Ride 6, An Uneasy and Sometimes Unnecessary Sequel
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Life as a developer of motorcycle games is not easy. Although we have good and some less good titles of that type, they never quite break into the very top tier of sports games, dominated by annual releases such as FC or F1. However, there are actually more motorcycle games on the market than other sports titles. Besides MotoGP, there are also Supercross and RIDE games, along with occasional SBK and MXGP releases. Most of them are the work of the Italian studio Milestone, which knows how to handle both simulations and arcade racers. After MotoGP 25, which added arcade-style racing, here is another example of moving closer to some new kids.
In the mood for something completely different? Check out our Mario Forever Review!
Ride 6 Pulls You Right In
Ride 6 pulls us into its world in a festival-like manner. This title can be attributed to the motorcycle's role in Forza Horizon, which, through festival performances, offers riders various racing options. However, here the festival is called Ride Fest—because Motorfest has already been taken by The Crew. What can you do?
Moving on from naming conventions, the game also forgoes the classic career approach, where you start in junior categories and work your way up. Instead, Ride 6 changes direction and assigns you racing categories locked behind points.
You can collect points by completing specific objectives in each race. There are main and side missions. In rare situations, you are asked to win the race; rather, the goal is to finish in the top 6–5 or whichever top position is required. Side objectives give you additional conditions, such as finishing on the podium or avoiding a crash.
Ride 6 Off-Road Physics Analysis
At the end of each category, you receive certain bonuses, such as unlocking new motorcycles. The game boasted that, upon release, it would have over 300 bikes, but the actual number is around 200. Where are the rest? Surely they are not going to be locked behind paid DLCs and various bonus packs? Obviously, they will, unfortunately. Despite that, you still have a rich selection of motorcycles that you can buy, borrow, or, as mentioned, unlock through the career mode.
The interesting thing is that you do not have to complete all the races in certain categories to unlock new ones. No, 3–4 races with completed objectives, and there you are, ready to move into another racing area. In a somewhat amusing way, this reminded me of regions in open-world games where each has a certain level you must reach to even stand a chance of surviving there.
As you unlock new categories, you unlock the opportunity to race longer and bigger events. Besides classic multi-lap races, there is also qualifying to set the fastest time. If that is not enough for you, you can jump into off-road racing. Yes, that is one of the novelties in the game. Although I support its inclusion and it adds depth, the off-road mode feels rushed—tracks lack variety and polish compared to other modes.
The entire dirt surface feels as if it were just visually placed on the track. There is no noticeable difference in how a motocross bike behaves on dirt versus concrete; it behaves almost identically on both. This lack of differentiation disappoints, as the off-road experience should have been much better.
Ride 6 Learning Curve: Riding School and Control Options Analyzed
I certainly like that an arcade riding option has been added. Milestone, which also develops MotoGP, has always leaned Ride toward the simulation side, though not as strongly as its golden goose. In the sixth installment, it is clear they aimed to reach a broader audience by offering two riding options. And here I must praise them because you can feel the balance between the two styles. Both riding modes demand attention and precision, but in arcade mode, mistakes are much more forgiving.
Are you a veteran of such titles? No worries, you can still maintain challenges in professional riding mode. Did you arrive as a beginner and do not know how to handle motorcycle controls? No problem, there is the arcade riding style. To make things better, there is also a small riding school that you can access through the festival's main menu.
The entire main menu in Ride 6 is designed to mimic a festival atmosphere. While initially interesting, it quickly becomes confusing. Options such as riding modes, career, time trials, shop, and riding lessons are spread across three unclear slides. It took me a while to realize more features were hidden off-screen; the layout could be much clearer.
Fluid Handling, Weak Speed Sensation
As we return to the main track, I must also mention the riding itself. I know I mentioned above that you cannot feel the difference riding motocross bikes on off-road versus classic tracks, but overall, the riding is one of the brighter points of Ride 6. It is very fluid and smooth. You feel that especially when riding different eras and categories of motorcycles, where each is visibly and tangibly different. When you add other things like tire wear, especially in longer races, you actually see how challenging it is to be on the track.
The only thing they should have worked on, in the very moment of riding, is the sense of speed. Realistically, you have no idea whether you are riding at 60 or 200 kilometers per hour (or, erm, 37 or 124 mph). The sense of speed is practically nonexistent.
On the track, you will find yourself with 11 other riders, but when you look at how many riders are usually in motorcycle races, 20 or more, it all somehow looks poor. I understand on shorter off-road tracks, but on classic ones with many laps, it becomes disappointing. To make matters worse, the riders' artificial intelligence is not particularly good. They will often crash into you and knock you down while they continue riding. They receive no penalty. Paradoxically, when an AI rider crashes into another AI rider, both fall off their bikes. You get the feeling as if you are racing against trucks.
Ride 6 Performance and Optimization: Solid on PlayStation 5, Questions on PC
It would be easy if that were all, but unfortunately, it is not. On the contrary, AI riders are incomprehensibly fast on straights, while in corners they are slow as snails. So many times it happened that they overtook me on the straights as if they were all riding Ducatis, some of them are, to be fair, and I was riding a Vespa. I look and wonder what is wrong. Could it be the DualSense? But no, that was not the problem because, behold, in corners I catch up with them. Something is seriously wrong in this segment, and Milestone urgently needs to sit down and find an appropriate solution.
Visually, the motorcycles look nice and detailed. The game as such is not graphically spectacular. You can feel the change of engine compared to the previous installment, but when you look at the broader picture of all the offered alternatives, and even the rest of the sports assortment, Ride 6 falls into the middle tier. There is still quite a bit left to do regarding lighting, rider models, and background elements. Still, we cannot say this is an ugly game.
The sound, however, is incomprehensibly bad, despite us using our XP-Panther Indigo Headset. The motorcycles do not have the proper punch they should have when accelerating. Gear changes are also characterless and feel completely out of place. You constantly have the feeling that something is missing, as if one piece of the puzzle got lost somewhere.
With the transition to Unreal Engine 5, we have somehow grown accustomed to sloppy technical performance. However, that is not the case here, so Ride 6, just like MotoGP 25, handled that well. Obviously, Milestone knows how to do that part of their job properly. Although I am aware of potential backlash due to possible issues on PC, I simply have no complaints on PlayStation 5.
In Conclusion
All in all, Ride 6 took a different direction than before. With two separate riding modes, it allowed racing for both experienced players and newcomers. It did that very well. Still, I have the impression that the game could and should have been better, because everything else feels as if it were just inserted to have something new. Maybe in a few months the game will be brought into shape, but for now, it is better to skip Ride 6.
Rating: 5.9/10
Solid riding mechanics and dual control options are undermined by weak AI, poor sound design, shallow off-road implementation, and questionable content practices.
Recommended age: 10+
Suitable for pre-teens and older due to realistic racing mechanics and complexity of controls, without mature or inappropriate content.
Gemini AI Summary:
Ride 6 shifts toward a broader audience by introducing both arcade and simulation riding modes, delivering fluid and satisfying motorcycle handling. However, technical inconsistencies in AI behavior, weak sound design, underwhelming off-road performance, and reduced bike count significantly limit its overall quality, making it a middling entry in the motorcycle racing genre, best suited for casual or younger players rather than hardcore racing fans.