MotoGP 23 review: An enhanced racing experience fueled by adrenaline

MotoGP 23 is the latest entry to Milestone’s popular bike racing simulator franchise, with new rides, tracks, designs, and events, but does it deliver? Let’s find out in our MotoGP 23 review.

Milestone is back with their annual bike racing sim. While the basics remain similar to MotoGP 2022, 2023’s iteration includes a lot of enhancements and new stuff. Some of them include AI-assisted driving, new tracks, events, and more.

It develops quite a lot from its predecessor with these new controls and additions, but the core mechanics still have a steep learning curve. However, with advanced tutorials and enough practice races, both series veterans and new players can find a solid racing experience.

MotoGP 23 – Key Details

• Price: $49.99/£44.99
• Developer: Milestone
• Release Date: June 8, 2023
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch & PC

MotoGP 23 Trailer

Learning MotoGP 23 is easier, thanks to AI

MotoGP 23 is my first venture into the bike racing simulation and although it was a bit intimidating at first, I eventually started to get a hang of the controls and I’m loving it right now. A lot of the credit goes to the new Neural Aid System. This new system is basically an advanced AI support that assists you with acceleration, brakes, and handling.

For a rookie like me, I found this feature very helpful as it allowed me to learn when I should reduce the speed of my bike to take a sharp turn or how much my bike should decline so that it doesn’t fall off – yeah the sight can be pretty embarrassing when you’re in a race.

Apart from that, the training section has enough tutorials along with the new MotoGP Academy to guide you through becoming a better racer. The previous editions of the game also had the markings on roads, but the new AI system in MotoGP adds more value for a new virtual rider. Otherwise, pretty much everything remains similar to its predecessors.

In your debut season, you start out as a Moto3 rider where simpler bikes are provided. You’ll need to master the mechanics to take on more complex bikes as you rise up the ranks and gain more experience. Once you get the hang of handling the bike, you’re able to increase your driver status from a Rookie all the way up to Extreme.

With that said, let’s move into some of the new additions in the game that I found very unique.

New Career mode and Dynamic Weather

Two features that I’ve found MotoGP 23 has nailed are the New Career mode and Dynamic Weather System. As I mentioned earlier, you start out as a Moto3 rider and eventually work towards being known as a popular Grand Prix racer. The career mode is pretty close to how it works in real life, involving several turning points and rivalries throughout your journey.

Your decision-making needs to be top-notch provided you’re already performing well to grab the eyeballs of the better leagues. And this is where I feel the dynamic weather is the cherry on top. Imagine racing on the Silverstone, the home of the British Motorcycle Grand Prix, where a dry track can turn into wet mayhem at any point of the race.

It’s in these scenarios, where your skills, perseverance, and adaptability get their ultimate test. And personally, I found that to be an extremely exhilarating experience. This dynamic weather system challenges you to race against the weather, where unpredictability and immersive brims. However, not every aspect of the game is golden.

Customizations could have been better

I expected MotoGP 23’s rider customization to be a bit more robust, but that was not the case. It would have been nice if I could create a custom character from scratch instead of sticking to a handful of premade faces to choose from.

However, when it comes to choosing your riding style, the gear, or the liveries of your bike, you get plenty of options. If you want to take a notch further, you also get the option to download additional designs online.

Overall riding experience

While the new AI system is a blessing for rookie riders like me, the rival counterparts can be a bit erratic at times. What I noticed during the initial laps is that they act more rigid and don’t create enough space for you to gain the advantage, which works as it builds your interest to fight harder and emerge as the first rider to cross the finishing line.

Some other instances caught me in nasty crashes, again, thanks to the AI rivals. Although not too often, it does portray a picture of the darker side of MotoGP racers’ lives when things go south. We’re excited to see how this new AI innovation from Milestone improves in future MotoGP games.

Verdict 4/5

If you’re a new virtual biker who’s considering MotoGP 23 to be another casual racing sim, you’re mistaken. The same goes for car racing enthusiasts looking to delve into virtual bike racing with MotoGP 23.

Devote enough time to learn the mechanics and the rewards will be sweet. This is especially true with the integration of the new assisted driving, which makes it a lot easier to learn the game — an area that was not possible in previous titles.

MotoGP 23 offers a thrilling, high-octane experience for both series newcomers and racing game fans, making it the perfect starting point for your racing career.

Reviewed on PC