GRID Legends

Like the original, GRID Legends aims to not only offer many kinds of racing, but do them at a fairly high level. That is a lofty goal, but one that is largely achieved albeit with a few odd sacrifices. The exciting on-track action is undercut by only the story mode having a bumping soundtrack, and that’s just a bizarre move that I don’t recall saying in a modern-day racer. Franchise fatigue is a real thing and the GRID reboot was hurt by being a series of races with no framework, while everything in GRID Legends has a sense of purpose to it that helps keep a “one more race” mentality throughout each play session. It’s an outstanding racing game and one that fans of the genre should pick up.

Grid Legends could have been left behind, having launched at same time as another fairly big name of virtual motorsports. However, Codemasters gave us one of the best simcade experiences ever. With an impressive Story Mode, the usual variety in events and classes, and an acessible Race Editor, Grid Legends honors its TOCA origins and places itself right back on the main... grid.

GRID Legends is without a doubt an evolution of the 2019 installment, even though hardcore fans of the franchise expected a bigger upgrade. The overhaul is not very obvious at first, and this is why I think you should give it some time. Try the story mode, even if it’s quite short, and pay attention to the smallest details. This is what GRID Legends is all about. It’s a more refined version of its 2019 sibling, and in many ways, it feels the racing experience even more involving. But at the end of the day, it’s essential to always know what to expect. GRID Legends isn’t by any means supposed to be a racing sim. It’s still an arcade title, and as long as you have this mind, there’s absolutely no chance you’ll end up disappointed.

Codemasters has put a good amount of thought into reinventing the GRID experience. GRID Legends is no doubt the best GRID to date with the amount of new options and the power of the PlayStation 5 and added tech included. I simply had a lot of fun playing this as the racing model is as addictive as ever. The story mode deserves recognition due to its design and a solid enough story, but feels more like a tutorial to get players acclimated with the series. The visuals have highlights and lowlights, but the weather effects and the reflections are where it shines the best without having to implement ray tracing. The game needs to be experienced with a headset on this console and it also gives a possible idea of what a game that launches in a week might have in store. GRID Legends pushes the series forward with new additions while the core game remains intact.

The Driven to Glory campaign is the big push, but is actually only a thin layer of what this package offers overall. GRID Legends has a solid career mode, with a ton of cool activities and customization options. The content gating is a bit frustrating (be prepared to grind a bit), but overall there is a mountain of fun to be had with this rock-solid arcade racer.

GRID Legends is a wonderful racer that dials down the simulation elements of other racers, making it accessible to everyone. It features a fair amount of modes and some stunning visuals, as well as a wide range of cars to choose from.

Codemasters delivers another great racing game. GRID Legends includes a new story mode and nemesis system, perfect controls and a wide variety of competitions, up to 22 players online. We loved climate effects such as rain or snow.

Grid Legends is a distinguished racing game, specially by its story in the "documentary" style - one of the best I've seen in games of the genre - despite being cliché and leaving the player in the background. This is a great racing game. It's a shame it was "squeezed" into a season with many equally excellent games vying for attention. Going head to head against Forza Horizon 5 and Gran Turismo 7 isn't easy, but Grid Legends brings its own identity and shows that the genre has much more to offer.

Playing through Grid Legends’ story mode was a treat — at times I felt like I was a part of a real team with drama and stakes. I would have liked to see it expanded, but the driving is really what players are here for, and in that regard, Grid Legends is a real winner.

GRID Legends stands out from the pack thanks to great variety, action packed racing, fallible rivals and a superbly endearing story mode.

Providing a good time for both sim fans and arcade racing fiends, Grid Legends has plenty of content and knows how to use it. Get in and enjoy the ride. [Issue#12, p.76]

GRID Legends might not blow your doors off, but it does tighten many of the core ideas from previous games while packing in a ton of content.

GRID Legends is a hell of a fun arcade ride with a serious pedigree that continues the evolution started in the reboot from 2019. However, the FMV story mode is something we could easily do without.

A new racer in the well-known franchise that doesn't really excel at anything, but certainly doesn't do anything wrong either. It is entertaining, varied and has enough content to keep you interested for a long time. It also looks and plays nice. It is notable that it is on the easy side and that there are some flaws here and there. Fan of arcade racers? Then this is a good choice.

This is a solid evolution from the previous entry, with a fun career mode and, what’s more important, plenty of virtues for racing fan games to enjoy.

It doesn't reinvent the wheel by any stretch, but there's no denying that on the track GRID Legends is a fun time.

While the story is harmless, it’s hard to take it seriously. Thankfully the on-track action is thrilling and varied, offering a robust online setup and everything you’d want from a new Grid game, even if some of the smaller details fall a little flat.

With GRID Legends, Codemasters has delivered one of the most generous and inclusive racing games of recent years. Though while its moment-to-moment action is pretty much second to none, its career mode just doesn’t quite get its hooks in you like it should. Throw in limited multiplayer offerings, and you have a racing game that’s great but not spectacular. If you want to fling cars around a whole load of city-based tracks and gleefully trade paint with your competitors, this is the racing game for you. Just don’t go in expecting to get all that invested in your career exploits.

Grid Legends finds its niche alongside Forza Horizon and Gran Turismo, offering track-based thrills for all skill levels.

A tip of the hat to Codemasters for trying something new with the Story Mode. While it doesn’t enhance the game in the way intended, it does make for a useful tour of the game’s offerings. Grid Legends is a lot of fun and that’s what really matters at the finish line.

If you are a GRID fan and want to have lots of fun with the newest entry of the series, GRID Legends is a nice addition to your library. But if you are looking for a more realistic approach instead of an arcade one, maybe you should probably look elsewhere.

A decent new entry to the revamped GRID series, which keeps the middle between pure arcade and sim racing. Races are no-nonsense across diverse tracks. While not without technical issues, the races itself are generally enjoyable and graphically above adequate. Progress is regularly gated, which could have easily been dropped, as there is more than enough content available. An even larger range of tracks would have been great.

Grid Legends has been a little prey to their intentions and times. The first, because what they wanted to reinforce the most is a narrative story mode that is far below what we expected to stay in no man's land. It is neither surprising, nor particularly interesting and does not seem to take itself too seriously. On the other hand, it doesn't invent the wheel either, never better said. And it dares to come out just a few days before a giant of virtual driving such as Gran Turismo 7.

Much like the previous title released in 2019, GRID Legends will not revolutionize the history of racing games, but it is still very good arcade entertainment. If it does not go far enough in the depth of its career mode and in the possibilities of customizing the liveries, the title is on the other hand very complete on its most raw aspect.

Ultimately, Grid Legends is a good pick-up-and-play experience, and folks motivated to grind through every challenge it has to offer will remain occupied for a while. That said, those with less patience for repetitiveness may be looking for the off-ramp sooner.

GRID Legends does an admirable job of keeping pace with its rivals with a steady title offering all a racing fan would expect. Every aspect is done to an admirable standard from graphics, modes and handling. This is recommended for fans of the genre but also for newcomers looking for an arcade feel mixed with their realism. With the excellently cheese fest of story mode and fun integration of the nemesis system, there's something for everyone here.

GRID Legends is a lot of fun overall. Its story mode is enjoyable pulp drama while the minute-to-minute racing is genuinely exhilarating. It may feel a little limited overall for those who want a deep racing experience, but players who go in expecting something breezy will find plenty to love here.

Grid Legends is a unique racing game because it actually manages to tell a compelling story. All the rivalries and friendships manifest themselves on the racetrack. The racing itself is quite easy, however, and will not challenge anyone except the beginners.

Although its addition of plot and characters doesn’t quite work the racing action is as thrilling as ever, with a huge diversity of vehicles and the compelling handling fans have come to expect from the series.

GRID Legends is a solid new entry in Codemasters’ racing franchise. It features the same excellent gameplay you’ve come to expect from the developer, with some nice adaptive trigger implementation in the PS5’s DualSense. The game’s main draw — the Story Mode — falls short of providing a compelling narrative, ultimately amounting to a mere distracting backdrop to the true star of the show: the races. Visuals look nice, but perhaps not nice enough for the PS5, and the music is overall a bit repetitive and unnecessary. All in all though, GRID Legends is worth a look, but time will tell if it manages to hold its own against the competition.

Collisions! Drama! Firework! And in between also some races in which your car rarely steers really well. That summary does indicate that Grid Legends is not for real motorsport enthusiasts, but can be fun for the more casual racing fan.

GRID Legends is a mismatched racing game with a surprising story mode and features. The gameplay is an awkward mix of simulator and arcade that doesn’t lend itself to either’s strengths, and with puzzling direction will likely alienate fans of both. Yet, Driven to Glory and the sensational crashes in races make for good fun. With Codemasters’ car expertise and implementation of hardware accessories, the experience is worth trying. Still, coming up against other big-name racing series, I don’t think GRID Legends will make the podium finish.

Graphically, the game doesn't do too poorly, although a comparison with last year's Forza Horizon 5 wouldn't make it a winner. Grid is more thrilling, can be pleasantly fresh thanks to the different types of races like elimination, and even if it doesn't use DualSense as well as Gran Turismo, it's still a solid racing game that is sure to entertain with its variety of cars, tracks, and well-handled multiplayer. [Issue#318]

GRID Legends builds on the foundations of the 2019 reboot, improving the driving experience in certain areas, adding a big new story mode, and throwing more variables and variety into the mix. There's enjoyable, pulpy action racing to be had here, but some of the fundamental weaknesses from the last game remain, and as the racing game community increasingly looks toward sim racing, it feels like this franchise is in need of another reinvention.