RIDE 5 Two hundred bikes, one perfect lap

This is a bike racing game that takes the bike seriously. The physics track how throttle and braking load the front and rear tyre, so you feel a machine lean under you rather than steer like a car. Players agree the handling takes real learning: expect to spend your first hours in time trial just keeping laps clean before you can push. When it clicks, it clicks. Drop into the helmet camera and you get a sense of speed that is hard to beat: your head low over the tank, a knee near the tarmac, the front tyre starting to complain under braking through the controller. It is not the easiest view, but it is the most convincing one.

The one thing you cannot control is the sky. Clear blue can turn into a downpour mid-race and back to sunshine a few corners later, with rolling clouds following you around the track. Every change asks something new of you: a wet surface punishes the same braking points that worked a lap ago, so you adjust your line, your inputs and your bike's setup as the conditions shift. It keeps races honest. A comfortable lead means nothing once the rain arrives, and the last laps of a race that started dry can become the tensest part of your session.

More than 200 motorcycles from well-known manufacturers are here to collect, from classics to modern superbikes, and each one handles differently rather than just looking different. The customisation goes past paint: the livery editor is easy to use, you can share your designs with other players and show off your style, and tweaking a bike's handling settings has a real effect on how it rides, especially on the faster machines. There is a learning curve to the tuning system, but working out a setup that turns a good bike into a great one is half the fun. Your garage says as much about you as your results do.

Split screen is back, and it is the fastest way to start an argument in your living room. Pick your bikes, pick a track, and settle it live: no lobbies, no waiting, just two riders and one finish line. Between rounds you can dig into Race Creator and build your own events, from a single race to a full championship, choosing the bikes and tracks and setting the rules yourself as race director. That makes it easy to keep a session fresh: one friend picks the circuit, the other picks the class, and the loser picks the next track. Short races, instant rematches, and someone always wants one more go.