Being a motorcycle enthusiast comes with several truths. One, this passion we all share is wonderful. Two, this passion also can be incredibly expensive, particularly if you get into racing. And three, motorcycle video games are awesome.
For this list, we’ve compiled what we think are the Top 10 motorcycle video games of all time. Ranking these games would be futile and would run the risk of tainting many precious childhood memories, so this list is just a collection of our favorites. Enjoy!
Excitebike is one of the all-time classic motorcycle video games. Launched by Nintendo for the original NES, Excitebike has players controlling a rider who rockets over jumps, knocks other players to the ground, and turbo boosts their way to victory.
While controls for the game are straightforward, they are far from simple. Excitebike has been praised by numerous outlets over the years for its enjoyable gameplay and how much it challenges the player, making it a blast to master.
The game has also seen numerous updates, and spin-off content, and is part of the larger “Excite” series of video games from Nintendo.
Hang-On is one of the only true arcade games on this list, and it was also available on a number of SEGA consoles. The game has the distinction of being one of the first video games to use 16-bit graphics and SEGA’s Super Scaler technology.
Players race their digital motorcycles against the clock and other AI competitors. In doing so, players in the arcade version of the game utilize Hang-On’s most impressive feature – they sit on a life-size replica motorcycle that controls the motorcycle on the screen.
Lean, accelerate, brake, and nail the gas, and your digital doppelganger follows suit. Neat!
Oh man, the unadulterated joy of Road Rash. I remember playing this game as a kid and loving it. Players jump on a motorcycle and blitz five different tracks in different parts of California.
But, this is no ordinary racing game. You have to fend off-chain/pipe/crowbar-wielding opponents, avoid smashing into traffic and pedestrians, and get busted by the cops.
Road Rash also features an epic soundtrack to complement its ridiculous gameplay and is one of the most unique and interesting motorcycle games to come out of this decade.
It has more quirk and style than almost any other racing game I can think of. If you haven’t played this one before, find a way to fix that ASAP.
Jet Moto was another one of my favorite video games growing up. While not an out-and-out motorcycle game, it does use badass hoverbikes and is incredibly challenging to play. And because you weren’t racing on a traditional motorcycle, you tried to outduel opponents over both land and sea.
Racing in Jet Moto is wild, hard, and a freaking hoot. Tracks wound through mountain passes, over impossibly massive jumps, across beaches, and through endless swamps.
A number of sequels to Jet Moto were released. Several others never left the planning stages and were scrapped, but the original is still the best.
Gran Turismo is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed automotive racing games ever. When you take that same game engine and create a motorcycle racing simulator, the end result is Tourist Trophy.
TT makes use of the Gran Turismo 4 platform including several of the racetracks and other gameplay features.
Players can flog their motorcycles in several different game modes, adjust a range of different features/settings for their rider, choose between 135 different bikes, and race against several other AI riders.
Any riding game that’s built around the things that make GT great deserves a place on this list.
Handheld gaming platforms aren’t always the first place you think of for good racing games – or video games in general for that matter – but Moto Racer for the Nintendo DS is a diamond in the rough.
Like many motorcycle racing games, there are different modes for players to compete in, different tracks, and plenty of oncoming traffic to avoid.
Motor Racer has been praised for the amount of content it offers and the challenges it presents, particularly for a handheld game.
The Nintendo DS’s split-screen layout shows the player’s avatar, while the bottom screen displays where the player is on the track.
If you still have a DS kicking around, dust it off and play this game.
Joe Danger is another unique entry on this list. Unlike most of the games on here, it’s a side-scroller with an emphasis on lighthearted fun rather than strict racing simulation.
It may harken back to the olden days of video games with the side-scrolling viewpoint, but it’s anything but antiquated.
Players race as the game’s cartoon protagonist, Joe Danger. In the game, they can build customized race courses, make their way around crazy obstacles and jumps, and collect as many stars as possible.
A batch of downloadable content came out a few months after the game’s release that fleshed out the game even further.
The Trials series are an absolute blast. There’s something about piloting a trial motorcycle across insane tracks and whipping a motorcycle through physics/gravity/sanity-defying obstacles that are intensely enjoyable.
Players can only move their riders forward and backward, but that doesn’t make the game any less fun or challenging. Because the gameplay is physics-based, the smallest inputs can make or break a particular run, so it takes genuine skill and concentration to be successful.
Trials have received rave reviews from critics, and the level of thought and care that has gone into creating the game is obvious.
Like Tourist Trophy, Ride 2 is as close to a racing simulator as you can come. Players can choose between 200 different motorcycles, 30 tracks, 12 different game modes, and some eight downloadable content packs, allowing for even more fun to be had.
One of the things that make Ride 2 unique is how incredibly realistic it looks. From the cockpit view, you’d swear you actually were tearing down the track at breakneck speeds. The physics of riding in-game is also impressive, as is the level of customization the game allows players to have with their bikes.
Last but not least is MotoGP 17. While this game may not have the critical acclaim of some of the other games on this list, it does do one thing none of the others can – put you in the saddle of a MotoGP bike, piloted by your favorite rider.
Want to race as Marc Marquez? Done. Wonder what it would be like to be Valentino Rossi on track at Mugello? Fire it up and let’s go.
Players can also choose between 70 other riders from MotoGP history, as well as four different classes of motorcycles. The multiplayer aspect is another of this game’s strengths.
The MotoGP eSport Championship pits players from across the globe in head-to-head competition. It’s almost like the real thing, only WAY less expensive!