The roar of engines, the blur of speed, and the sheer bravery of riders leaning into corners at impossible angles – this is the essence of MotoGP, a spectacle that captivates millions worldwide. After a season of unprecedented competition and unforgettable moments in top-level motorsport, the MotoGP championship returned in 2021, promising another thrilling calendar of races. Coinciding with this real-world excitement, Milestone, the acclaimed Italian developer, launched MotoGP 21, bringing the premier class of motorcycle racing to a new generation of gaming consoles. This latest iteration not only features the sport’s biggest stars like Joan Mir, Marc Marquez, and Valentino Rossi, but also aims to deliver the most authentic virtual MotoGP experience to date.
For decades, Milestone has meticulously refined its official MotoGP game franchise, striving to capture the intensity and precision of two-wheeled racing. Their journey began in the mid-80s, alongside the earliest Formula 1 game adaptations, and has culminated in what many consider the definitive virtual representation of motorcycle racing’s elite competition. The question for enthusiasts and casual fans alike remains: does MotoGP 21 offer enough innovation and refinement to justify a full-price purchase, especially for those who invested in previous titles?
Unrivaled Realism and Engaging Gameplay
Riding a 200bhp+ beast at speeds rivalling IndyCar, with only your hands and gravity providing stability, is an inherently terrifying challenge. MotoGP 21 unflinchingly reflects this reality in its gameplay, offering a demanding yet deeply rewarding experience. This is not a casual arcade racer; it’s a sophisticated simulation that commands respect, especially for players accustomed to the comparatively simpler handling of four-wheeled vehicles. While not a full ‘hardcore’ simulation in the most extreme sense, MotoGP 21 delivers an authentic racing experience that stands proudly alongside Codemasters’ official F1 franchise in terms of realism and depth. Thankfully, a comprehensive new tutorial mode provides an excellent introduction for newcomers, guiding them through the intricacies of motorcycle racing physics and controls.
The game’s physics engine accurately conveys the weight transfer of the bikes, making fast sweepers like Maggotts and Becketts or the challenging first sector of the Circuit of the Americas feel remarkably real. Players can distinctly sense the grip limits, feeling the bike strain against the asphalt when pushing too hard into a tight turn. When a crash inevitably occurs – and it will – it never feels arbitrary or “canned.” Instead, each tumble feels like a direct consequence of exceeding the limits, a fair punishment for misjudgment, reinforcing the need for precise control and respect for these powerful machines.
Compared to its predecessor, MotoGP 20, the bikes in MotoGP 21 feel noticeably livelier and more dynamic. It’s now easier to induce slides under braking and the machines are more unsettled by even minor bumps on the track surface. Even the relatively low-powered Moto3 class machines, while still more manageable than the prototypes, are significantly less forgiving than in last year’s game, offering a clear progression in difficulty as players climb the ranks. To assist players, authentic riding aids such as adjustable traction control and anti-wheelie systems are available, along with a healthy array of additional options that allow for a finely tuned experience, catering to both casual players and those seeking a hardcore simulation.
Innovative Features for Enhanced Immersion
MotoGP 21 introduces two significant new gameplay features that further enhance realism and immersion. Firstly, when you find yourself lying in the gravel after a spill, you now have the option to manually control your rider and run back to your bike for recovery, rather than instantly respawning on track. This seemingly small detail adds a layer of consequence and drama to crashes, requiring a quick decision: do you manually recover, losing valuable seconds, or opt for a quick restart (if enabled), risking a penalty? This dynamic choice adds a strategic element not present in previous titles.
Secondly, the game debuts the real-world Long Lap Penalty system. If you jump the start, aggressively ram rivals, or exceed track limits too frequently, you’ll be compelled to take a rallycross-joker-style detour to clear the penalty. This often means losing several positions, forcing players to race cleanly and strategically to avoid such costly errors. This addition is a brilliant integration of a modern MotoGP rule, adding another layer of authenticity and tactical depth to races.
Comprehensive Career Mode and Deep Progression
As with many contemporary racing titles, the heart of MotoGP 21 lies within its extensive career mode, offering players a comprehensive journey through the ranks of motorcycle racing. You have the freedom to begin your career in Moto3, Moto2, or jump straight into the premier MotoGP category. As you progress, you can seek contracts with real-life teams, striving to become a factory rider, or choose to ride for original start-up teams whose liveries and branding are fully customizable to your preferences. This flexibility allows for diverse career paths and replayability.
Regardless of your chosen starting category, research and development (R&D) plays a crucial role in your success. The development programs, which you execute during practice sessions on race weekends to earn development points, have been significantly improved in MotoGP 21. Gone are the days of being forced to repeat the same three monotonous programs every race weekend. Instead, you are presented with a wider variety of smaller, more engaging challenges. These can include hitting a specific top speed at the speed trap, completing all three practice sessions without crashing, or achieving a minimum time in a particular sector. The brilliance of this redesigned system is that these targets can be achieved at your leisure, allowing you to focus on learning the circuit or fine-tuning your bike setup, ticking off challenges as you naturally progress, rather than being compelled to complete rigid, multi-lap stints.
For the 2021 season, players have the option to race on the original planned calendar, which includes circuits like COTA and Argentina, or choose the actual real-life calendar, featuring the opening double-header at the Losail circuit in Qatar. This thoughtful inclusion caters to different player preferences and ensures a contemporary feel to the career mode.
A notable feature, unlocked from the very beginning of career mode this time, is the ability to establish and manage your own junior team in the lower categories (Moto2 or MotoGP). While the staff management aspect can initially feel a little unintuitive, with a bit of dedication to understanding how various staff attributes and interactions affect your team’s synergy, it quickly becomes a straightforward and rewarding system. This layer of team management adds significant depth, extending the gameplay beyond just racing.
The primary critique of the career mode is its fundamental similarity to that found in MotoGP 20. Players who have already invested countless hours into their MotoGP 20 careers will find themselves experiencing an almost identical journey in this latest release. While it may not be the most revolutionary career mode ever seen in a racing game, its blend of on-track action, team management, and R&D offers far greater depth, immersion, and replayability than a simple championship mode with a custom rider name.
Dynamic Racing and Challenging AI
MotoGP is renowned for the intensity and quality of its racing, and MotoGP 21 does a truly commendable job of translating these thrills into a virtual format. Races believably ebb and flow as tire wear takes its toll, with riders on harder compounds often gaining strength in the later laps, mimicking real-world strategy. The AI opponents offer a formidable challenge; they are not timid, unafraid to utilize every inch of track space, and will dive into corners incredibly close to your bike without backing down. This creates incredibly satisfying moments, such as allowing an AI rival to slip up the inside, only to reclaim your position with a superior exit from the turn.
Moto3 races, in particular, unfold with riders forming large, tightly packed swarms, exactly like their real-life counterparts. Just as in the actual sport, it’s often advantageous to be in the slipstream exiting the final corners of tracks like Qatar and Mugello, allowing you to slingshot past rivals and cross the finish line first. This attention to detail in replicating the distinct characteristics of each racing class is a testament to Milestone’s dedication.
Next-Gen Enhancements, Presentation, and Customization
From a presentation standpoint, MotoGP 21 delivers an impressive authentic experience, both on and off the track. The integration of official TV broadcast graphics is used to great effect, making every race feel like a live MotoGP event unfolding on your screen. BT Sport commentator Gavin Emmitt lends his voice for pre- and post-race commentary; however, it’s a slight disappointment to find that he appears to be working from a script largely recycled from previous games, with many lines directly reused from former commentator Keith Huewen. While the delivery is professional, the repetitive nature can detract from the overall immersion.
Once again, MotoGP 21 features a comprehensive customization suite, empowering players to personalize their helmet designs, rider numbers, and signature nicknames. The powerful editing tool allows for intricate and detailed designs that far surpass options found in other racing games like F1 2020. However, new users might find it a bit challenging without prior experience with layer-based visual design software such as Photoshop. Fortunately, the online functionality allows players to easily download community-made creations, offering a workaround for those less artistically inclined. A persistent disappointment, however, is the limited bike livery customization, restricting players to a few pre-set options and three selectable colors, rather than full freedom to design their team’s identity.
As the first MotoGP title released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, players can anticipate noticeable presentation improvements over previous-gen machines. While the game still utilizes the Unreal Engine 4, a platform Milestone has clearly mastered, it may not represent the “giant leap” some might expect from a new generation. Nevertheless, running at a buttery-smooth framerate in crisp 4K resolution, MotoGP 21 is a visually appealing racing game, free from the irritating micro-stutters that plagued last year’s installment. Perhaps the most significant next-gen enhancement comes in the form of drastically reduced loading times, thanks to the new SSD hardware. What once took 45 seconds to load a MotoGP race at Aragon on PS4 now takes a mere seven seconds on PS5, significantly improving the overall flow and player experience.
The haptic feedback capabilities of the DualSense controller on PS5 also play a crucial role in enhancing the handling of these powerful machines at their limit. The increased resistance and nuanced vibrations in the triggers make it easier to precisely judge braking and acceleration inputs, allowing for the subtle adjustments needed to avoid being thrown off the bike. This tactile feedback adds another layer of immersion, making players feel more connected to the virtual two-wheeled experience.
Historical Content and Minor Refinements
Historical content makes a welcome return in MotoGP 21, but with a crucial improvement in accessibility. Instead of being locked behind a tedious, free-to-play mobile game-esque mini-mode, all riders and bikes from three distinct historic eras are now available to race in single-player modes from the very beginning. Classic tracks such as Donington Park and Laguna Seca make their comeback, now joined by the iconic Brno circuit, which, despite its absence from the real 2021 MotoGP calendar, provides a thrilling blast from the past for players.
While Milestone has once again delivered a highly rewarding, challenging, and skillfully crafted racing game, there are a few minor details that prevent MotoGP 21 from achieving true excellence. At launch, the game features all riders and bikes from the three major categories for the current year. However, only MotoGP riders have their full portraits and rider numbers included at the time of writing. As is often their practice, Milestone plans to add the Moto E and Red Bull Rookies rosters to the game as a free update later in the year, addressing this initial oversight.
A couple of AI quirks also occasionally mar the experience. Computer-controlled riders sometimes inexplicably follow each other over sausage kerbs, leading to chain reactions of riders tumbling like bowling pins. Additionally, bikes on out-laps in qualifying sessions sometimes refuse to acknowledge your presence on a hot-lap, failing to move out of the way, which can be frustrating when attempting to set a perfect lap time. Smaller quality-of-life improvements, such as the ability to fast-forward through specific sections of a replay rather than 17 full laps to see a photo finish, or not having to complete an entire lap just to finish a manual race start tutorial, would go a long way in making this a more polished overall package.
Verdict: Is MotoGP 21 Worth the Ride?
Ultimately, MotoGP 21 stands as a solid and thoroughly enjoyable racing game that caters well to both hardcore fans of the sport and broader racing enthusiasts. The meticulous physics, challenging AI, and deep career mode provide a compelling experience. Given the significant similarities to last year’s installment, it’s a difficult recommendation as a “must-buy” for existing MotoGP 20 owners who might find the incremental improvements not substantial enough to warrant a full-price upgrade. However, for those new to the franchise or players seeking a high-quality, authentic motorcycle racing simulation for their next-generation console – perhaps to fill the void until F1 2021 arrives – MotoGP 21 is an exceptional choice that will undoubtedly provide countless hours of adrenaline-fueled action.
MotoGP 21 Screenshots
MotoGP 21 Game Details
Author: Milestone
Publisher: Milestone
Published: 2021
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, XBox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Price: £39.99-£49.99
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