For The Love Of Motorbikes
My history with the Ride franchise has been interesting. I have tried to find my feet on two wheels several times, but the Ride series has never kept me playing for more than just a few hours. However, that hasn’t stopped me from trying again with this latest entry, Ride 6, and I’ve quite enjoyed my time with the game thus far. That said, will it keep me playing for months on end like Forza and Gran Turismo? Or has it crashed out on the final bend towards the finish line? Let’s talk about it!
If you’ve never played a Ride game, they are motorcycle or motorbike (depending on where you live) focused racing experiences. Unlike the MotoGP series, which is also developed by Milestone, Ride offers a wider variety of bikes and doesn’t only focus on the professional racing scene.
Most players have long considered Ride to be the more accessible and arcadey of the two franchises. However, Ride 6 seems to close that gap, offering more realistic physics, and thus the gameplay tends to lean into the MotoGP lane this time around. That said, if you still want the slightly more arcade-like physics, you can totally take a bike out for a spin, should you not take to the added realism. That’s because the game allows you to choose between arcade and pro options, which affect not only the physics but, in turn, bike handling and braking times, etc.
Don't be fooled into thinking Arcade is easier either; it’s simply a different style of gameplay. If you're new or haven’t played much previously, like me, Ride 6 has a steep learning curve regardless of which setting you choose. Eventually, I settled on Pro myself because something about it felt more natural, and I enjoyed how bikes would react quite differently to terrain changes. This is something that is also present in the arcade setting, but far less noticeable.
One aspect of gameplay I found very challenging initially was cornering, that’s because unlike other racing games, where you find yourself in a car most often. Ride 6 doesn’t allow you to just push left or right and turn in that direction without issue. You almost have to slowly rotate the stick as you turn into and out of corners, maintaining balance between the bike and rider. It makes complete sense on a technical level, but coming from games where you race primarily in cars. Ride 6 will take several hours of gameplay to even get good at, let alone master.
The game is made more demanding by the fact that each track and bike feels vastly different to race on, with each bike feeling different on every track as well. While that might sound like a bad thing, I loved it because it forces you to learn the tracks and bikes you're using rather than going through the motions. It also shows an attention to detail, along with a level of love and care for bikes at Milestone that is unmatched by any other developer.
So, when it comes to gameplay, Ride 6 is a solid title that sits somewhere between a full-on arcade racer and a true-to-life simulation. Its physics system and focus on bikes make it stand out from the competition, but the learning curve for cornering might be too steep for casual players. The game does offer a rewind feature like we have seen in the Forza and EA F1 titles previously, so that can help you if you’re having serious trouble.
This brings me to accessibility, and while Ride 6 definitely isn’t keeping up with the likes of the Forza Horizon games on this front, what it does offer are crucial options that can and will make the game so much more playable for those with physical limitations. In the options, you can enable automatic braking, as well as semi-auto or full-auto steering, meaning that those who can only press one button at a time can still play Ride 6. Milestone still has some way to go in the accessibility department, but what they have implemented here deserves praise. Making it easy for me to recommend this game to anyone with physical limitations, and it’s a significant improvement over not only previous entries but the sub-genre as a whole.
So we have a highly playable, solid gameplay experience, but what about the content you’ll be playing? One of the main selling points for Ride 6 is the revamped career mode, which I spent most of my time with in the review period. There is also online multiplayer and full cross-play, but unfortunately, I couldn’t test it during the review period.
When it comes to the career, Ride 6 feels like a mix between Forza and Gran Turismo. Instead of some grand festival or a menu-driven series of tests, you have a series-based setup that offers a great deal of variety. This has you entering a series that requires a specific type of bike for a number of events on a certain track. These events usually include races against AI and time-trial runs, with each event having its own objectives. These range from simple objectives like winning the race to avoiding falling off your bike and getting no penalties.
Completing these objectives allows you to progress through the series and build your reputation to gain access to new events, which often require different bikes or classifications of bikes. That’s where the Forza comparison comes in. Ride 6 has ranks for bikes with letters and numbers, such as C342 or A101, just like Forza. Don’t worry too much about it, because once you finish a series of events, you’ll gain a reward, and from what I’ve seen, these are always a new bike.
While this structure works well on paper, the cracks begin to show once you spend more time progressing through the career. This did leave me feeling like Ride 6’s career mode is trying to be a collectathon like Gran Turismo, especially with the way winning events on a certain bike builds your affinity with that manufacturer, providing sizable discounts on their bikes. The issue is you’re always gaining new bikes through rewards, so I never once felt the need to buy one, which ultimately makes the affinity system feel largely pointless.
Given the number of bikes you’ll end up acquiring, I like having to use and learn different ones, but progression isn’t rewarding enough in its current form. Sure, you occasionally get cosmetic items from real-world motorcycle brands, which is nice, but that’s not why I’m playing. The customization is also fairly limited, with your rider looking like he’s straight out of an Xbox 360 game.
By contrast, the bikes and tracks look amazing and sound just as you think they would. Audio design reflects the direction of an AI opponent approaching you from behind so well that I never had to look back.
In the end, Ride 6 is so close to being a truly special motorbike racing game. Everything on the track is outstanding, and the bikes have a solid handle to them, regardless of what setting you opt into. Unfortunately, a lack of engaging content, limited progression systems, and a steep learning curve for new or casual players really hold the game back from being a whole-hearted recommendation, unless you are a bike enthusiast. If you love bikes the same way that the team at Milestone does, then Ride 6 may feel like a dream, and there is an enjoyable game here; I just wish it had more in-depth content to keep me ripping down the tarmac for months to come.
Developer - Milestone
Publisher - Milestone
Released - February 12th, 2026
Available On - PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rated - (E) - Mild Language
Platform Reviewed - PC
Review Access - A review code for Ride 6 was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
I’m Jordan I have a background in game design and am deeply passionate about accessibility in gaming. My favourite games/franchises include Shenmue, Red Dead Redemption 2, Plague Tale: Requiem, Metal Gear Solid 3, Yakuza, Splinter Cell, and Assassin’s Creed.