After a three-year hiatus, Milestone’s RIDE motorcycle simulation series has finally returned, with RIDE 5 speeding onto PC and consoles following the release of MotoGP 23.
Compared to Milestone’s MotoGP and Monster Energy Supercross games, the RIDE games focus on licensed road bikes with a mix of real-life and fictional locations. Think of it as the Gran Turismo of bike games.
We’ve got everything you need to know about RIDE 5.
Review
RIDE 5 is out now. With hundreds of licensed bikes, improved physics, and a deep career mode, it's one of the best bike games in years. Find out more in our full RIDE 5 review.
Beginner's guide
If you're new to two-wheeled racing, our RIDE 5 beginner's guide has you covered. We've got all the tips and tricks you need to get to grips with Milestone's latest motorcycle simulator.
New career mode
RIDE 5 expands previous games with a new career mode with the aim to defeat ten rivals featuring unique personalities, backgrounds, and appearances and reach the top of the leaderboard.
MotoGP 23's revamped career mode transformed the experience, and now RIDE 5 is following its lead.
Divided into four acts with events ranging from championships to single races and time attacks, RIDE 5's Career Mode boasts a new Rivals system along with endurance races lasting up to 24 hours.
With 200 events including extra challenges, it's an extensive career mode that takes between 20 to 50 hours to complete according to Milestone depending on the level you play. In what will be a relief for series veterans, endurance races now support in-race save and rewinds.
Dynamic weather
Like in MotoGP 23, a new dynamic weather system calculates real-time track and air temperature to create weather changes that affect your race strategy.
Thanks to new 3D volumetric clouds, the environments look more realistic than before, with clouds changing shape and interacting with the lighting depending on the density.
New physics
Milestone has also revamped the physics. Each bike category now has different lean speeds, creating the "most realistic two-wheel experience ever."
New rider assists for braking, acceleration, and steering also make the experience more approachable for newcomers.
Customisation
A new Race Creator also lets you create custom races, choose motorcycle categories for AI opponents, and set rules. There will also be extensive customisation options for bikes, suits, and helmets.
Cross-play multiplayer
In a first for the series, RIDE 5 lauches with cross-play multiplayer. This enables players to race online on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC and Online, and compare leaderboards across all systems.
Split-screen also returns for the first time since RIDE 2.
Bike and track list
With hundreds of licensed motorcycles, RIDE 5 is the Gran Turismo of bike games.
At launch, RIDE 5 features over 230 licensed motorcycles from 20 manufacturers including BMW, Ducati and KTM. That number will increase to 270 with the release of post-launch DLC packs. You can view the full RIDE 5 bike list here.
As for locations, there are 44 circuits to race on. The track list includes a mix of real circuits including Monza, Laguna Seca, and Suzuka as well as fictional tracks.
RIDE 5 introduces a new fictional circuit called Wave Blue. Milestone describes it as a tropical circuit featuring "suggestive views with challenging corners and braking points."
More bikes and tracks will be added in the RIDE 5 Season Pass until February 2024.
Trailer
The announcement trailer gave us a first look at RIDE 5’s bikes, locations, and new graphics engine. You can watch the RIDE 5 announcement trailer below.
Editions
Two editions of RIDE 5 are available: the Standard and Special Edition.
Retailing for £69.99/$59.99, the Standard edition comes with a RIDE 5 Far East Pack, which includes the 2021 Kawasaki Z900 and 1998 Suzuki TL1000R Racing Modified 1998 as a pre-order bonus.
As well as the Far East Pack, the Special Edition includes the Rebel Pack and a Season Pass that will add more content until February 2024. You also get three days early access with the Special Edition, which will set you back a whopping £94.99/$89.99.
Release date
RIDE 5's general release date is 24 August on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic store. Players who pre-order the Special Edition can start their motorcycle journey three days earlier on 21 August.
Unlike the last game, RIDE 5 is current-gen only and is not available on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
This is surprising since MotoGP 23 is coming to last-gen consoles, but it means Milestone can push the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S games further without limitations.
It's also a sign of Milestone's technical ambition that RIDE 5 will also be skipping Nintendo Switch.
With other two-wheeled racing games like TT Isle of Man - Ride on the Edge 3, MotoGP 23, and Supercross 6, 2023 is shaping up to be a stellar year for bike racing game fans.