GRID (2019) Wiki – Everything You Need To Know About The Game

GRID is a racing game developed and published by Codemasters. It is the tenth game in the TOCA series, the fourth GRID title, and a reboot of the GRID subseries.

Development

GRID was officially unveiled by Codemasters in May of 2019 with a release date of September 13 for the year, however the publisher later announced in June that the release date had been pushed back by a month to October 11.

The developers decided to reboot the GRID series rather than making a fourth GRID title because they felt, based on feedback from fans, that the series had been indecisive on personality throughout its history. While the first game offered an accessible racing sim experience, the second game was deemed too casual, while GRID Autosport went in the opposite direction and opted for authenticity instead of accessibility.

With the reboot, the development team intended to follow in the footsteps of the first game in offering a motorsport racing sim experience that is also accessible and open to casual audiences instead of just hardcore racing game enthusiasts.

Codemasters also confirmed that GRID would have no microtransactions. In terms of the DLC, they confirmed that the game would not charge for new tracks released after launch, however, new cars and new careers (which would include things such as liveries, rewards, unlocks, and more) would be paid DLC. The game also allows players to “rent” such DLC with money earned in-game, which reduces money earned through the in-game race, though the game director Christopher Smith also confirmed that money earned from races would still be more than the renting amount.

A Nintendo Switch version for the game was also not announced for release, with the developers stating that the system did not offer as much power as the PS4 and the Xbox One, though they did say that a Switch release is something they would look into once GRID had launched on its announced launch platforms.

Gameplay

GRID is a motorsport racing simulation like its predecessors, though attempts to balance its simulation aspects with more arcade and accessible gameplay similar to the first GRID title. At launch, the game has twelve tracks in unique locations, including San Francisco and Shanghai. This amounts to eight circuits in four cities, with a total of ninety two routes. The roster of vehicles in the game at launch is comprised of sixty nine cars.

Improvements have also been made to the damage system during races. Cars can get scratches and lose part, while there is also rattling and crumple zones. Though races in GRID can have rain and also take place during both day and night, the developers have also confirmed that it does not have dynamic weather effects and systems.

In terms of multiplayer, GRID offers two options. One of these is Quick Play, which allows players to jump straight into a race through matchmaking (which will account for various skill levels) and will also have rotating track selection based on community feedback. The second option allows players to set up their own custom multiplayer events, being able to decide how many races the event will have, which courses the races will be in, what the vehicle classes will be, what time of day the races will take place in, and more. These will also be playable with friends.

GRID also makes some changes to its career mode, especially in comparison to GRID Autosport. While GRID Autosport required players to finish first in every event to be able to finish the career mode, the same is not true in GRID, with the developers wanting to make the experience more accessible. The career is divided into six threads to get to the final showdown in the GRID World Series, with every thread consisting of thirteen events. Players have to finish seven of these thirteen events, and finishing first is not a requirement, though there are achievements and rewards within the career mode that can only be unlocked by finishing first.

Each thread has events and races based on different disciplines and driving styles, so players are given the option to make it through the threads by participating in any of these. As per the developers, to finish the career mode, players don’t have to attempt 100 per cent of the races, and can get to the end by finishing as much as 60 per cent.

The career mode also includes a teammates and rivalries feature. Players can team up with other drivers during races and work together to share victories. During races, teammates can tell players to do certain things, such as holding back an opponent, at which point players have the option to either listen to these requests, or ignore them and race their own way. Listing to teammates’ requests builds loyalty, and they help out players during races more effectively.

During races, players can earn nemeses as well. A nemesis is earned during a race at dynamic moments, and are allotted to the player based on their performance and skill level. Depending on what the player’s position is during a race, their nemesis might change- so if a player is near the top positions, their nemesis would be someone in their vicinity, and the same would also be true if the player isn’t performing well. If players ignore their teammates’ directions and lose their loyalty, teammates can become nemeses as well. GRID has over 400 in-game AIs and 72 teammates.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.