Since taking over the franchise in 2013, Milestone has refined its yearly MotoGP entries into a staple of two-wheeled sim racing—and MotoGP 25 might just be its finest work yet.
As with most annual sports game releases, a few key questions sprang to mind: How does MotoGP 25 stack up compared to its predecessors? Have Milestone's efforts to appeal to casual players hurt the experience for hardcore sim fans? Most importantly, is it worth the yearly wallet drain?
Gameplay
One of Milestone's highlighted additions is the new Arcade physics system, which gives newcomers and less skilled players a chance to join in on the fun with none of the usual frustrations that come with mastering a no-nonsense racing sim. After taking a sabbatical on sim racers for a few months, I dreaded picking up the controller for fear of ending up helmet-first in the gravel while the rest of the grid zooms past me with ridiculing thoughts.
After switching to the Arcade experience, I realized my fears were completely unfounded. The game allows tons of customization options in terms of driving aid, ranging from neural braking, steering, and throttle assistance to in-depth control calibration and input modulation. For most players, switching all basic assists to Moderate will hit the sweet spot between arcade and simulation without sacrificing any of the excitement on the tarmac.
Once you feel courageous enough, you can seamlessly switch to the Pro experience and put your riding skills to the ultimate test. Along with the ideal trajectory line and curve indicators, the Arcade experience gave me a perfect way to bridge the gap between being inept and feeling like Valentino Rossi. As a cherry on top, MotoGP 25 boasts a one-hand control scheme and accessibility features are always welcome!
Besides honing your skills in MotoGP Academy mode, you can take part in six brand-new game modes, including Race Off, which brings three new racing disciplines - Motard, Minibikes, and Flat Track. These serve as fun little detours that you can even try out on a local split screen! After dozens of MotoGP races, hopping on a minibike had me looking over my shoulder for blue shells, and I mean that in the best way possible.
If you've been yearning for some proper online multiplayer features in MotoGP, your voice has finally been heard. MotoGP 25 integrates full crossplay across all Xbox, Sony, and PC platforms, allowing players from all walks of life to test their skills against a higher pool of riders. Besides monthly LiveGP Championships, you can take part in ranked races against similarly ranked opponents and climb the global leaderboards to earn irrevocable bragging rights.
Unlike human riders, AI riders' behavior ranges from crashing out like Pedro Acosta in 2024 to driving near-perfect laps and avoiding you like the plague. AI inconsistencies are still a thing, and for that, MotoGP 25 misses out on a near-perfect score in this department.
While we're discussing faults, the lack of historic riders, bikes, and tracks may be a thing of preference, but it's something that I was sorely hoping to see in MotoGP 25. Most sports game franchises have implemented similar features to some degree, and I'm sure nobody would mind being able to tear up the track with Giacomo Agostini or Mick Doohan. Let's chuck it down to licensing issues and move on.
Career Mode
Career Mode is the heart and soul of MotoGP that makes or breaks the entire game. Luckily, MotoGP 25 brings out the big guns in this department, offering a slew of new features to make this year's Career Mode my most comprehensive experience yet!
Last year's Riders' Market is now enriched with the ability of certain Moto3 and Moto2 riders to climb into better categories, which makes the whole experience feel more authentic. On the exterior side of things, customizing your rider and bike liveries preserves the creative freedom from previous installments, consistent with the philosophy of "If it isn't broken, don't fix it."
The addition of social relationships management is integral to progressing in your career since it dictates how you'll be perceived both on and off the track. Building rapport with the likes of Jorge Martín or Marco Bezzecchi can help you receive an invite to join Aprilia Racing down the road, while getting on their bad side will make your races more intense, to say the least.
In most cases, I chose positive responses and didn't feel any repercussions for my excessively enthusiastic personality. Nothing was stopping me from dishing out conniving, passive-aggressive remarks to everyone in my inbox. Still, there was no appeal to becoming the only rider not receiving happy birthday messages on social media.
As far as bike development is concerned, you'll take part in tech meetings with your engineers between races to modify your bike to your liking. While better teams offer limited upgradability due to their starting advantage, lower-ranked teams will allow you to upgrade your machine and match other bikes' performance over time.
All viable circuits on the 2025 calendar are included in the game, featuring Czechia's Automotodrom Brno and Hungary's Balaton Park, bringing the total number of locations to a whopping 17, not including tracks exclusive to Race Off. If you feel a little rebellious, you can create a custom racing calendar to your heart's content and show those MotoGP organizers how to plan out a proper season.
Couple all of the above with mid-season training sessions and a redesigned paddock, and we have ourselves the most in-depth, true-to-life MotoGP Career Mode in the history of the series. Milestone rolled up their sleeves way above the elbows this year, and their efforts are tangible throughout the entire experience.
Presentation
MotoGP 25 marks the series' leap into a brand-new game engine, with Unreal Engine 5 taking center stage. Although UE 5 has been criticized for its subpar optimization and lackluster performance, MotoGP 25 runs smoothly across all platforms at a steady 60 fps. Although there are no egregious issues regarding graphics, its visual presentation leaves a lot to be desired, as I was expecting a more significant visual upgrade.
Real-life riders look realistic and are decently animated with their signature celebrations. However, the tracks, pit crews, custom riders, and the crowd lack the detail and animations that are expected from a UE5 game. Thankfully, while I was speeding down straights at 200 miles an hour, these faults faded into obscurity, being replaced with a phenomenal sense of speed that's amplified by the tactfully implemented camera shake.
Where MotoGP 25 makes the most significant strides is in its audio department. Bikes sound louder and more powerful than ever, with newly recorded real engine sounds that will fully immerse you right from the get-go.
These authentic sounds don't seem to pertain to Moto2 and Moto3 classes, but it's still a beautifully sounding game in every sense of the word. If that's not enough immersion, official commentators are there to make you feel like you're watching a real-life MotoGP race unfolding in front of your eyes.
Verdict: A pole position entry and reference point for future MotoGP games
When all is said and done, MotoGP 25 is the absolute king of superbike racing games, easily outshining last year's entry with a slew of welcome additions that breathe new life into an already solid franchise. Besides a few minor flaws that can be fixed in future updates, Milestone proves time and time again that the franchise is in good hands, dishing out lessons on how to treat your fanbase with respect and care, spoil them year after year, and keep them coming back for seconds!
If you want to know what other games are hitting it off this year, check out our Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Review here on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Apr 30, 2025 08:00 am