Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Precise control and miles of detail boost Grid Autosport toward first place

Read out full Grid Autosport review.

With Codemasters’ Grid 2 having just passed its one-year anniversary, it’s fair to wonder why there’s a need for a follow-up now in Grid Autosport. Polished video games are always an enticing proposition during the release-light summer months, and Autosport comes to PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on June 24 (June 27 in Europe). But with shiny, new hardware and a growing library of so-called “next-gen” games to choose from, what could Codies possibly have to offer that builds on or steps away from last year’s game in any meaningful way?

Recommended Videos

Quite a bit, as a recent, extended hands-on look demonstrated.

Story/Concept

Choose your own racing career. The multi-discipline racing that’s always been at the heart of the Grid games gets fine-tuned in Autosport in a way that makes the game feel a bit more approachable. Grid 2‘s fictional World Series Racing league is gone, with the thin attempt at delivering a pre-conceived narrative replaced by player-guided progression that breaks all multi-race events up across five categories: Touring, Endurance, Open Wheel, Tuner, and Street.

Each one requires a very different approach to how you play, and each also carries its own “level” progression that informs which events are available and how much juice different sponsors brings to the table. Your first Touring event might only have one sponsor with limited vehicle upgrade opportunities available, but complete that event and you’ll have the opportunity to work with other sponsors (and their increasingly diverse garages) in the Touring circuit.

GRID Autosport
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The intent is to let players focus on finding success with whatever style of racing suits them most. In our limited time spent with Grid Autosport, there didn’t appear to be any penalty for sticking to a particular discipline. In truth, advancement comes even more quickly when you take the time to really commit to a discipline, especially since there are additional XP bonuses to be had as you turn off difficulty-easing features like Steering Assist and Traction Control.

Gameplay

It’s about finding a middleground. Grid leaned very heavily in the direction of simulated racing, and Grid 2 put the brakes on simulation to deliver more accessible play. Autosport seems to strike a balance between the two. Car handling doesn’t break physics completely, but rules are bent here and there for the sake of fun. The flashback feature also returns, allowing you to rewind a few seconds of an offline race at the press of a button, say after a poorly executed turn.

The temptation with racing games is always to dive in and get to the action, but we quickly learned that in Grid Autosport, it’s a very good idea to take advantage of the Practice and Qualifying rounds that precede each race. You stand to secure yourself a better starting position from doing well during the qualifier, and there’s also a lot of value in learning how to handle your car going into key turns. Each car has very different characteristics, and the pre-race rounds are just as valuable for learning the car as they are for learning the track.

GRID Autosport
Image used with permission by copyright holder

More than anything else, the tight controls are what stand out. That may not be a surprise given Codemasters’ deep background in the genre, but the careful balance between precision and accessibility is immediately apparent when you pick up a controller. Cars handle like they’re supposed to, and flashback gives even the most lead-footed players an opportunity to quickly and easily learn from their mistakes. This isn’t any kind of revelation for racing games, but there’s a level of craft present here that translates to a very satisfying experience.

Presentation

These are sweet rides. There are nicer-looking racing games out there, but Grid Autosport puts a welcome emphasis on delivering smaller details. The race tracks benefit the most from this, with responsive environments that become increasingly trashed as 16 automobiles traveling at high speeds collide with obstacles and spin into walls. Everything outside the bounds of the racetrack is similarly rich with detail, right down to the individually modeled spectators gathered to watch the action.

The cars themselves look sharp, but once again, it’s the level of depth behind the textures that wins here. There’s a lot of visual feedback connected to damage and natural wear, with front ends crunching in and sparks flying off of tire-less rims. Beaten-down rides don’t just look the part; they sound and act like it, too. Sputtering exhalations are a constant reminder when your exhaust system takes a hit, and unintended weaving or downright broken steering marks a decimated steering column.

GRID Autosport
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ultimately, all of these minor details come together to make you feel like you’re right there on the track. There are even two different cockpit views to choose from, complete with the muffled sound that you’d expect to hear when inside a car. Again, nothing new for racing games, but realized with a level of precision that screams “polished,” even in (admittedly release-imminent) preview form.

Takeaway

It’ll be hard to say for sure until we can spend some time with the finished product, but Codemasters seems to have justified the existence of Grid Autosport barely a year after Grid 2 arrived. It’s a decidedly different game than its predecessor, with a more streamlined approach to progression that favors player choice and mechanics aimed to bring back those that prefer the first Grid to its follow-up. June 24 is just a few weeks away, so you’ll be able to find out for yourself soon enough.

Topics
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
Oblivion Remastered looks great, but the grass isn’t greener on the other side
A hand blast a monster with an ice spell in Oblivion Remastered.

Before this week, I had only ever experienced The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion through YouTube videos. I couldn’t tell you a single thing about the RPG’s plot, but I can tell you all about the absurd deaths of its NPCs at the hands of emergent gameplay systems going haywire. I could tell you about the blooper line reads that were left in the game. I could tell you about all the bugs that created some of the funniest video game content I’ve ever seen. I loved Oblivion as much as I think you can love a game you haven’t played, but probably not for the reasons Bethesda hopes for. 

To me, Oblivion’s legacy is comedic chaos.

Read more
Alienware Area 51 gaming PC with RTX 5090, 64GB of RAM is $800 off
Alienware Area 51 gaming PC.

Even if money is no object in your quest to buy the most powerful gaming desktop available, you shouldn't ignore any chance at savings. Check this out: Dell is selling the Alienware Area 51 with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card at $800 off, bringing its price down from $6,100 to $5,300. It's still an expensive machine even after what's already one of the largest discounts in today's gaming PC deals, but it's an offer that you shouldn't miss if you're willing to take the plunge into high-end PC gaming.

Why you should buy the Alienware Area 51 gaming PC

Read more
Frostpunk 1886 promises to be the best way to experience the original game
Frostpunk 1886

The Frostpunk universe is a cold, grim place, and 11 Bit Studios just announced a new entry in the franchise: Frostpunk 1886, a reimagined, rebuilt version of the original game made in Unreal Engine. Now in development, Frostpunk 1886 is scheduled for a 2027 release that will add a lot more content to the original city-management game, including mod support.

11 Bit Studios says Frostpunk 1886 was born out of a desire to continue supporting the original, even though the studio's proprietary Liquid Engine is no longer in development. Their response was to shift the first game to Unreal Engine and take the chance to add new mechanics, new laws, and a new Purpose Path that will present a fresh experience for even the most experienced players.

Read more