MotoGP 26 Rebuilds Its Core Handling From the Ground Up, Says Dev, Forcing Veterans to Rethink Every Corner

Later this week, MotoGP 26 will launch on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and X, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

According to Italian developer Milestone, this year's entry represents the most significant overhaul of the franchise's core in years. The headline change, the new Rider-Based Handling system, flips the fundamental control philosophy on its head: where previous games mapped player input directly to the bike, MotoGP 26 routes it through the rider's body first, shifting weight before the bike responds. It is a subtle but far-reaching change that touches animations, physics feel, and how veterans will need to approach every corner.

To understand exactly what that means in practice, and to dig into everything from Dynamic Rider Ratings and the new 3D paddock to AI improvements, cross-play expansion, and why Switch 2 players are still racing in their own ecosystem, we sat down with Game Director Matteo Pezzotti.

The Rider-Based Handling System is the headline feature of MotoGP 26. In previous games, players controlled the bike directly. Can you explain concretely what changes in terms of inputs and feel? Will veteran players need to relearn their approach entirely, or is it more of an evolution?

Matteo Pezzotti: In previous games, the controller input was applied directly to the bike steering, and the rider would move accordingly. This year, we’ve completely overhauled the system: input is now applied directly to the rider’s body, so the weight shifts first, and then the bike follows. The goal of this change is not only to deliver a more realistic riding feel but also to ensure smoother, more detailed animations. For example, counterbalancing animations when exiting corners are, in my opinion, one of the most successful improvements. Overall, it's easier to feel the bike at every given moment and manage the riding feedback. The RBH provides a more balanced experience that makes you better understand the limits and makes chasing fast laps more enjoyable.

Dynamic Rider Ratings will be updated based on real-world MotoGP results. Can you share how frequently? Will they sync automatically, and will they apply retroactively within a Career Mode save already in progress?

At the beginning of the season, the values on the track are never entirely clear, so we plan to update this data every two weeks, roughly after the GPs. As time goes on, we believe the situation will stabilize and there will be no need to drastically change things from one race to another.

Speaking of Career mode, the riders’ skills will be set at the start of each season. This is a design choice to avoid compromising the level of challenge: for example, seeing a title contender suffer a performance drop halfway through the championship could feel unsatisfying. Also, Career mode evolves dynamically due to player agency (i.e. changing team), drastically changing the landscape of the roster(s). If the player levels up a low-tier bike to the top, their teammate will benefit from their intervention, even if the real rider is not performing that well in the real 2026 championship.

MotoGP 25 received some criticism for its inconsistent AI behaviour. Did you attempt to improve the AI in MotoGP 26? If so, how?

As you may know, our AI is based on a neural model, so not only do we work hard to improve it every year, but it’s also capable of evolving on its own thanks to the new training sessions we constantly manage. This year, the biggest challenge was getting the AI to adapt to the new physics system and rider-based handling without losing performance, aiming to make it even more consistent. Another major addition is related to the Arcade Experience, which this year will feature dedicated agents and an AI system specifically designed for it, ensuring that competition with the player is even more balanced: each difficulty level is fine-tuned for both Arcade and Pro Experience, thus delivering the right challenge to the player at every moment.

The 3D paddock is a significant expansion for Career Mode, with Thursday press conferences and a personal manager. How much does player choice actually matter here? Are these decisions purely narrative flavour, or do they produce meaningfully different outcomes on the bike and in contract negotiations?

It’s not just flavour; in this Career Mode, every choice really counts. During press conferences, the answers given to journalists shape career objectives and rewards. For example, at the start of a season, you can declare whether you want to focus on bike development or aim for top results right away. A more conservative approach in your answers will lead to more moderate objectives but smaller rewards, while more assertive responses will be tied to higher-level goals and prizes. During the press conference, an on-screen system will show the player how their objective is taking shape.

Similarly, meetings with your manager will be crucial to express your expectations, the teams you would like to race for, and to arrange meetings and negotiations with top managers from the various manufacturers.

The press release mentioned a brand new location for Race Off. Can you share which one you chose and why? You also added Production Bikes as a 1000cc category. Is there a longer-term plan to make Race Off a more central pillar of the game, or does it remain a side mode in your view?

Yes, we’ve added a new location called Canterbury Park. When we designed this environment, we imagined a group of enthusiasts taking over a disused industrial area and turning it into a “playground” for motorcycle fans. The warehouse and the surrounding grove have become the setting for minibike, motard, and flat track races; the walls of the buildings have been decorated with motorcycle-themed murals, and now you can feel the racing atmosphere everywhere.

In Career mode, we’d like to give increasing importance to these disciplines for rider training and physical fitness, just like in real life. That said, our vision is that they have to remain complementary: this is the official MotoGP game, and that must remain the focus.

MotoGP 25 was the first entry built on Unreal Engine 5, but reviewers noted the visual gains were more modest than expected, particularly in off-track environments. Is MotoGP 26 doing further work on top of that UE5 foundation, particularly in terms of crowd, paddock, and environment fidelity?

Previous MotoGP games didn’t offer much outside the on-track experience. This year, we wanted to break old patterns and make every moment in the game feel infused with the MotoGP atmosphere, so that every frame is a reminder of what fans see on TV during a race weekend. Paddock, hospitality areas, the back podium zone, the inside of team trucks… overall, you’ll notice a lot of new locations this year.

Cross-play now supports full 22-player grids, a significant jump. Does that suggest there were improvements in netcode and online stability?

We’ve introduced several improvements related to server stability and the quality of the opponent’s replica; thanks to the experience we gained with the eSports Championship, especially last year. These were necessary changes to allow 22 players on track at the same time and to recreate full grids just like in the real MotoGP series.

Why does Nintendo Switch, including Switch 2, remain excluded from cross-play? Also, is it not technically feasible to increase the number of riders on the Switch 2?

Making Switch 2 users play within their own environment is more of a design choice than a technical one. Nintendo platforms have a very different control scheme, with the most noticeable difference being the lack of analog triggers. This led us to tune a different physics setup to ensure the same level of bike control. However, at that point, it didn’t seem fair to have players race on track with different physics, as we felt the competition would not be fair. About the number of riders, it’s something we are investigating, but we have all the constraints given by a console that’s less powerful than the competitors.

Thank you for your time.

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