It’s that time of the year again, as we take a look into the yearly supercross title by Milestone. Or so you may think, because they skipped 2024, and came back with a vengeance with a revamped title in Unreal Engine 5, a vastly improved physics model, a new AI and much more. We tested Monster Energy Supercross 25 before its official launch on Xbox Series X – here’s how that went!
Monster Energy is better than Red Bull
It just tastes better and has more unique flavours, alright? Red Bull may be sponsoring almost everything racing or extreme sports, up to even having not one but two different Formula 1 teams, but Monster’s the title sponsor of the AMA Supercross series. For the uninitiated, it’s basically the USA series of a variation on motocross, and it sees a large group of riders compete in relatively small tracks, usually set within sport arenas.
These tracks have tight turns, but most importantly, ramps of various sizes, as the riders have to alternate big jumps, wheelies and whatnot to navigate the treacherous dirt traps. It’s not a kind of racing I actively follow, but it’s quite a fascinating and spectacular series, with the 2025 season currently ongoing as we speak. That is one of the biggest changes for this year’s game: for the first time, we no longer have to play the previous season, but we get to ride with the current roster of athletes, bikes, race on the current calendar tracks and so forth.
Unreal racing
Previous installments in the franchise have been using Unreal Engine 4, and frankly, they weren’t exactly lookers. Milestone’s very own MotoGP franchise has always looked miles better (pardon the pun), though it’s easy to imagine their Supercross titles operating on a smaller budget. This game moved to Unreal Engine 5, and it’s hard not to notice.
While many of the in-game models for riders, bikes and such seem to be more or less the same, the general visual quality, the particles, the effects and everything stands out far more, making it appear much more in line with modern games. Once again, we’re not quite at the level of certain AAA racing behemoths, but it’s easily the biggest visual upgrade Milestone has introduced to this franchise.
The physics, too, have been drastically improved – both in the simulation and arcade settings. Bikes seemingly react more believeably when interacting with the dirt, with the management of momentum that also feels more natural and rewarding. Back in 2022, Monster Energy Supercross 5 already succesfully improved the somewhat janky physics of previous games, but now we’re even closer to perfecting the formula. Even the dirt deforms realistically under our wheels, and the very shape of the beaten paths changes from one lap to another. It’s not as impactful as you may imagine, but it’s a fun addition.
Improve all areas
I want to underline two more core areas this year’s title improved over previous chapters on: namely, the AI and the customization. In my review window, for most of the time, I was racing against the AI, be it in career mode or individual races, and I can say that challenging the AI has not been this fun in previous games. They behave more realistically, their racing lines make a lot more sense, and they no longer seem to have the “momentum boost” in jumps they had in prior games. It finally feels pretty real, giving that much more satisfaction when beating them.
The second aspect is the customization, as Monster Energy Supercross 25 goes way beyond what we usually got in this franchise. Pretty much every aspect of the bike and its rider can be customized, with a pretty powerful livery and sticker editor that almost rivals the versality and vastity of the Forza games. Suit, helmet, bike, everything can be personalized to your liking, with even an improved track editor making a comeback.
Well, almost all areas
The feature list of this game is definitely on point. There’s a fun career mode with a proper ladder to climb from lower series, individual races, time trials against your own and online players’ ghosts, on top of various online modes as well – all with full crossplay, to boot. There’s even the brand new Rhythm Attack mode, which sees two bikes in a short but intense head-to-head battle on a straight track full of ramps and high-speed jumps. Out the window goes the strategic race management and line choices – it’s all about pure instinct and speed here.
In fairness, however, the game still feels like it could be a daunting task for newcomers. While the beginner options in physics and the low difficulty AI give a decent amount of leeway, the few available tutorials and tips are quite limited, and only explain the controls and basics – they don’t quite tell you how to optimize racing in what is a completely unique racing style.
I’ve put dozens of hours into this franchise now, so I get by, but even I had found some of the explanations a bit confusing and weak. Even at its easiest, Monster Energy Supercross 25 isn’t quite the most accessible racer around, though it’s easily the most manageable for newcomers in the entire run of Milestone’s supercross games.
The biggest stepping stone towards greatness
Monster Energy Supercross 25 makes quite the noticeable upgrade to this franchise, as the switch to Unreal Engine 5 gives us better looks, better physics, with even various AI and customization improvements that turn this year’s game the best one in the series yet. With the 2025 roster already in place and various promised new content updates throughout the year, AMA Supercross fans should have their hands full – albeit newcomers might still find this peculiar racing style and some of the jank a bit tough to swallow.
Monster Energy Supercross 25
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- Nice visual overhaul
- Much better physics
- AI is more satisfying than ever
- Great customization options
CONS
- Still feels a little janky and cheap at times
- Disappointing tutorials
- Content-wise very similar to previous games
