I’ve never really been a fan of the RIDE series, and since playing RIDE 6, I’m not really sure why. I’m a huge fan of racing games and cars in general, but I’m now realising motorbikes might be my blind spot.
Ride 6 isn’t perfect, but in many ways the culmination of the best bits of motorbike racing, aimed at pleasing both fans and newcomers alike. From the various control schemes and types of motobrike racing, there’s really something for everyone, and it all looks and runs great in the process.
Developer Milestone has had plenty of experience with motorbike racing sims, from the recent MotoGP 25 to the Monster Energy Supercross games, but in a way, RIDE 6 feels like their crowning achievement.
Ride Your Way
I feel the biggest draw of RIDE 6 is its multiple racing disciplines, which ultimately impact how bikes handle around a multitude of different track types.
You’ll get the chance to ship around across seven different disciplines, including Sportsbikes, Nakeds, Scooters, Endurance Sportsbikes, Motards, Baggers and Maxi Enduros. It’s the first time the RIDE franchise has actually left the ashpoalt, marking a huge step forward, and it really shows.
Each class feels unique thanks to the varying mechbinacs and track types, and the sense of challenge and reward is rarely lost, thanks to RIDE 6’s multiple ways to race.
The main event of RIDE 6 is surely the Career Mode, which centres around RIDE Fest, hosting a series of races and events set across all seven categories of racing available, and building towards a selection of final racers against some of the sport’s best riders, including Casey Stoner, Troy Bayliss, and Guy Martin across their respective disciplines. These showdowns are also quite cool, as each rider gets their own little presentation and montage before you take them on.
I would only argue here that certain disciplines don’t feel as exciting. When taking on the Scooters for example, for as fast and dangerous as they are in real life, but lacked any of the speed and handling when compared to something like the Sportsbikes. I found more satisfaction here by switching to the Pro handling mode to help raise the stakes.
The overall progression of the RIDE Fest itself feels incredibly natural, as completing races in one discipline not only unlocks additional races within that discipline, but also additional disciplines too. By doing so, RIDE 6 encourages players to mix and match as they please, helping with the feeling of variety, where nothing has the chance to get stale or repetitive.
The Career Mode also does a great job at getting you access to cash, new bike parts to customise your favourites down the track, along with custom options for your rider. You could argue that this causes the mode to lack focus, but I’m ultimately in favour of the constant variety.
I do, however, wish the actual rider customisation were a little more in-depth, as you’re only able to select between a few presets initially. None of these riders unfortiunetly look like me, but once the helmet is on, there’s plenty to unlock and choose from. While you can purchase numerous bikes as you progress, earlier races allow you to rent a pre-selected bike at the cost of some of your winnings.
Beyond the Career Mode, players can also jump into Quick Races tailored to their liking, or take part in longer Endurance Races, which demand a little more time and focus. Finally, players can take things online in cross-platforms multiplaer to race against up to 12 opponents and dominate leaderboards for the fastest times. There’s also local split-screen racing, which is a nice touch.
The Career Mode and its festival-like approach hold the most personality and detail, and are definitely where players will spend most of their time. But given how dense and diverse it actually is, there’s nothing really wrong with that.
The Winner’s Circle
With more than 280 bikes and 39 tracks at launch, and additional upcoming DLCs set to expand these lists, it’s enough to make your head spin. Thankfully, the majority of these bikes all handle incredibly differently and require a certain approach, depending on the discipline.
Sportsbikes are much faster than anything else, and timing is usually the key as you brake and accelerate in and out of corners with the right touch, while Maxi Enduro bikes for off-road races require a little more handling on more unstable surfaces. The Baggers, however, feel much heavier, so you’ll need to keep an eye on how aggressively you steer and make time and space for upcoming turns and nearby opponents.
While variety is key here, the gameplay also lends itself to various types of gamers, via Arcade and Pro presets. The Arcade style of racing essentially feels more forgiving, allowing players to come to grips with the weight and feel of the bike, with plenty of assists to make races that much smoother.
It’s the way to play up front, as RIDE 6 can take a little getting used to for newcomers, but I do find it strange that many of these assists can’t be adjusted to a certain degree, requiring you to switch to the Pro racing preset to be able to adjust in real detail.
That being said, Arcade handling feels incredibly accessible in RIDE 6 and takes much of the intimidation out of the various types of bikes and tracks. Even with these assists on, you’re still able to feel the speed and weight of each bike, and at times, stumble too. It balances realism and accessibility, without ever feeling too difficult or guided.
Making the jump from Arcade to Pro feels like RIDE 6’s true learning curve, but I still felt I had to adjust a few things here and there after switching to Pro handling. Depending on the track, balance and timing are even less forgiving, so it’s easy to slip on an apex, lose control fromoversteering or simply fall behind to AI, which at times, feels really aggressive and unforgiving.
I found it hilarious that in one of my first ever races in RIDE 6, I was essentially rear-ended by an opponent and sent flying off the track, with the full physics engine on display as I tumbled over the ravel. Thankfully, this can also be tweaked and adjusted.
Look the Part
RIDE 6 is the first in the series to make the jump to Unreal Engine 5, and for the most part, it looks decent. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s the best-looking racing sim out there, but it’s definitely respectable. While some of the real-life legends’ character models look a little wonky, there’s plenty of detail within the actual bike models, which is where your eyes will lie most of the time.
Each of the tracks also dishes out enough variety and impressive moments, in addition to various weather conditions. Wet roads look fantastic, along with their reflections, but it’s clear that beyond the immediate track, things do lose a little more detail.
On the PlayStation 5 Pro, RIDE 6 also ran admirably, which I was admittedly worried about, mainly due to Unreal Engine 5’s optimisation issues. Even in 4K, RIDE 6 rarely dips below the 60 FPS target, but I feel as though this is cleverly handled thanks to the lack of detail in certain places.
It’s a fine-looking game, but I feel as though there are better-looking games made in Unreal Engine 5, which in turn could be causing more prominent performance issues. A double-edged sword, I suppose.
Final Thoughts
Overall, RIDE 6 delivers an authentic, dense and enjoyable experience that goes out of its way to cater for both experienced and inexperienced gamers alike. Either way, bikes handle beautifully with a sense of speed and weight, and the main Career Mode and its festival-inspired setting and races against real-life biking make for a fun time.
While it’s not the best-looking racing sim out there, it’s certainly commendable, and complete with plenty of detail and customisable options to add to both your bikes and riders. The team at Milestone have put their best foot forward here, culminating in one of their best racing sims yet.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Plenty of bikes, tracks and various disciplines; Cool encounters with real-life biking legends; Arcade and Pro modes suit all types of gamers
Lowlights: Arcade-style lacks many of the adjustments found in the Pro handling mode; AI can be a little too aggressive
Developer: Milestone
Publisher: Milestone
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a launch code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
