MXGP 26: No-Frills Racing for Dirt Bike Fans

In 2021, Milestone abandoned the MXGP license. The torch was picked up by Artefacts Studio and Nacon, but their first attempt didn't go so well, with MXGP 24 being poorly received by critics and players alike. However, the French team tried again for this year's edition, and this time they seem to have learned their lesson.

Unlike its unfortunate predecessor, MXGP 26 was developed with Unreal Engine 5, which likely allowed its creators to tear down some old walls and rebuild from scratch. The first thing that stands out is that there is no career mode. The package includes the classic time trial, single event, and championship (plus an open field for practice); that's it. We can create an original rider and customize their helmet, suit, and bike, but we won't deal with sponsors, team changes, technical developments, or public relations; you just hop on and go.

Fans of more immersive simulations might not appreciate such an approach, yet I find it almost “reassuring” that someone in 2026 preferred a “plug-and-play” philosophy for this type of sports experience. Could the two realities coexist? Certainly, we are left with less single-player content to get our hands on, but it's a welcome trade-off if the reduced workload allowed the developers to thoroughly clean up the game's foundations.

Indeed, despite a minimalist framework, MXGP 26's riding model is really well done. The learning curve is quite steep; it takes time to learn how to shift weight in motion and straighten up in the air, and it's easy to crash into fences, but the reward is gameplay that delivers great satisfaction. A long series of “steering” aids assist the player, allowing them to gradually approach the numerous dynamics, making practice accessible and fun, even if you crash constantly.

Each track has a distinctive layout, further influenced by the surface's “hardness” and the weather, with rain making everything more slippery (not too much, but that's better). The bikes are stock; each manufacturer boasts specific performance that we won't be able to tweak, but we can adjust the setup and gear ratios as we please, either generically or in detail, with rather accurate descriptions of their actual performance on the track.

The AI, in turn, can be adjusted not to be too challenging and behaves quite credibly. Opponents follow different trajectories depending on the road surface, never form overly compact groups, and it's not uncommon to see them go off-track. If we like, we can even try to ram unfortunate opponents or land on their heads in an attempt to unseat them (often with disastrous results). At higher difficulties, however, they ride like trains and allow very few mistakes.

Another particularly successful aspect of MXGP 26 is the dynamic terrain deformation, the so-called “ruts.” We can adjust their intensity, accentuating the creation of channels and small ramps as bikes pass. These gradually make riding more difficult, but by learning to “hook in,” it's possible to follow tighter lines in corners without losing speed. On the other hand, a false move and you end up in the stratosphere. The physics engine performs admirably in managing the unevenness of the ground and the many bumps we encounter, but occasionally we “bounce” when the wheel doesn't land properly after a jump. Nothing serious; usually, the response to commands couldn't be more reliable.

In general, it's a pleasure to ride, with a good sense of speed and an equally good representation of the rider's and vehicle's weight. Even after hours, you learn new tricks and easily feel like firing it up for a quick game. The menus are spartan but can be navigated in seconds, and loading times are short; it only takes a moment to get on the track. The only thing I can't stand are the marshals on the side of the track who don't move. If you could pass through them, it would be fine, but they count as an obstacle and force a repositioning if hit, losing precious seconds. It's good to be diligent, but if a bike is coming at me, I'd at least try to avoid it.

So, if there's no career, is there some kind of progression? Ultimately, no: we have access from the very first start to the entire roster of athletes and vehicles, both in the 250 and 450 categories, and we can rearrange events and seasons as we prefer. If nothing else, our rider can unlock a wide array of helmets, gloves, boots, and other trinkets with tickets obtained by completing certain challenges. It's all in-game (except for some liveries reserved for pre-order and the special edition); no Season Pass, experience points, or daily missions. The editor is well-stocked and has a lot of options for dressing up your suit and ride, although it's not as exhaustive as some of its contemporaries.

The presentation is decent, with models boasting an adequate level of detail and animations. Here too, gravel and dirt are the protagonists, thanks to very credible textures and special effects, but I would have expected more mud splashes on the riders, especially during rain. On my machine (a 7800X3D equipped with a 4070) and with everything maxed out, the frame rate remains relatively low but stable, oscillating between 60 and 70 fps, with just a few barely perceptible drops at the start and in adverse weather conditions. The faces of assistants and spectators are ugly, but we'll practically only see them in cutscenes.

The soundtrack features a single track, which manages not to get boring while browsing the menus, while in-race we'll have to make do with the hum of the engines and the skidding of the wheels. It's an okay background, but a couple of extra tunes wouldn't have hurt. The multiplayer component lives up to the rest of the package, offering few, classic options, with ranked matches and private rooms. I haven't had a chance to try it, but from reports currently circulating, there seem to be some latency issues with players on distant servers. Needs further investigation.