Isle of Man TT: Ride on the Edge 3 is out now. Based on the official Isle of Man TT championship, this is a very tricky game to master. Fear not though, because our TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 beginner’s guide has you covered.
Taking over from Kylotonn, Raceward Studios has put a fresh spin on the Ride on the Edge series with 200km of open roads to explore in the Isle of Man. Navigating the notorious Snaefall Mountain Course is exhilarating, but new players may find the difficulty too punishing.
If you’re new to the series, our essential TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 tips will help you get started on your way to becoming a TT champion.
Start with Supersport
There are two bike classes in Ride on the Edge 3: Supersport and Superbike. Both classes are unlocked at the start of the career, and you can also run Supersport and Superbike seasons simultaneously.
You might be tempted to start at the top with the Superbike class. But if you’re new to bike games or have never played an Isle of Man TT game before, we strongly recommend starting with the Supersport class.
These bikes are slower and easier to handle than the more powerful Superbikes, making them ideal for learning how to ride.
That said, Supersport bikes aren’t exactly slow – you’ll still hit speeds of over 150 mph on tight country roads.
Apply assists
Controlling the bikes in Ride on the Edge 3 takes time to master, but they feel intuitive once you get used to the handling. To help you hone your skills, there are three physics settings: beginner, intermediate and realistic.
If you’re new to bike games, start with the Beginner setting. This setting improves stability when riding over bumps, making the bike much easier to control at high speed.
To adjust the assists, enter the pause menu and go to Game Settings > General. Then change Physics Simulation Level to Beginner. Also, make sure Braking System is set to Combined and Tuck-in Method is set to Automatic.
As well as changing the physics, you can also manually alter assists on the fly. Using the d-pad, you can toggle the anti-lock braking system (ABS), traction control (TC), anti-wheelie and electronic braking system (EBS) from one to three.
However, we recommend leaving these settings on the highest setting to start with. Once you feel comfortable, try applying the Intermediate physics setting and gradually turning each assist down one by one.
Riding techniques
Controlling a bike is fundamentally different to a car. Smooth inputs are key: accelerate and brake progressively to keep the bike stable. If you’re used to driving cars in racing games, you also need to brake and turn in a lot earlier. This is because it takes extra time for the rider to physically lean into the corner.
As you exit a corner, gently apply the throttle to prevent spinning the rear wheel. Avoid braking while turning and hitting kerbs as this will unsettle the bike, causing you to fall off. If you accidentally hit a kerb, it’s possible to save it by lifting off the accelerator depending on the speed and angle you hit it.
Crashing is inevitable when you’re getting started. But practice makes perfect, so don’t be disheartened. Explore the open world between events to get a feel for the bike and practice without any pressure.
Upgrade your bike
Like in RiMS Racing, every bike component can be upgraded in Ride on the Edge 3. Luckily, the upgrade system is not as complex as Raceward's previous bike game, RiMS Racing. You don’t, for example, need to worry about parts degrading over time.
Installing upgrades is crucial if you want to be competitive and have a chance of taking the Tourist Trophy crown. But before you can install new parts, you need to earn upgrade points.
These points are rewarded for completing optional events around the map such as unofficial races, head-to-head challenges and time trials.
To install upgrades, bring up the map and find the nearest inspection bay. These are highlighted as spanner icons on the map. You can either drive to the destination or hold the fast travel button to load it instantly. As you explore different areas of the map, you'll unlock more inspection bays.
Each component can be levelled up by selecting it in the service area. From here, use the shoulder buttons to browse the different upgrade levels. The higher the level, the higher the cost, so it’s worth spending time completing the optional events to earn more upgrade points.
Once you’ve earned enough points, upgrading the engine and transmission to level 2 will increase the bike’s power and acceleration. You’ll want to balance this extra power, so upgrade the brakes and suspension to improve the handling.
Learn the course with the racing line
With over 37 miles of unforgiving roads, the Snaefall Mountain Course is one of the most challenging courses in the world. That’s because it’s not a purpose-built racetrack – it’s a road circuit that utilises public roads in the Isle of Man.
With no safety barriers, tyre walls or gravel traps, it’s a notoriously dangerous circuit, claiming the lives of hundreds of riders since the Tourist Trophy began in 1907.
Ride on the Edge 3’s detailed recreation of Snaefall Mountain is the most accurate ever seen in a video game – we’ve come a long way since Sega’s Manx TT Superbike on the Sega Saturn.
A clean lap around Snaefall Mountain takes around 20 minutes in Ride on the Edge 3, so memorising the full course takes a lot of time and patience. With a mix of tricky corners, steep elevation changes, and brutal bumps that can catch you out, Snaefall Mountain is not for the faint-hearted.
Tackling the Tourist Trophy is daunting at first, but applying the racing line assist will show you where to position the bike for corners as well as the ideal braking and acceleration points. This will help you memorise the course until the ideal racing line becomes instinctive.
To enable the racing line, go to the pause menu and select Settings > HUD Settings. Then go to Race Line and toggle it to on.
Review
You can find out our verdict on Raceward’s first Isle of Man game in our TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 review.