Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 31
  2. Negative: 0 out of 31
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Unlike most such games Sunrise is packed full of features and what you get with it--besides a unique solo experience--are tools to effortlessly create custom content and share it and enjoy it together with everyone else. It is less than a year old and the community has already made an incredible amount of tracks and vehicles, and Nadeo released a free expansion pack.
  2. Compared to its predecessor, it looks better, moves faster, throws you further and loves you more. The track design is more extraordinary than ever and full of flourishes that I can barely begin to emulate with my own creations, the new gameplay modes fit right in, and indeed Platform is arguably more addictive than anything in the first game all by itself.
  3. Pelaaja (Finland)
    90
    Did you play with Scaletrix as a kid? And did you have wild fantasies about tracks with loops and jumps? Do you have the reflexes of a hyperactive weasel? If you answered ‘yes’ on all the afore-mentioned questions, Trackmania Sunrise is a game made just for you. [May 2005, p.84]
  4. If you enjoy zipping Hot Wheels through loops and off your front porch, TrackMania is an essential selection as it's one of the best PC games of 2005.
  5. Computer Games Magazine
    90
    Everything about TrackMania Sunrise comes together beautifully. [Aug 2005, p.75]
  6. Pelit (Finland)
    90
    An addictive arcade racing experience with lots of personality and many surprising elements. Fun, fun and more fun. [Aug. 05]
  7. 88
    A deceptively simple game, one of those classics that you can instantly pick up and play but which colludes with the pleasure seeking part of your brain into compelling you to keep on playing until you master all its little nuances.
  8. The best thing about Sunrise is that it doesn’t take a huge time commitment. The load times are fast and you can keep this game on your hard drive for months and years to come and just pick up and play whenever you have some spare time.
  9. PC Format
    86
    Despite clumsy menus, the game itself looks utterly beautiful, and as the community grows, the game will expand and become more involved. [May 2005, p.98]
  10. It manages to further establish the series as one of the PC's most playable games to date. If you liked the original then you will love Sunrise.
  11. It delivers racing thrills and the right amount of mental challenge, all wrapped up in a package that's inventive and - yes - easy on the eye.
  12. Racing that feels so fresh and sharp reminds of the sheer pulse-racing style of F-Zero GX. To get this kind of breezy, clean, no-holds-barred racing action on the PC is a delight, and implicitly suggests that Gran Turismo 4 should be made to write out “I must learn the meaning of fun” 5,000 times on a blackboard.
  13. 82
    All-importantly enjoyable and undeniably addictive.
  14. Fast, varied and exacting, although its near-scientific dedication to perfection leaves it empty in the heart. [PC Gamer UK]
  15. Throw in a better overall sense of presentation and an insanely deep track editor, and what you've got is a truly great sequel.
  16. If you are a speed freak who likes a serious single player challenge, you absolutely should check out this game for its solo modes. They are unlike anything found in a PC racing title to date, and will provide you with hours of high octane thrills and spills.
  17. TrackMania’s name really depicts the real essence of the game, different tracks, different challenges but most times you will find yourself driving like a loon and everything is so over the top you can’t imagine how this can be topped.
  18. games(TM)
    80
    It’ll be the online community that makes or breaks Sunrise. Given the way the support for the first game surpassed even the developer’s expectations, we’re inclined to think that this superior sequel should have no trouble in getting fans to rally behind it. [May 2005, p.94]
  19. The best inclusion is a compulsive Platform mode requiring death-defying leaps. Trial and error repetition can frustrate but improving your scores by performing perfect jumps is addictive.
  20. 80
    If you want outrageous arcade racing action, along with the chance to solve some puzzles and get creative, TrackMania Sunrise is a safe bet for your gaming dollar.
  21. Online, Sunrise is beyond fault. There are plenty of games to join (albeit most of which requiring a minimum of GCSE French) while if playing on your lonesome happens to be your thing, plenty of tracks are available for download, with your creations - if any good - are guaranteed an eager reception.
  22. Truly a different game, and it’s different enough to warrant a spot in your collection.
  23. 80
    TrackMania Sunrise is an improvement in virtually every way, but the extreme stunt nature of the tracks, combined with the heavy emphasis on unlocking content (which itself rests upon racing very well), can mean repeating the same track several times until you get it just right.
  24. 80
    While the "car" portion of TrackMania: Sunrise is indeed shallow, the focus on wild, custom race tracks and unique modes of play really puts this game in a class by itself.
  25. Racing fans looking for something a little different, whether you have the original or not, should check this out, it's fast, furious and fun, essential ingredients for a racing game.
  26. Casual gamers may find a hefty learning curve, but the tracks are so inventive; it's ultimately worth the work required to unlock them.
  27. But the tracks seem to be an issue this time because they just feel broken and incomplete compared to the first TrackMania. In the first game I didn’t have the sense of having to replay the tracks over as much as I did with TMS.
  28. PC Gamer
    78
    The absence of any damage or collision modeling will rankle some (cars pass right through one another), and the insane difficulty of some of the later stages - exacerbated by pneumatic Hot Wheels driving physics - will drive many players bonkers. [July 2005, p.69]
  29. Game Informer
    73
    I'm honestly very excited to see what this team comes up with next, and hopeful that future title will have a little more polish to it. [July 2005, p.125]
  30. Edge Magazine
    70
    Sunrise does nothing truly brilliant, but does it with such engaging raw excess that it’s hard not to be sucked in by its fairground attraction. [May 2005, p.88]
  31. A middling offering. What it offers in great visuals, it loses in making those visuals static.

Awards & Rankings

User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 53
  2. Negative: 8 out of 53
  1. May 10, 2020
    0
    Parmi toutes les conneries trackmaniaqueuses commises, cet énième épisode ne sort certainement pas du lot et se contente d'exploiter son filonParmi toutes les conneries trackmaniaqueuses commises, cet énième épisode ne sort certainement pas du lot et se contente d'exploiter son filon merdique jusqu'à plus soif ou jusqu'à ce que la merde nous sépare. Et ça ne prend pas très longtemps, car ça fait bien chier à défaut de distraire !

    Et c'est effectivement toujours aussi merdique, y compris comme simple jeu d'arcade à la petite semaine : de l'arcade sans intérêt, ringarde et dépassée à vrai dire, de l'arcade comme même les Japonais n'en font plus (ils avaient trop honte, à force...!). De l'arcade ennuyeuse, limitée et très basse du front. Et très bête aussi.

    Graphiquement très correct et pas trop exigeant, le jeu ne fonctionne pas sous Windows 7 ni aucun OS 64 bits à cause de la protection anti-copie. J'ai cru que c'était StarForce mais c'est DefenceLine ! on en découvre tous les jours... Bref, ne jamais forcer l'installation de ce truc, ça risque, non ça foutera carrément en l'air le windaube ! Sur Ixpet, aucun problème par contre.

    La désinstallation s'est très bien passée en tout cas ; je ne crois pas que le boîtier soit du plastique recyclable mais je vais le garder en secours pour caler le buffet. Le disque, pour sa part, vole pas mal du tout !
    Full Review »
  2. Jun 19, 2012
    10
    this game is amazing, i can not see 1 flaw. everything about this game is a perfect racing game. a great map editor, an excellent map and AIthis game is amazing, i can not see 1 flaw. everything about this game is a perfect racing game. a great map editor, an excellent map and AI system. i would strongly recommend this game. not to mention that the graphics were amazing for its time. in my opinion this is the greatest racing game ever Full Review »
  3. AnalogueBubblebath
    May 30, 2007
    10
    Sumptuous graphical style, brilliantly tuned arcade racing, and some truly unique gameplay modes. Nadeo really hit the nail on the head with Sumptuous graphical style, brilliantly tuned arcade racing, and some truly unique gameplay modes. Nadeo really hit the nail on the head with this one (and managed it again with their *free* follow up, Trackmania Nations). Sheer, unadulterated fun as both a single- and multi-player experience, and easily the most addictive experience I've had in years. Full Review »