GRID: Autosport

🔥 What is GRID: Autosport?

GRID: Autosport strikes a perfect balance between arcade accessibility and simulation depth, creating what many consider the ideal “simcade” racing experience. The game was developed in direct response to community feedback following GRID 2, addressing many criticisms by reintroducing features like cockpit view and more realistic handling.

The game places players in the role of a professional racing driver, allowing them to build their career across various racing disciplines. With its refined handling model that tends toward understeer at speed and greater potential to lose control on the edge of grip, GRID: Autosport demands more measured acceleration, steady steering, and careful braking than its predecessor.

👉 Features of GRID: Autosport

Diverse Racing Disciplines

One of GRID: Autosport’s standout features is its division into five distinct racing categories:

• Touring: Featuring bumper-to-bumper racing with aggressive AI in BTCC, Stock Car Brasil, and V8 Supercars
• Endurance: Introduces tire wear mechanics, adding strategic depth with GT cars like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and classic Ford GT40
• Open Wheel: Offers formula racing with vehicles like the Dallara DW12 from IndyCar Series
• Tuner: Focuses on American muscle cars and drift events
• Street: Features hypercars like the Bugatti Veyron and Koenigsegg Agera R on city circuits

Impressive Vehicle Selection

The game boasts 103 cars across various tiers and classes, providing incredible variety despite having fewer vehicles than franchises like Forza or Gran Turismo. From contemporary touring cars to classic GT racers and modern hypercars, the diversity is impressive.

Extensive Track Roster

Players can race on 15 real-world circuits including Spa-Francorchamps, Brands Hatch, and Mount Panorama, plus 2 fictional permanent circuits, 7 street circuits, and 4 point-to-point tracks, totaling 28 locations with over 130 configurations.

Gameplay

GRID: Autosport’s gameplay focuses on pure racing, stripping away unnecessary elements to deliver an intense and rewarding experience. The career mode is structured around seasons, with players choosing between offers from various racing teams, each with different objectives.

What truly sets the game apart is its exceptional AI. Opponents exhibit realistic track behavior with defensive driving lines, late-braking overshoots, and clever cut-backs to regain positions. This creates genuinely thrilling battles where even finishing in 8th place can feel rewarding, especially when starting from the back of the grid with assists turned off.

The game places players in the middle of the pack more often than not, making overtaking a genuine challenge. Unlike many racing games where players have better acceleration than AI, in GRID: Autosport, players have better brakes, requiring strategic approaches to overtaking.

The team radio system allows players to request information about car damage, gaps, and rival positions, adding to the immersion. Players can also direct their AI teammates to attack, defend, or hold position.

Pros and Cons

✔️ Pros

• Superb car handling that’s both deep and engaging
• Exceptional AI creating thrilling racing battles
• Great selection of racing disciplines
• Beautiful graphics, particularly on PC and Xbox 360
• Excellent damage modeling
• Impressive sound design
• Reintroduction of cockpit view
• Split-screen multiplayer mode
• Tire wear adds strategic depth to Endurance races

❌ Cons

• No pit stops despite having tire wear mechanics
• AI can sometimes be overly aggressive
• Blurry cockpit view compared to other racing games
• Lack of real-life racing liveries for many cars
• No free run option for testing cars without time limits
• Team-mate mechanics could be better implemented
• Repetitive pit audio and commentary

GRID: Autosport successfully returns to what made the original GRID great while adding refinements and improvements. It delivers an exciting, challenging racing experience that rewards skill and patience, making it one of the most satisfying racing games in its class.