mode, where we will be the organizers and we will be able to broadcast the championship at high quality.