MotoGP 22 Review — Cutting Corners or Perfect Season?

The MotoGP franchise has seen a steady rise in quality over the years, with MotoGP 21 delivering one of the best games in the series to date thanks to some serious overhauls. However, the franchise did have some growing pains and weird omissions making its leap to the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Thankfully, it’s safe to say that MotoGP 22 has ironed out these kinks for a much more comprehensive (and gorgeous) experience.

MotoGP 21 saw a huge boost in visual fidelity, but MotoGP 22 has rounded off the presentation to represent something even closer to the real-life action. From the moment you boot up the game to your first pull-off from the startling line, it’s clear that MotoGP 22 has seen some polishing up to an admittedly jaw-dropping level. There are a lot of reused assets and cut-scenes from MotoGP 21, but the tweaks to animations, spiffier track details, shinier bikes, and an effective motion blur push MotoGP 22 to photorealistic levels.

Of course, the on-track racing is the real test, and on the Playstation 5, MotoGP 22 runs like a dream. Speeding through the MotoGP 22 season tracks and venues in glorious 4K, 60 frames a second is quite the exhilarating rush, which finally captures the blistering sensation of speed and frenetic energy of the real-life event.

With the series essentially nailing the look and feel of the real-life MotoGP, the latest games are really about refining that and adding new elements to enhance the little moments on and off the track, with the utmost realism being the goal in mind. Some tweaks to the physics stand out this time around, as your bike feels and moves like its own entity, rather than being directly attached to your rider, along with a greater focus on how your tyres and suspension perform on the track.

Real bike-nuts will get a huge kick out of tweaking everything from aerodynamics, electronics, engine power and consumption, chassis, and even petrol management. The great thing is, MotoGP 22 doesn’t just make it an aesthetic distraction of gauges and numbers, because, with each tiny adjustment, you can actually feel the difference on the track.

And you’ll need to refine your bike and approach as racing (like the real thing) can be brutal if mistakes are made, but incredibly rewarding when done right. In this regard, MotoGP 22 prides itself on being a true simulation, requiring an understanding of your acceleration speed, braking capacity, and distance, and a familiarity with the track you’re taking on. Thankfully, a new tutorial mode has been added to help newcomers familiarise themselves with the layered systems that exist in MotoGP 22.

While the action around the apexes is sublime, those who enjoy the culture and management off the track have a lot to indulge in too. The Managerial Career, whereby you have to run and coordinate your team (admittedly, there is a lot to get your head around), still delivers the most comprehensive look behind the curtains of MotoGP that you’ll find anywhere.

Add in the fact that you get all the official rosters and tracks of the 2022 Season, and MotoGP 22 really is a high point of the series. While the improvements are gradual year-on-year, you can’t fault the game itself as a standalone experience, add in the fact that split-screen now makes an appearance, and it’s a reasonable upgrade from last year. All in all, MotoGP 22 has seen enough refinements and interesting add-ons to keep bike-fanatics invested for another year.

MotoGP 22 is available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Xbox One PS4, Switch, and PC.

MenStuff reviewed the title on PS5.