Review: Monster Energy Supercross 6

Another year, another Monster Energy Supercross game and number 6 proves to be the best one yet.

Let’s be clear though – this isn’t a drastically different entry to 5. It’s very similar to refinements seen across the board, so whether or not it’s worth getting is going to depend on how much you care about updated bikes, tracks and riders. But that also means that it builds on a game which was already pretty good, and makes a lot of tweaks which are appreciated.

So let’s start with the handling, shall we? A bike game lives and dies based on how it is to ride the bikes, and Supercross 6 captures this very well. There are still some finicky adjustments at points which is a shame, as I feel there’s an opportunity to master the handling of what it feels like to throw a bike into and around corners which just isn’t present here, but the momentum going over jumps and whoops is felt nicely. A better training mode than the previous entries helps explain it all too, with good assists available that fully let you enjoy the game whatever your skill level is – as constantly getting jumps wrong is as quick a way to turn this game off as anything else, so thankfully there’s a way to avoid this now.

Career mode is largely the same, split into Futures, Rook and Pro seasons. This is a bit of a chore having played the last game and having to go through it all again to open up the more powerful bikes, but it’s understandable from a progression point of view. The same rider skill tree exists too, being able to upgrade and develop your rider in a similar vein to how a professional rider develops (better cornering etc, as well as having to consider injuries as you progress). Rivalries are in place as the competition gets harder too, although they do get lost a bit in the shuffle in the races.

Thankfully, and finally, cross-play is here so this will hopefully really boost the online side as getting games in older versions has been a challenge at points. A new mode, Rhythm Attack has you complete drag races against another player over a series of different jumps. It’s a fun diversion.

I mentioned the increased assists, but the fleshed-out training arena helps get you ready for this too. Jeremy McGrath provides tips and tricks to help too, which will be a boon for folks who like Supercross in real life, but for everyone else, it might just be ‘some dude’. Nonetheless, outside of any great laps, Supercross 6 provides the best recreation of Supercross in gaming and the best in the series to date, so that makes it worth a look for bike fans.

Reviewed on PS5