“Moto GP 24” reviewed – Does adaptive AI and the rider market make for a must-play? · RaceFans

Gamers who are fans of major world championship motorsport series will be eating well – as the kids say – during the month of May.

Not only will iRacing get to host officially sanctioned Indy 500 races once again this month, but Codemasters’ official F1 game for 2024 will be released before May gives way to June.

But before then, players already have one of the first major motorsport titles of the season with the release of Moto GP 24, which is already out just four rounds into the real life championship.

RaceFans have long been fans of Milestone’s official game series, which punches above its weight given the resources of the plucky Italian developers. But is this newest edition a good entry point for newcomers to the series or motorcycle games in general and is it worth a purchase for Moto GP veterans?

Riding on the edge

After several days of playing everything Moto GP 24 has to offer, it’s fair to say the newest title provides everything you would expect from an officially licenced racing game. Naturally, all teams and riders of the 2024 Moto GP, Moto 2 and Moto 3 championships are included. Each of the 21 circuits originally scheduled on this year’s calendar are also included, including the Sokol circuit in Kazakhstan that is yet to host a grand prix.

Much like the official F1 game, Milestone’s Moto GP series has already aimed to strike that balance between accessible handling and authenticity that offers players a taste of what it’s like to ride these truly extreme machines. It’s a balance that the series has always been successful at, even if real life motorcycle riders might scoff at the riding model being considered ‘realistic’.

As ever, there are several ‘neural’ riding aids to help new players on top of those electronic aids that are naturally built into all Moto GP class machines. Although these are a real lifesaver for new players starting out with a Moto GP game for the first time, anyone who considers themselves a competent simracer should consider turning off all the extra riding assists and explore finding the limits on their own.

Moto GP bikes are savage at the best of times and require very deliberate, delicate riding – far more so than the Moto 2 and Moto 3 class machines. Especially on PS5, with the benefit of DualSense haptics, the game provides a lot of nuanced feedback that helps you to feel where the limits are. You’ll go over them a lot – just like the real…