RiMS Racing Review Summary

Highly realistic and addictive with great graphics, but broken AI, limited bike selection, and poor controls and handling hold it back.

Highly realistic bike simulation: The game is widely regarded as the most realistic motorbike game available, with accurate physics and rider behavior. It closely simulates real bike ownership and track riding.

Fun and addictive gameplay: Players consistently describe the game as fun, enjoyable, and highly addictive. The overall gameplay experience is praised across many reviews.

Great graphics and environment: Many reviewers highlight the high-quality graphics and beautiful environments. Visual presentation is frequently mentioned as a strong point.

Detailed bike customization options: Reviewers appreciate the extensive customization system, including aftermarket parts and detailed components like Öhlins forks and Brembo calipers. The depth of customization is a standout feature.

Appeals to simulator and motorsport fans: The game is recommended for those who enjoy simulators and motorsport. It fills a niche for a Forza-style motorcycle racing game.

Broken AI behavior: The AI racers exhibit poor behavior such as late braking, ramming the player from behind, and failing to follow proper racing lines. This causes frequent collisions and ruins the racing experience.

Limited bike selection: The game offers only around 8 bikes, which players find insufficient and lacking variety, especially beginner-friendly options. This limited roster makes the game feel empty.

Poor control and handling: Players report issues with controller and keyboard controls, sluggish steering, and unrealistic bike behavior that makes riding difficult. The lack of proper force feedback further worsens the experience.

Insufficient track variety: Players complain about the small number of tracks and the absence of classic circuits like Monza, Imola, and Spa. The few tracks available become repetitive quickly.

Missing rewind and difficulty options: Players miss a rewind mechanic in realistic settings and find AI difficulty not adjustable independently. This lack of flexibility reduces enjoyment for some.

Motorcycle racing simulation focus: Most players describe the game as a realistic motorcycle racing simulator with simulative physics and careful control. It is frequently called a hardcore motorcycle simulator focused on track riding and realistic behavior.

Career mode central feature: The career mode is a core part of the game, offering progression, races, and events. Many players highlight its inclusion and structure.

Mechanic mode for bike assembly: The game includes a mechanic mode where players disassemble and reassemble bikes bolt by bolt. This detailed component interaction is a distinctive feature.

Simple race and time trial modes: Players mention a simple race mode alongside career, including single races and time trials. These provide alternative gameplay options.

Realistic physics simulation: The game features realistic physics, including a dedicated realistic physics mode. Players note realistic driving physics and vehicle dynamics.

Crashes and Freezes: The game frequently crashes or freezes, often at startup, during races, or after a short period of play. These issues are reported across various hardware configurations, including capable systems.

Stuttering and Lag: The game suffers from stuttering, lag, and frame pacing issues even on high-end hardware, making the experience feel unfluid. These problems often persist regardless of graphics settings.

Graphical Artifacts and Glitches: Players encounter graphical errors such as black polygons, flickering, artifacts, and pop-in, which can severely impact gameplay. These issues are sometimes linked to AMD hardware.

Positive Performance Experiences: Some players report good performance with stable framerates, short load times, and solid graphics, especially on high-end hardware.

AMD Compatibility Issues: Players on AMD systems, particularly with certain GPUs, report severe graphical artifacts, crashes, and unplayable performance. These problems persist despite driver updates and reinstalls.

Recommended for motorcycle enthusiasts: The game is highly recommended for motorcycle lovers, motorsport fans, and those who enjoy realistic racing simulations. It appeals to players who appreciate deep bike customization and realistic physics.

High price, low content value: Many reviewers feel the game is overpriced for the amount of content, especially the complete edition, and recommend waiting for a sale. The price should reflect the lower level of polish compared to other titles.

Not recommended in current state: Many reviewers do not recommend the game due to bugs, crashes, performance issues, and lack of polish. Some suggest waiting until problems are fixed or a sequel is released.

Hardcore simulation, not beginner-friendly: The game is described as total realism, not suitable for casual players or newcomers to motorcycle racing. It is recommended only for hardcore players who have conquered similar sims.

Not a casual bike game: Many reviewers note the game is not for those expecting a casual arcade bike experience, suggesting the RIDE series instead. It targets players who prefer realistic simulation over casual fun.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Session length: 2.0h.

RIMS Racing is often hard to get into due to difficult controls, mandatory tutorial races, technical issues, and repetition, but some players find it highly addictive after getting the hang of it. Casual players can enjoy it sooner with rider assists or immediate stock-bike modes, while others report crashes that prevent progress past the tutorial.

Friction: Very difficult controls; Mandatory tutorial races; Long 25/35-lap tyre wear and endurance tutorials without upgraded bike; Crashes during the tutorial race; Harsh, non-disableable penalty, progression, and wear/damage repair; Poor performance with micro-lags and pop-in.

Unlock drivers: Turning on rider assists for casual play; Getting the hang of the difficult controls; Using stock bikes for immediate multiplayer, single challenges, or time attacks.

Hardcore Motorcycle Sim Veteran: Full-sim riding with no assists, extensive practice, tuning and repair, and long career seasons. Motivation: Master realistic motorcycle physics and deep bike tuning under a demanding simulation. Stance: buy.

Casual Bike Racing Newcomer: Uses rider assists, plays career or single races casually, and prioritizes fun over strict simulation. Motivation: Enjoy accessible, rewarding motorcycle racing without hardcore frustration. Stance: buy.

Value-Conscious Content Skeptic: Evaluates roster and DLC, waits for discounts, and may still play career or casual races after a cheap purchase. Motivation: Get enough bikes, tracks, and content for a fair price without DLC milking. Stance: deep sale.

Steam Deck: The Steam Deck experience is not seamless. Controller compatibility on Linux/Steam Deck is a recurring issue, with Xbox controller recognition failures and trigger mapping errors. Some users can reach a good state only through a guide or launch-option workaround. More seriously, multiple users report hard crashes at the tutorial and career mode start, including refund requests. Positive reports of no crashes and working analog controls exist, but the stability failures are significant enough to classify the experience as broken for a notable portion of users.

Frequent comparisons to RIDE: The game is constantly compared to the RIDE series, with players noting differences in simulation level, handling, and content. Some find it more realistic, while others prefer RIDE for its arcade feel or better graphics.

Limited content quantity: Players consistently note a small number of bikes (6-8) and tracks (around 8-10), with limited variation and few licensed real-world models. Even with DLC, the track selection remains sparse.

High realism and simulation: The game is praised for its realistic physics, handling, and attention to detail, including a detailed parts replacement and maintenance system that teaches motorcycle mechanics. Players compare it favorably to simulators like Assetto Corsa Competizione.

Free trials and discounts: Many players purchased the game at a very low price, during free trials, or as part of a bundle. This has led to more positive reviews from those who feel they got a good deal.

Positive comparisons to other games: Some reviewers compare the game favorably to titles like TT Isle of Man, MotoGP, and even car sims like Assetto Corsa Competizione, praising its focus and realism.