Moto GP 24 Review: Revving Up for the 2024 Season

The month of May typically brings a flurry of excitement for motorsport gaming enthusiasts. While fans eagerly anticipate major releases like officially sanctioned Indy 500 races in iRacing and the imminent arrival of Codemasters’ F1 24, motorcycle racing devotees already have a new contender to immerse themselves in. Milestone’s latest official title, Moto GP 24, has hit virtual circuits just four rounds into the real-life championship, offering a fresh dose of two-wheeled adrenaline for players worldwide.

Here at RaceFans, we’ve long held a deep appreciation for Milestone’s consistent contributions to the Moto GP game series. These titles frequently punch above their weight, a testament to the dedication and passion of the agile Italian development team behind them. As the newest iteration, Moto GP 24 arrives with significant expectations. The crucial questions for potential players are: Does this edition serve as an ideal entry point for newcomers and those generally interested in motorcycle racing games, and more importantly, does it offer enough compelling content and innovation to be a worthy purchase for seasoned Moto GP veterans?

On the Edge: Mastering the Ride in Moto GP 24

After dedicating several intensive days to exploring the full spectrum of Moto GP 24’s offerings, it’s fair to conclude that the title delivers precisely what one would anticipate from an officially licensed racing simulator. Players can expect comprehensive authenticity, featuring all the official teams and riders from the 2024 Moto GP, Moto 2, and Moto 3 championships. Furthermore, the game meticulously includes each of the 21 circuits slated for this year’s calendar, even going as far as to feature the Sokol circuit in Kazakhstan, which is yet to make its real-world Grand Prix debut. This commitment to current season realism provides an immediate and tangible connection to the sport.

Much like its four-wheeled counterpart, the official F1 game series, Milestone’s Moto GP franchise consistently strives to achieve a delicate equilibrium: accessible handling that welcomes new players, while simultaneously providing an authentic representation of what it truly feels like to pilot these immensely powerful and unforgiving racing machines. It’s a balance the series has historically excelled at, making it approachable for a wide audience. Of course, professional motorcycle riders might humorously critique the game’s ‘realistic’ riding model when compared to the visceral, life-on-the-line demands of the actual sport, but for a simulation experience, it captures the essence remarkably well.

For those new to the series or motorcycle racing games in general, Moto GP 24 thoughtfully incorporates a range of ‘neural’ riding aids. These intelligent assists are layered atop the existing electronic aids that are standard on all real-world Moto GP class bikes, offering invaluable assistance to help beginners get to grips with the demanding physics. These aids can be a literal lifesaver for players taking their first virtual steps onto a Moto GP machine, smoothing out the learning curve. However, for simracing enthusiasts who consider themselves competent on virtual tracks, the real challenge and profound reward lie in disabling these additional assists. By doing so, players are encouraged to independently discover and push the true limits of these virtual superbikes, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the nuanced handling model.

The Thrill of Control: From Moto3 to MotoGP

Moto GP bikes, even under ideal conditions, are inherently savage machines, demanding exceptionally deliberate and delicate rider input. This is significantly more pronounced than the comparatively forgiving Moto 2 and Moto 3 class machines, which serve as excellent training grounds for aspiring virtual champions. Mastering throttle control, braking points, and precise lean angles is paramount. On platforms like the PS5, the game leverages the advanced capabilities of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback, providing an unparalleled level of nuanced sensory information. This haptic feedback is crucial, translating the subtle nuances of tire grip, chassis movement, and weight transfer directly into the player’s hands, helping them ‘feel’ precisely where the limits of adhesion lie before a catastrophic loss of control.

Naturally, crossing these limits and experiencing spectacular crashes will be a frequent occurrence, mirroring the experiences of real-life riders who constantly push the envelope. Yet, as players progressively learn the unique ‘language’ of riding within Moto GP 24 – understanding how the bike responds to minute adjustments in throttle, brake, and lean – they will rarely, if ever, feel that a fall was due to an unfair game mechanic. Instead, each incident becomes a valuable learning opportunity, reinforcing the direct connection between player input and on-track consequence. This iterative process of learning, failing, and adapting ultimately leads to a profoundly rewarding mastery of the virtual machine, making every perfectly executed corner or hard-fought overtake feel incredibly earned.

Intelligent Rivals: Exploring Moto GP 24’s Adaptive AI

In any racing game primarily designed for single-player engagement, the performance and behavior of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) are paramount to a satisfying and immersive racing experience. Recognizing this critical aspect, Moto GP 24 introduces a groundbreaking ‘adaptive AI’ feature to the series, specifically designed to tackle one of the most persistent challenges in racing games: finding and maintaining the perfect difficulty level for each individual player. Traditional racing games often force players to spend multiple frustrating sessions manually tweaking difficulty sliders, sifting through dozens, if not hundreds, of granular AI levels to discover a challenging yet fair opponent. Moto GP 24 aims to streamline this often tedious process, promising a more dynamic and personalized challenge.

Its innovative adaptive AI system continuously monitors the player’s performance throughout each session – from practice and qualifying to the race itself – relative to the AI riders. It then dynamically adjusts the AI’s skill level accordingly, striving to consistently deliver the most competitive and engaging racing experience possible. On paper, this concept sounds like a revolutionary step forward, promising an end to frustratingly easy victories or insurmountable challenges. It represents a significant technological ambition to keep every race feeling tight and thrilling. However, as with any sophisticated system attempting to replicate complex human behavior and skill progression, its implementation reveals layers of complexity and some notable nuances.

The Nuances of Dynamic Difficulty

During extensive gameplay across several Grand Prix weekends in the game’s robust career mode, the adaptive AI demonstrated surprising effectiveness in providing a balanced and appropriate level of opponent challenge. This was particularly true after participating in all available practice and qualifying sessions, which allowed the system ample opportunity to fine-tune the AI balance over the course of an entire race weekend leading up to the Grand Prix. The AI would gradually adjust, making races feel genuinely hard-fought and rewarding, creating a satisfying progression curve for players dedicating time to each event.

However, the system’s responsiveness can also lead to some interesting quirks and inconsistencies. For instance, if a player, deep into a Moto 3 career, decides to jump into a standalone single Grand Prix event and struggles significantly – perhaps crashing several times or finishing well off the pace – their career mode AI level might become completely unbalanced upon return. This highlights a potential drawback: the system’s adaptability across different game modes isn’t always seamless, potentially leading to jarring shifts in difficulty that require the player to re-establish their baseline. It can disrupt the flow of a carefully cultivated career progression, forcing players to readjust their expectations.

Another area where the adaptive AI reveals limitations is its apparent disregard for the player’s choice of tire compounds. In one particular career mode race weekend, the AI felt perfectly poised and competitive throughout practice sessions. Yet, come Q2, when the player opted for soft tires – unlocking a significant boost in pace – the AI seemed unable to adequately compensate. This resulted in qualifying being a comparative cakewalk, with pole position secured with surprising ease, diminishing the strategic impact of tire choice. Consequently, the adaptive AI system appears to be better suited for dedicated career mode players who meticulously build their confidence and lap times around a track over numerous sessions. It’s less optimal for players who prefer to jump between different tracks and disciplines for variety, which is a shame, as these more casual players could potentially benefit the most from a consistently calibrated AI experience across all game types.

Forging a Legacy: The Enhanced Career Mode in Moto GP 24

The career mode in the Moto GP series has long been lauded as one of the most thoughtfully implemented among major motorsport game franchises available. Offering players the immersive experience of progressing through three distinct racing categories – Moto 3, Moto 2, and the pinnacle Moto GP class – the 2024 iteration maintains this strong foundation. It once again presents players with a crucial choice after an initial three-race Moto 3 season: pursue a full Moto 3 championship title, advance to the more powerful Moto 2 machines, or bravely leap straight into the premier Moto GP class, aligning with their ambitions and skill level. This flexible progression path caters to different player desires, whether they prefer a gradual climb or an immediate dive into the top tier.

Unlike some other racing series, Milestone’s Moto GP games have historically distinguished themselves by allowing players to participate in crucial pre-season testing. This isn’t merely an extended practice session; it’s a vital opportunity for players to thoroughly familiarize themselves with their assigned bikes and the nuances of the upcoming season’s machinery. More critically, it enables them to test different bike specifications, each possessing unique strengths and weaknesses, before committing to a specific setup for the start of the arduous season. This strategic element is further enhanced this year by the introduction of a brand-new telemetry system. This advanced tool allows players to directly compare intricate data from two separate laps within any timed session, offering invaluable insights. This feature is not only immensely helpful for meticulously analyzing one’s own performance and identifying areas for improvement but also serves as an exceptional analytical tool for contrasting different bike specifications before making that critical season-long commitment, truly empowering players to make informed decisions.

Dynamic Rider Market: A Game-Changer for Immersion

However, the most significant and undeniably welcome enhancement to the career mode this time around is the revolutionary new rider market. This groundbreaking feature allows AI riders to dynamically move between teams or even switch classes, entirely independent of the player’s own trajectory. The real-world transfer of Marc Marquez to Ducati stands as one of the biggest headlines in the two-wheeled world of 2024, captivating fans globally. Now, he or any of his virtual rivals could make similarly impactful and surprising switches to new teams at the conclusion of each season, adding an unprecedented layer of realism, unpredictability, and long-term replayability to the career experience. This dynamic environment ensures that no two playthroughs will feel exactly the same.

For dedicated players who plan to invest deeply into the career mode over many seasons, this rider market will prove to be an extremely welcome addition, injecting fresh narratives and challenges. Every subsequent season will feel inherently unique, as new faces join the grid, familiar rivals don new team colors, and the competitive landscape constantly evolves. Milestone has also thoughtfully catered to diverse player preferences by offering flexible options: players can choose to have rider moves active from their very first season, delay its activation until the end of their inaugural season, or even disable it entirely, thus maintaining the static 2024 roster throughout their entire playthrough. This commendable level of customization ensures that every player can tailor the career mode experience precisely to their liking, balancing realism with personal preference.

Fair Play on Track: Navigating Stewarding in Moto GP 24

In contemporary motorsport, both in Formula 1 and Moto GP, stewarding decisions have increasingly become a focal point, often influencing race outcomes, driver strategies, and even championship narratives. Milestone has commendably attempted to integrate this critical and often controversial aspect into Moto GP 24 by introducing new elements that complement the existing penalty system. As in previous iterations of the game, players can incur long-lap or time penalties for infractions such as jump starts or exceeding track limits multiple times. However, this year marks a significant upgrade: the virtual stewards will now actively ‘investigate’ on-track incidents, such as collisions between bikes, before announcing their decisions approximately a minute or so after the event. This adds a layer of realism and consequence to aggressive riding.

Adding to the immersive experience, TV-style graphics will periodically pop up on screen, alerting players to instances where their AI rivals have exceeded track limits or received penalties of their own. While some players might find these pop-ups to be more of a slight distraction than actively useful information during intense racing, they undoubtedly contribute significantly to the overall feeling of participating in a living, breathing race rather than merely competing against a procession of pre-programmed robots. It fosters a sense that actions have consequences, not just for the player but for the entire grid, making the competitive environment feel more dynamic and reactive, akin to a real broadcast.

The Human Element of Officiating

Players are given the flexibility to adjust the strictness of the stewards’ judgments, choosing between a more tolerant or a highly strict setting for incident assessment. Opting for the ‘strict’ setting genuinely compels players to maintain exemplary racing manners, as even minor infringements can lead to penalties, forcing a more disciplined approach to racecraft. It’s not a flawless system, however. During a practice session at Sepang, for instance, an incident occurred where the virtual stewards bafflingly imposed a long-lap penalty for the upcoming race due to ‘impeding,’ after the player merely eased off the throttle along the pit straight to allow another rider past without any obvious contact or obstruction. This particular decision highlighted that, much like their real-world counterparts, simulating race stewards wouldn’t be complete without the occasional head-scratching judgment, adding a touch of frustrating authenticity.

Despite these minor imperfections, the stewarding system, particularly the incident investigation feature, is far from a game-changing addition in terms of core gameplay mechanics. It won’t revolutionize how you ride or race. Nevertheless, it represents one of those nuanced details that genuinely enhances the overall sense of immersion and realism while out on the track, making the virtual racing world feel more dynamic and reactive to player and AI actions. These small touches accumulate to create a more believable and engaging race weekend experience, even if they sometimes prompt a groan of disbelief.

Unfulfilled Potential: What’s Missing from Moto GP 24

Beyond the core offerings of three full racing categories – with the Moto E class traditionally added later in the year as a post-launch update – Moto GP 24 does include several historic tracks alongside the complete 2024 calendar. Iconic circuits like Laguna Seca, Estoril, Donington Park, and even the recently dropped Termas de Rio Hondo from Argentina, provide a welcome dose of nostalgia and variety for players. This inclusion of additional tracks is not entirely new to the series, which has consistently offered extra circuits for players to enjoy over the years, broadening the scope beyond just the current season’s venues.

However, it is truly a shame that the rich roster of historic bikes and legendary riders, once a cherished staple of the series, remains conspicuously absent from the current game. Previous titles, such as Moto GP 22 and its predecessors, allowed players to re-live iconic moments: racing as Valentino Rossi on his 2004 title-winning Yamaha, piloting Casey Stoner’s dominant 2007 Ducati, or even experiencing Kevin Schwantz’s legendary 1993 Suzuki. Last year’s iteration saw the unfortunate removal of these historic bikes, and regrettably, the same holds true for Moto GP 24. This omission significantly detracts from the long-term replayability and fan service that a series with such a storied history, filled with unforgettable champions and machines, could offer. It feels like a missed opportunity to celebrate the sport’s heritage.

Lost Customization and Glaring Issues

With the ‘historic fantasy’ seemingly curtailed, it appears the ‘original team fantasy’ has also faded. Unlike Moto GP 23 and many of its prequels, players looking to customize their own team by selecting from a predetermined set of sponsors and liveries for use in Grand Prix or career mode will find their efforts fruitless. This option no longer exists, a perplexing removal that diminishes player agency and creative expression within the game’s core modes. Whether this removal is directly related to the introduction of the new rider market or an independent design decision remains unclear, but either way, it’s a regrettable loss of a ‘nice to have’ feature that added considerable depth and personalization for many players.

While the broader team customization has vanished, players will be pleased to find the full return of all the usual personal customization elements. This includes designing unique helmets, creating personalized rider numbers, and crafting custom butt patches to ensure their virtual rider stands out on the grid with a distinctive flair. Furthermore, the game facilitates a vibrant community by allowing players to browse and download community creations made by other players, fostering a healthy ecosystem of user-generated content. However, a significant drawback is the inability to access or transfer any custom designs uploaded on previous titles. If you meticulously spent hours layering and perfecting your personal helmet design in Moto GP 23, be prepared to allocate considerable time to repeat the entire laborious process again within Moto GP 24 – a frustrating inconvenience for dedicated fans who expect continuity in their creative efforts.

Beyond content omissions and frustrating design choices, some other gameplay frustrations persist, subtly harming the overall experience. A notable issue is the AI’s apparent lack of straight-line speed at the Moto GP level, even when the player is running a relatively standard bike setup rather than one specifically tuned for maximum top speed. This creates a peculiar dynamic: players can enjoy thrilling, wheel-to-wheel racing through the opening two sectors of a circuit like Losail, only to effortlessly breeze past their rivals on the two main straights. This imbalance can rob the player of the hard-earned satisfaction that comes from genuinely competitive overtakes, turning potential battles into effortless passes and diminishing the sense of achievement.

Moreover, the pre-race formation lap has been entirely removed from this new edition. While previously an AI-controlled sequence that served as a stylized grid run-down before the race began, it was a subtle yet effective way to heighten immersion before a major event, allowing players to soak in the atmosphere. Its removal is particularly disappointing given its history; it seemingly broke in last year’s game, leading to comical mass pile-ups at the first corner as AI riders failed to correctly initiate the start sequence. It’s a shame that instead of rectifying this bug, the developers opted for complete removal, sacrificing an immersive element in the process rather than finding a fix.

Finally, after the critically acclaimed Moto GP 22 introduced a fantastic ‘Nine’ feature – an interactive documentary retelling of the enthralling 2009 Moto GP season – it’s genuinely unfortunate that the series has not leveraged such an excellent concept and applied it to other legendary years from the sport’s illustrious history. While undoubtedly a substantial undertaking in terms of development effort, it represented one of the most innovative and engaging ideas executed in any racing game in recent memory, offering a unique blend of gameplay and historical education. Its absence leaves a significant void and a sense of missed potential for celebrating the sport’s rich past.

Conclusion: A Solid Contender, But With Caveats

Overall, Moto GP 24 stands as a solid and respectable racing game, offering deep, challenging, and ultimately rewarding handling mechanics. Visually, it presents very pretty graphics, faithfully representing the thrilling world of motorcycle racing with impressive detail. For players who have never experienced the series before, there is certainly an abundance of content and a steep but satisfying learning curve to sink their teeth into and enjoy, making it a compelling entry point.

However, for long-time veterans who have accumulated many hours across previous Moto GP titles, the value proposition is undoubtedly less compelling compared to prior entries. Unless the allure of racing with the current 2024 roster is paramount, or there’s a strong desire to dedicate multiple seasons to the new-look career mode, the game’s iterative nature and the removal of certain cherished features might make it a less essential purchase. While it brings welcome innovations in adaptive AI and the dynamic rider market, the absence of historic content, the removal of team customization, and some frustrating gameplay quirks prevent it from being a truly standout evolution for the series. It’s a good game, but one that leaves some room for improvement, particularly for its most dedicated fanbase.

RaceFans Rating

7.5/10

Moto GP 24 – Game Details

Platform(s): PS4/5, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, Switch, Steam
Developer: Milestone
Publisher: Milestone
Released: May 2024
Price: £44.99

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