After Some Extra Time in the Practice Camp, ‘Monster Energy Supercross 25’ Is a True Triple Crown Champion (Review)

Sports games often get a bad reputation for being cut-and-paste copies with incremental upgrades. And while Milestone has always tried to do something different with the Monster Energy Supercross franchise, the formula eventually fell flat. From the first race in Monster Energy Supercross 25, I could tell something was different. Taking a break from numbered updates, they returned to the drawing board and delivered the best on-track experience in years. Putting the simulation aspect ahead of the typical arcadey-ness of the genre, Monster Energy Supercross 25 is a victory lap for Milestone.

He’s Going The Distance, He’s Going for Speed

Since its debut in 2018, the Monster Energy Supercross franchise has captivated me in a very particular way. And while the original trilogy of games may be lauded as some of the best? Subsequent games started to lose track of what made the series special. From the moment I booted up Monster Energy Supercross 25 and took to the track for the first time, I knew I was witnessing the rebirth of the series. Swapping engines to Unreal Engine 5, Monster Energy Supercross 25 is a visual feast for the eyes. It may not be the most graphically intensive game that the engine has powered. But, the improvements are instantly noticeable.

One of the first and most notable inclusions here is the new Dynamic Ruts system. Rather than having a static track, like previous games in the series, track deformation makes its triumphant debut here. A feature that fans have been clamoring for since MX GP 21, dynamic ruts make each lap feel just different enough that repeated races don’t feel obnoxious. Alongside the graphical and engine updates, physics have seen an incredible overhaul this time around, as well. Gone are the days of just being able to pin it through a corner and pray that you’ll survive. I needed to be careful about how I approached every turn, every jump, and every type of terrain.

‘Monster Energy Supercross 25’ Is A Difficult, Yet Rewarding Experience

Monster Energy Supercross 25 is not an easily accessible game. It’s going to command your attention with every moment of a race. Even the slightest gaff can completely compromise a race. But that’s the exciting part of it all. Much like the art of actually riding a dirt bike at a competitive level, I needed to learn the ins and outs of the track, my bike, and my skills before I could finally compete at a proper level. At times, it can be extremely unforgiving. But put the time in and learn, and you’ll be rewarded for it.

No two races feel alike in Monster Energy Supercross 25, and even on the easiest settings, it can feel unforgiving. Even with hundreds of hours spread across six other games? The initial hours of my Monster Energy Supercross 25 journey felt like a learning experience. And that’s exactly what I’m looking for. Rather than just feeling like a graphical facelift of previous games, it offers something new and exciting before I can finally start earning podium wins without feeling like it was pure luck.

‘Monster Energy Supercross 25’ Improves the Menu Navigation and Career Mode, but Still Falls Behind Other Sports Games

Outside of the racing, the menu navigation and career mode have also seen some significant improvements over previous games in the series. Rather than just racing back to back with a customized character, the Career mode in Monster Energy Supercross 25 adds rivals, Climax races, and a few other surprises to keep things interesting. And while these are all great improvements that make the base game feel much more exciting in the long run, I do hope for additional scenarios and new ideas in the next iteration. Regardless, the career mode here is much more intuitive, interesting, and exciting than anything we’ve seen from the franchise before, and I’m very glad about that.

Menus and Career Mode Have Been Improved, But I Still Want More

Main menu navigation has also been incredibly simplified, with just a few menus to choose from. Rather than needing to cycle through multiple pages filled with flashy graphics that are more distracting than helpful, a few button presses will get players exactly where they need to be. Plus, the less time I have to spend in the menus means more time that I get to spend on the track.

Game modes here are your typical fare as well. Single Event, Rhythm Attack, Time Attack, Championship, Online Multiplayer, and Career mode. Plenty to keep players occupied for many hours. But I would like to see some more diverse options in the inevitable sequel. The idea of running a multiplayer career mode with my brother sounds like a dream come true. Especially if we can both jump onto the same team and dominate the CPUs. While I do appreciate the multiplayer offering, as well as cross-platform play, I would like to see things fleshed out a bit further. The on-track racing has been expanded so well this year that I’d love to see the rest of the game get that same type of treatment in the future.

‘Monster Energy Supercross 25’ Offers an Incredibly Solid Base That the Developers Can Continue To Expand Upon

At this point, Monster Energy Supercross 25 is the gold standard of Motocross games. It’s the most fun that I’ve had with the franchise since Monster Energy Supercross 2 stole every moment of my free time when it first released. It’s graphically impressive, even if there is room to grow in the future. Mechanically, it’s the best the games have felt in a very long time. Leaning more into the simulation roots rather than the arcade action of its competitors. The learning curve is bound to give even the most intense racers something to look forward to.

After playing so many sports titles that feel like a gradual improvement over their predecessors, Monster Energy Supercross 25 was like breathing in the fumes of race gas after the start of a race. It was intoxicating, exciting, and a great improvement across the board. It gives Milestone a fantastic foundation to keep building from. And as long as the following Supercross titles take this big of a leap? I’ll be happy to continue recommending them again and again.

I genuinely hope that they stick to a two-year release plan at this point. Seeing the improvements from Monster Energy Supercross 6 to Monster Energy Supercross 25 has been great. And it’s a game that I know is going to be played rather often, as I’ve already put in an embarrassing amount of hours in just a few days.

Verdict: Strongly Recommended

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Monster Energy Supercross 25 is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A code was provided for the sake of review. Reviewed on Xbox Series X.