Fans have been waiting for a sign of MotoGP 23 for months. Milestone has been exceptionally quiet through the normal announcement phase of the MotoGP series. Leading to some worry from fans.
But worry no more! Milestone has finally broken the silence and revealed the first pieces of news about MotoGP 23. With the new season already underway, players are excited to get on new circuits and take on one of the toughest games in racing.
From the track roster to the release date, here's everything you need to know about MotoGP 23.
Latest news - Redesigned career mode revealed
With just over two weeks until release, Milestone has given a deep dive into MotoGP 23's redesigned career mode.
click to enlargeMotoGP 23's career brings a host of detailing exciting new features including Turning Point where decisions affect your career path and a fictional social media where you can form new rivalries with opponents off the track.
Hands-on preview
Ahead of its release in June, we've been hands-on with an early build of MotoGP 23 to find out how Milestone's latest bike racer is shaping up.
You can find out our initial impressions in our hands-on MotoGP 23 preview.
First trailer goes live
After months of waiting and wondering where MotoGP 23 was, Milestone has finally revealed their next title. Unfortunately, players will have to wait a bit longer than usual this year.
MotoGP games have previously been announced in February and released in April. But that is not the case for MotoGP 23. Instead, players will have to wait until June to get hold of this year's title.
MotoGP 23 release date
We finally have an official MotoGP 23 release date. Previous games in the series were released in late April. But you won't be playing MotoGP 23 then, unfortunately.
Instead, MotoGP 23 will release on 8 June 2023. This is much later than previous games, pushing the title dangerously close to the expected release window of F1 23.
click to enlargeWhy this year's game is releasing later than usual is unclear, but it's a shame given that the MotoGP season has already kicked off and will be five races deep by the time the game comes out.
As expected, MotoGP 23 will release on PS4 & Xbox One as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
Price and pre-order bonuses
Pre-orders for MotoGP 23 should be going live shortly. The official website has a button for pre-orders but it currently doesn't go anywhere, and at the time of writing console store pages are not live either.
We don't expect the price to change much from MotoGP 22. The PS5 version of MotoGP 22 came in at £54.99 while the PS4 version was £40.00 at Amazon.
click to enlargeThe Xbox Series X | S and One version was listed at £54.99 while the Switch version was £40.00. On PC, MotoGP 22 was available on Steam for £39.99.
These should remain consistent, but we will know more when store pages go live.
Reveal trailer
Typically, the first official content we see for MotoGP games is the reveal trailer. Milestone usually does this a few months before the intended release date, and that has continued this year. The first trailer for MotoGP 23 is all about a new rider against an established legend.
While we don't see much of the game here, there is one big feature getting shown off which is dynamic weather. This will bring a whole new sense of realism to the game, and create flag-to-flag races where riders can return to the pits and switch bikes.
There is no mention of any historic content like last year's innovative "Nine" season mode.
We can expect a more detailed gameplay trailer to drop in mid-to-late April.
Career mode
MotoGP 23's career mode introduces a new social media where you can interact with riders, teams, and manufacturers. AI opponents will react to you differently on the track depending on your social media interactions.
A new Turning Points system also lets you progress through the different classes faster depending on your performances
Managerial Career should return for MotoGP 23. This career mode allows players to create their own team or join a real one. You’ll manage every aspect of the team’s strategy, from bike development to hiring staff.
The season can also be customised, allowing players to choose which Grand Prix they want to play from different calendars.
click to enlargeTo help newcomers, MotoGP 22 featured a revised tutorial mode. These short gameplay sessions had custom rules to help players understand the basics of the game.
The new MotoGP Academy also taught players how to improve their riding style and achieve faster lap times. A new Adaptive Difficulty System guided players with pop-up messages offering tips on adjusting the difficulty.
We expect all of these modes will make a return to the series to help the accessibility for newcomers.
Riders & Teams
As this is the official MotoGP game for the 2023 season, all of the riders and teams are fully licenced in-game. This includes new champion Francesco Bagnaia, who stays with Ducati.
MotoGP 22 included over 120 official riders from the 2022 season, so we expect a similar number for MotoGP 23.
click to enlargeChanges to the line-ups next year include Jack Miller heading to KTM, replacing Miguel Oliveira, who goes to Aprilia. Pol Espargaro transferred to GasGas, with Joan Mir heading to Honda to replace him.
Moto2 champion Augusto Fernandez is this season's sole rookie rider.
New tracks
After years of disruption, normality resumed in MotoGP's calendar last season. There are several changes from the 2022 calendar though, with new races making their debut for 2023 and old ones being discontinued.
A new round joins the MotoGP 23 calendar in the form of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit.
click to enlargeThere will be three rounds in Spain this season, as the Grand Prix of Aragon has been discontinued. Similarly, the Finnish Grand Prix is officially off, so there will probably be no Kymi Ring in this game.
So, there are 20 rounds in 2023 but there could be more circuits included in MotoGP 23 thanks to historical content!
Cross-play multiplayer
MotoGP 23 will feature cross-play multiplayer support for the first time, allowing riders to race together on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Unfortunately, cross-play won't be supported on PC or Nintendo Switch.
click to enlargeTwo-player local split-screen will also return for all platforms except Nintendo Switch.
Historical content
The Nine Season was an incredible addition to MotoGP 22. This lets you relive the 2009 season, one of the most memorable seasons in MotoGP history.
Milestone hasn't confirmed if this mode will return or if another similar game mode will be introduced for MotoGP 23, but we'd love another look back at a classic season.
click to enlargeAs for Historical tracks, Donnington, Brno and Laguna Seca have all been included in recent games. Tracks such as Estoril were added because of "Nine", so it's unclear if they'll make a return.