Review: Ride4 is a slow burner but if you stick with it you'll become addicted

The Ride series has always been the best motorbike racing game out there. It offers super realistic racing circuits and motorbikes along with incredibly unforgiving controls that'll have you replaying a race over and over again.

Now the Ride series makes its debut on the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. With it, you're getting what is widely known as the best motorbike game ever to hit consoles, and thanks to the capabilities of the new consoles, it looks better than ever before.

There are a couple of game modes to play, though Career Mode is the one most likely to keep you entertained. In Career Mode, you start as a rookie trying to catch your break in the big time. You compete in different 'B' leagues, taking part in standard races, time trials and gate races to work your way to the big leagues. It's relentless, punishing, and addictive in equal measure.

While the controls are realistic, they're brutally unforgiving and one mistake will cost you. More often than not, you'll be forced to restart a race if you end up over the handlebars because there is simply no recovering from it. After a while, this becomes the norm and is no longer infuriating.

There is a fully functioning multiplayer where you can choose from the 176 bikes on offer and race on one of the 12 circuits. Naturally, it is a lot less intense when you're playing with friends. You can have the craic and just mess around on-track.

What sets Ride apart from its counterparts is its editor, which lets you put your own stamp on whatever bikes you choose and unlike the previous games, there is little to no limitation on what you can do to your ride.

Overall, RIDE 4 on the next-gen consoles delivers incredible visuals, unparalleled depth, a truly testing career mode and a motorbike racing experience like no other. Even though you'll likely start slow and become frustrated at how difficult it may seem, it is an addictive game.