Milestone is back for another year with their latest title MotoGP 23 which is on track for release on the 8th of June. MKAU was lucky enough to get a hands-on preview of this year’s title and it’s bigger and better than ever.

MotoGP 23 includes all the riders from the 2023 season from MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3, and MotoE categories of the championship which has taken the rideable roster up to a whopping 80 professional riders. It also includes all the tracks from the 2023 season so you can race around the iconic tracks you see on TV, with some of your favorite riders or even your own created rider.

The controls are something you need to spend a few hours getting used to if this is your first time touching a MotoGP game. There is a lot to learn, from breaking down body weight to leaning on the bike. You will spend some time using the new system in this year’s game and will most likely some time at the academy before you win a race because 9 times out of ten you will find yourself in the sand bunkers lining the tracks. Balance is a crucial part of this title and I found myself hooking the Xbox Controller up to the PC almost instantly because I would not feel the bike with the keyboard and it just was a little too choppy in movement. I just preferred to feel what the bike is doing via vibrations and the sticks.

You can begin your journey in the Moto3 Championship and work your way through that into Moto2 and then move further into the MotoGP or you can jump straight into the MotoGP. From an immersive standpoint, starting from Moto3 and climbing your way into the ranks is fun. The social element to the Career mode is good fun letting your rivals follow you and starting that little bit of beef with them to build some hype towards the race. They have also introduced something in the career mode called “Turning Points”. This new system shows how faithful you might be and how much of a G.O.A.T. you might be.

There are four options that you might be given throughout the Career mode. ‘Jump Category’ allows you to jump up to the next championship. The second option is to change teams where you can show your allegiance or get rid of them quicker than light. You can also direct bike development which allows you to make minor changes to the motorcycle and what you are doing in the race. The final option you might be graced with is “Become A Legend” which I’m sure you can figure out.

The bike development system added in was something that surprised me because you can direct the development of what your team’s bike is going to do but the other teams will all do there’s slightly differently with the powerful A.I. system added to this year’s title. The A.I. does not stop with the teams directing bike development it always goes to the track with the new dynamic weathering that has been added so you can be starting in perfect racing conditions and then some rain may come along.

If the game is not already realistic enough with the handling and difficulty settings, the weather throws another spanner in the works. The dynamic weather also comes into play with how the bikes perform and you might even be made to go into the Pits if the weather gets too nasty. This will give you some time to change the tires, talk with the team and get a game plan for when you go flying back out onto the track in the wet conditions.

Multiplayer is back for another year with a couple of different options. The first is split screen, which I love still seeing in games just for the fact most games are online multiplayer now. Unfortunately, for Switch users, you don’t have this option. The next mode is “Ranked Races” in which you get to compete with riders around the same skill level as you. When you win the races you can climb the ranks of the Global Ranking System which like most sports games I don’t see myself reaching that skill level as much as I would love to.

One of the new features I was not a huge fan of and turned off almost instantly was the new “Neural Aid System”. This is a new A.I.-based system that has been added in to help with steering, braking, and handling which is to help make it accessible to everyone.

This can be tuned but the experience is personally better with it all turned off so you can feel every single corner. The system is good for someone who is new to the MotoGP games because you can see if you are accelerating too much through corners or even leaning the bike over a little too much so you don’t end up in the kitty litter.

If you are new to the series don’t stress because with this new feature, they have also brought back the MotoGP Academy which breaks down some tracks and teaches you the basics and more advanced features of the game such as the lean of the bike or even when to accelerate around a bend.

Even with a preview build, this game looks absolutely stunning. You jump from the main menu which looks so realistic it’s not funny, to being on the track where the bikes, riders, and tracks all look so well polished. I could not be more keen to see the finished product because the developers have done a fantastic job making this game look and feel so real. The bikes and components on the bikes are the best I have ever seen going down to seeing bolt heads on the motors to the shining of the decals whilst you are racing. I was super impressed.

The developers did not miss out on anything in this year’s title with the commentary team sounding fantastic with their calls and commentating on the races. The immersion into these games is a big factor. I want to feel like I’m racing and this hit the nail right on the head. Hearing the bikes roar to life and even hearing something as simple as the gears changing just sucked me into the title. Everything sounded so clean and fine-tuned.

Overall, I’m excited to see where this game goes in full release because it’s so well-polished now. It’s going to be a masterpiece for the MotoGP fans out there and you are going to have plenty of hours of fun hitting your favorite tracks. Who knows I might even see you on Phillip Island one day!

Written by: Hayden Nelson