Leading up to the April 29th release date for bike racing game MotoGP 26, developer Milestone has released a new trailer, featuring over 15 minutes of gameplay. The video, which you can check out below, showcases large chunks from a number of different race events, with different bikes, and across a variety of tracks.
While the video starts off by showcasing a standard race in first-person view, we then get to check out more variety in the time of day in the second race. This is then followed up with some third-person racing action in the midst of heavy rains, giving us an idea of how weather will impact the game’s driving physics. The third race, once more in third-person, showcases a different discipline of bike racing, before we go back to the high-speed racing that the sport is known for, with 1000cc production bikes as part of mono-race events.
One of the key features highlighted throughout the video is MotoGP 26‘s new rider-based handling system, which was built on top of a revamped physics model. Players will have more control over their bikes in various situations, and the title features a suite of new animations for rider models. Other features showcased throughout the trailer are the new UK-based location for the returning Race Off game mode, which will include two new tracks where players can ride using Motard, Flat Track, and Minibikes. We also get a good look at tracks like the Circuit of the Americas and the Portimão Circuit in sunny conditions and Silverstone in the rain.
MotoGP 26 was officially unveiled earlier this month with a trailer, where Milestone also announced the new Racing Card feature for each rider. The system revolves around four key attributes – lap time, pace, head-to-head, and reliability – which in turn form a larger rider rating that gives players information at a quick glance before they make decisions. These values will be dynamically updated based on how well the rider performs in real-world races, and will apply to racers across game modes.
Career mode will also be getting some upgrades thanks to the introduction of a fully 3D paddock, where players can hang out or jump between their on-track and off-track lives. The latter includes new Thursday press conferences and a personal manager, with the former allowing players to set long-term and short-term goals like calling out rival racers in public. The personal manager will be the main conduit through which players will manage their progression and contract negotiations, among other things.
MotoGP 26 is coming to PC (via Steam, Microsoft Store and Epic Game Store), PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and the Switch 2. Interestingly Milestone has also specifically mentioned the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handheld gaming systems, indicating that the racing title will also feature some optimizations to be playable on the go. MotoGP 26 is also set to feature full cross-platform multiplayer for 22-player grids across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Switch and Switch 2 players, however, will not have cross-play options, and online races on the platforms will be limited to 12 players.
