The New Trackmania Marks the Grand Return of One of Ubisoft’s Underrated Gems

Racing games have expanded to feature everything from open-world exploration to an absurd amount of customisation options. There was a time when the arcade racer focused on the fundamentals of racing and one must commend games that follow this design philosophy.

Games like Excite Bike or OutRun were the progenitors of this style of racing, but the torch has since been passed to Ubisoft’s TrackMania series. A hidden gem from the early 2000s, TrackMania has since garnered a reputation as a freeware game.

From there, the series expanded to include both full-priced console games and free-to-play downloadable versions. Another main aspect of the TrackMania games is the many tracks players can build and share with others online.

The latest entry in the series, Trackmania, loses its upper case M and serves as a soft reboot of the series. Initially launched on PC in July 2020, the game is now available on consoles with cross-play and cross-progression features.

Zoom Zoom Zoom

The core gameplay loop of Trackmania is a direct racing experience for players to compete and climb the leaderboards on more than 1000 tracks, with a new one added every day. Players can also team up with their friends in two different game modes, Ranked and Royal, and join casual daily competitions.

As players progress in the races, players will unlock new prestige skins, medals and trophies to reward their skills. An official Esports circuit is also available for players looking for new challenges, in addition to the many events organised by the community.

Right from the get-go, players can get a feel of Trackmania’s no-frills racing mechanics, where the only options are to stop and go. There are no buttons for boosting or firing weapons; there isn’t even a dedicated drift button, so it is all about racing to the best of your abilities.

So expect time trials and restarting over and over in each track, if you are aiming to make a record a better time than most. The game is more about beating the times of other players, rather than reaching the finish line the fastest.

Build to Rule

Creativity is the fuel of Trackmania’s community with more than 2,000 car skins shared by players for everyone to enjoy. While one can’t expect the wild cars of Rocket League, Trackmania’s games are more utilitarian by design.

The Track Editor is a major highlight and is especially designed for console players with hundreds of new blocks dedicated to gameplay and styling. Players can get overwhelmed by the 3,000 pieces of loop-de-loops and sharp corners, but this level of robust track customisation is unparalleled in the racing genre.

Players can also team up online with their own dedicated racing Clubs. Trackmania features a wide collection of pictures inspired by Ubisoft games, which are available to create and customise in-game Clubs with players' favourite franchises.

Even without engaging in these more social elements, the game is still enjoyable in single-player as one proceeds through the campaign mode to sharpen their skills. There’s also split-screen play for up to four players, which is a great addition.

The Right Track

While Trackmania can be played completely free, more hardcore players can opt for the Standard Access yearly paid subscription or even the Club Access for either a yearly or three-year paid subscription.

The game does well to offer these different tiers of engagement, depending on how serious you are with the game. So whether you are a casual player, a racing enthusiast, or an esports athlete, Trackmania has got you covered.

Overall, this new Trackmania is a welcome return to form for the franchise and is very much a hidden gem within Ubisoft’s pantheon of games. It is the perfect pick-up-and-play game, a quick palette cleanser before you try out more immersive games.

Trackmania is now available to play on Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Players can also access the game on PC on Ubisoft Connect, Epic, and Steam.