Nearly ten and a half months after the release of MotoGP 19, Milestone has released a significantly updated MotoGP 20. As well as updating the teams and riders to reflect the 2020 season, new physics, upgraded artificial intelligence (AI), new tyre temperature and fuel management systems, a new damage model and a refreshed career mode are all promised for the latest incarnation of the official MotoGP game. On paper, that sounds like a motorbike racing video gamer’s dream, but is it all as good as it could be?

Released towards the end of April, Dorna and Milestone’s plan was to allow players to race alongside the 2020 season, which as we know has been delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The early release is like manna from heaven for bored bikers looking to get their two wheeled fix, but what does it play like?

What’s in MotoGP 20?

Returning for 2020 is the customization element of the game. Helmet, sticker and bum patch creators and editors remain in the game to give your rider a custom feel.

Career mode has been radically changed for 2020, with both a manager and rider career combined into one. When starting the career mode, you get to choose between two fictional teams and three real life squads. If you choose the new made-up teams you can change the livery and the colours of the bike to make it how you want your team to look.

Once you’ve created your team, you’ll be greeted with a team reveal and the career menu. In that menu there are a few options, you can view the 52 weeklong calendar which features the full MotoGP calendar as well as paydays where you pay your staff. You can sign engineers to assist in developing bikes with resource points that you collect throughout the development programmes in free practice sessions.

There is also a new contract system for 2020, between the German and Austrian races, the contract window opens for yourself and teams to negotiate and come to an agreement for a ride for the following season, whereas in previous releases, the change took place at the next race. You will also have the opportunity to be approached by teams if your personal manager has been successful, and your results justify it.

This simple change adds even more realism, from negotiating with teams up until the first race at Qatar in the following season when you finally get to ride the new bike and for the new team you signed for last season.

As expected, the MotoGP game features all riders and teams from the current MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 grid, however, due to the coronavirus outbreak, it has been difficult for Milestone to access team liveries and to scan the latest models in. Therefore a few of the teams throughout the classes are running the 2019 livery and some MotoGP bikes are still the 2019 model. This, as well as the addition of MotoE and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup classes, will be updated later in the year.

What is the gameplay of MotoGP 20 like?

In terms of bike handling, 2020 sees a brand-new physics system. MotoGP bikes are 250+ brake horsepower prototype machines that are a handful to ride, and that is replicated in the game. In addition to that, there’s much more realism on the brakes, brake too hard and you’ll lift the rear wheel going into a corner, so to get the most out of the MotoGP bikes comes down to skill. Of course, this can be scaled back with a less harsh physic system for the new players.

The handling of the Moto2 and Moto3 feels much different to MotoGP bikes, as you’d expect from a prototype MotoGP bike to a standard Moto2 machine or the single-cylinder Moto3 machines.

The new physics model makes riding the bikes much more challenging, and to add to the challenge Milestone have added a new respawn and damage system.

For 2020, you can damage and destroy the aerodynamic parts of your bike, if you make contact with another rider or crash out of a race, your bike will be damaged, and it could lead to forced retirement.

In addition to the damage model, the new respawn system also can ruin your race. For the 2020 game, if you crash you now have to wait for the bike to stop sliding before finally remounting and carrying on from wherever your bike ends up. This now means that crashing in MotoGP 20 is much more costly than in previous games, when the crashed bike popped back on track in a few seconds.

Along with all the new features, there are also some subtle changes such as rider animations if you make contact with another rider, track and kerb remodels to make them more realistic, lighting changes, there is now three times of day at Qatar, daytime sunset and evening to mirror the real-life Grand Prix schedule.

What is the AI like for 2020?

 Milestone introduced A.N.N.A for 2019, this is a neural AI which means they can think and learn for themselves. As expected, Milestone has gone one better with the AI for 2020, making them ever smarter as they can now adapt to fuel and tyre usage, both managing and using them up. They’re also much cleverer when it comes to race craft, some AI bolt at the start, using tyres and fuel in the early few laps but fall back later in the race.

Is there anything new to the online gameplay?

With all the new features for MotoGP 20 in terms of offline and gameplay, online remains the same as MotoGP 19. Public and private lobbies can be made to play with your friends, or you can jump in the race director mode and produce your own race weekend.

While the online aspect of the game remains fairly unchanged, there is an option to add AI competitors online, although lobbies are restricted to 12 riders in total.

Game modes

 Quick Race

Time Trial

Championship

Career Mode

Online

In addition, the historic teams and riders is back for 2020 with daily challenges allowing you to work through and unlock the historic two-stroke and four-stroke roster.

Overall thoughts of MotoGP 20

 MotoGP 20 was the most anticipated motorcycle game of the series, with the progress made in MotoGP 19, but it can’t be helped but feel that MotoGP 20 was released too early.

MotoGP 20 feels like Milestone has made one step forward and two steps back. Online graphic errors with walls missing, AI issues and other small errors that really should’ve been missed makes the game feel slightly incomplete.

There is no doubt that Milestone has turned a corner with MotoGP games and if the release had been delayed by a few months, MotoGP 20 would have been even better – although it may be that they will be addressed in future updates.

Virtual MotoGP

Like many other sports, MotoGP are also dabbling with eSports to give their fans some entertainment during the enforced Covid-19 downtime.

Riders from the MotoGP class, including Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, have gone head to head in on the old MotoGP 19 game over the past month, with the matches broadcast live on TV and the internet, but this weekend sees riders from all three classes competing in the Virtual Spanish Grand Prix.

The Spanish GP was due to take place at Jerez this weekend and on Sunday three eSports races will be broadcast with riders from the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 classes competing as their virtual selves on the MotoGP 20 game.