Skip to main content

Trials Rising

Trials Rising successfully builds on the strong foundation its built over the years to come back strong with a large range of creative, wacky courses that push the limits of creativity and fun. It is a shame that the game hits a point where grinding through frustrating challenges is a necessity to progress, but it’s still enjoyable just jumping into a track you like and trying to master it by getting a better time. With University of Trials making it more accessible than ever before and an online community that can and will build new courses, there’s lots of positive aspects to ensure the longevity to Trials Rising in the future.
Trials Rising Game Cover
69%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
grinding, monetization
63% User Score Based on 1,605 reviews
Critic Score 83%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox Cloud GamingXboxWindowsPlayStationUplayXbox Series X|SPCXbox Game PassCloudXbox One
Trials Rising Game Cover

About

Trials Rising is a single player and multiplayer arcade platformer game. It was developed by RedLynx and was released on February 26, 2019. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Trials Rising" is a racing game where players control a motorcycle and navigate through challenging, physics-based tracks. The game features over 125 tracks set in various locations around the world, and allows for local and online multiplayer. With a challenging career mode and extensive customization options, "Trials Rising" offers a robust and exciting experience for fans of the franchise and newcomers alike.

Skip User Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,605 reviews
gameplay91 positive mentions
grinding105 negative mentions

  • The gameplay is fun and challenging, with a good variety of tracks that test player skills.
  • The graphics and level design are visually appealing, providing a vibrant and engaging experience.
  • The tutorial system, 'University of Trials', effectively teaches players the mechanics and techniques needed to succeed.
  • The progression system is grind-heavy, requiring players to complete repetitive contracts to unlock new tracks.
  • The user interface is cluttered and confusing, making it difficult to navigate and find tracks.
  • The presence of microtransactions and loot boxes detracts from the overall experience, as many items are locked behind a paywall.
  • gameplay
    195 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in *Trials Rising* is widely praised for its classic mechanics, offering a challenging and addictive experience that balances accessibility for newcomers with depth for veterans. Players appreciate the well-designed tracks and the core gameplay loop of trial and error, which encourages skill mastery and provides a strong sense of achievement. However, many reviews express frustration with the game's progression system and monetization elements, which can detract from the overall experience despite the solid gameplay foundation.

    • “The core gameplay loop—attempt, fail, adjust, repeat—is central to Trials Rising’s identity, and it is this loop that keeps players chasing better times and cleaner runs long after frustration sets in.”
    • “Trials Rising offers engaging gameplay for all skill levels paired with lively maps and a fantastic soundtrack.”
    • “The gameplay is fluid, the tracks are fantastic, and the bikes are responsive.”
    • “The gameplay feels so bad, like in Fusion, it's so clunky... I'm seriously not capable of understanding how they could mess up the smoothness after Trials Evolution. It feels disgusting and clunky, like you have a huge input lag.”
    • “The tracks in the game range from okay to decent at best, but are relatively extremely easy and less challenging than tracks of previous games, with the mechanics shifted more toward the casual player or extreme neophyte while taking most of the fun aspects of gameplay away from the most loyal part of the Trials audience.”
    • “The gameplay has shifted away from competitiveness and personal achievement toward obtaining superficial rewards for simple and tedious accomplishments, and even that system doesn't work right.”
  • music
    132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the energetic and diverse soundtrack that includes rock, hip-hop, and electronic elements, while others find it repetitive and lacking in memorable quality. Many players appreciate the audio design's support of gameplay but note that the limited number of tracks can lead to monotony during extended play sessions. Overall, while some enjoy the soundtrack, others prefer to mute it and listen to their own music.

    • “Amazing soundtrack in my opinion, one of my favorites in any game.”
    • “The soundtrack is top class and physics are as good as they have always been.”
    • “The combination of upbeat music, over-the-top action, and tight controls makes everything feel epic.”
    • “The soundtrack, for instance, lacks the energy and memorable quality that made *Fusion's* music so engaging.”
    • “On top of that, the soundtrack is pretty garbage; I ended up muting the in-game music and pulling up YouTube on my second monitor.”
    • “The soundtrack in this game is like 15 minutes long; I would hear the same songs multiple times in the same 2-hour play session.”
  • grinding
    105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that the progression system feels overly tedious and reliant on repetitive tasks, such as completing contracts to unlock new tracks and bikes. While some players find enjoyment in the grind as a means to improve their skills and achieve personal bests, others criticize it for detracting from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than fun. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant element that can either enhance or hinder enjoyment, depending on individual preferences.

    • “This game has been so Ubisoft-ified with its grindy progression, relying on contracts instead of skill-based progression like previous games.”
    • “The grinding contracts get even worse as the game goes on, making it feel tedious and repetitive.”
    • “Progression is no longer tied to player skill or completing all tracks of a certain difficulty; it solely relies on grinding repetitive contracts to obtain arbitrary levels in order to reach a set point where harder tracks will unlock.”
  • graphics
    105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in "Trials Rising" receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant visuals and diverse environments that enhance the gameplay experience. However, some players report performance issues, including frame rate drops and optimization problems, particularly on certain systems or settings. Overall, while the game showcases impressive graphics for a racing title, it struggles with consistency and polish compared to modern standards.

    • “The game strikes a perfect balance between spectacle and precision, challenging players to master its physics while delivering breathtaking visuals.”
    • “Amazing, addicting gameplay combined with the most beautiful visuals in the Trials series makes for an awesome game.”
    • “Trials Rising features a myriad of pristinely designed tracks which transported me around the world and I was racing through Hollywood movie sets, soaring through the air attempting not to plummet to my death as a plane breaks apart or in the serene, snowy depths of Finland, all of which is achieved using the series' best looking graphics to date.”
    • “Somehow they managed to make the graphics look like they're 10 years older than they are, and that's on the highest settings.”
    • “Finally, while the tracks are visually diverse, the game’s environments sometimes lack the graphical polish expected from modern titles.”
    • “The graphics are no better than that of 2012's Trials Evolution.”
  • monetization
    77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization in *Trials Rising* has drawn significant criticism, with many reviewers highlighting the prevalence of microtransactions and loot boxes that detract from the overall experience. While some players find the cosmetic nature of these purchases tolerable, others feel that the aggressive monetization model and locked content undermine the game's core mechanics and enjoyment. Overall, the consensus suggests that despite the game's solid gameplay, the monetization practices are a major drawback, leading to a perception of it being a cash grab.

    • “While its progression systems and monetization elements may frustrate purists, the underlying mechanics remain as compelling as ever.”
    • “I do not mind microtransactions, if they are cosmetic.”
    • “As for the loot boxes / microtransactions: you get so much in-game currency just by playing the game that buying desirable cosmetics has not been a problem, (yet).”
    • “The presence of cosmetic monetization elements, even when they do not impact gameplay balance, can feel at odds with the purity of the core racing experience.”
    • “Good game ruined by microtransactions.”
    • “Trials Rising is another solid Trials game that's hampered by an aggressively stupid monetization model that locks a significant portion of the game behind a thick wall of 'acorns' that can only be purchased with real-world money.”
  • optimization
    66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting frequent stuttering, crashes, and poor performance even on high-end PCs. While some users have managed to achieve stable frame rates, many others experience significant issues that detract from the overall gameplay experience. Additionally, the reliance on a separate launcher and the presence of microtransactions further complicate the user experience, leading to calls for urgent optimization improvements.

    • “Leaderboards and ghost runs encourage competition against other players’ best times, fostering a constant drive for optimization.”
    • “Bikes and riders can be outfitted with a wide array of visual options, allowing for personalization without affecting performance.”
    • “Trials Fusion is back to being a fun game and in my session I had a buttery smooth performance at max settings; however, I did experience some quite hilarious physics glitches, none were game-breaking as they happened after crashing or bailing, but this is a really fun game and is highly recommended.”
    • “This game is still extremely unoptimized and buggy... even much better than on release.”
    • “Frequent stuttering, the required use of a separate launcher that can interrupt gameplay, and other performance issues really drag the game down.”
    • “The performance in this game is not good, there's a bunch of stutters, the menus/UI is slow and laggy.”
  • stability
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting persistent bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly during multiplayer sessions. While some players have managed to enjoy the game without major problems, the overall experience is marred by frequent stuttering, freezing, and a frustrating user interface, leading many to feel that the game remains in an unoptimized state even years after its release. Troubleshooting efforts often yield little success, leaving players frustrated and questioning the game's reliability.

    • “Runs great and looks pretty good on a low to mid-range PC.”
    • “No noticeable slowdown for me; runs great with every setting maxed out.”
    • “Every other game runs great on max settings.”
    • “This game is still extremely unoptimized and buggy... even much better than on release.”
    • “Game won't launch for me even after trying to troubleshoot the problem.”
    • “But this game suffers from far too frequent slow-downs and even complete freezes that can last several seconds.”
  • story
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story mode of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it grindy and tedious due to the requirement of completing numerous side missions to progress. While some appreciate the added replayability and optional challenges, others criticize the convoluted navigation and the forced nature of these missions, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the story mode is seen as a departure from previous titles, with a focus on grinding for levels rather than straightforward progression through races.

    • “The single player is littered with missions for each track; these missions give you stuff to do on each track like do flips, drive on fire, drive on one wheel, etc. These are optional, and you can skip them if you want to focus purely on medals.”
    • “Many of the courses are even designed as 'motocross' style hump and jump races where you are pitted against 3 other AI characters and have to get first place to advance through the story.”
    • “The main 'race' tab does not automatically direct you to the next available mission, and the fact that they titled the menu 'race' is a problem I will get into further down.”
    • “The story mode is kind of grindy and boring, and the whole Ubisoft software thing is a bit of a pain.”
    • “The 'story mode' grind is as bad as the reviews say, but let's go into detail.”
    • “Have to grind through story to get levels rather than the old-fashioned way of 'you beat all hards you unlock extreme... it doesn't matter if you're 1st in the world on all tracks if you're not a high enough level, you won't unlock the next difficulty.”
  • replayability
    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Trials Rising boasts exceptional replayability, driven by a plethora of modes, collectibles, and user-generated content that keeps players engaged long after completing the main campaign. The inclusion of contracts, competitive multiplayer, and a robust track editor further enhances the game's longevity, offering countless hours of gameplay without feeling overwhelming. While some players note the presence of paid DLCs, the overall consensus is that the game provides a rich and addictive experience with high replay value.

    • “Beyond the main career progression, Trials Rising offers a wide range of modes and systems designed to extend replayability.”
    • “The community-driven content creation tools allow for a virtually endless supply of user-generated tracks, extending the game’s replayability far beyond the core content.”
    • “There's also an expansive campaign with endless replayability thanks to the large variety of tracks combined with contracts, challenges, supercross events, and more!”
    • “I like the idea of adding missions onto older levels for replayability sake, but viewing them and shifting between them is also made needlessly difficult.”
    • “Having contracts is not a bad idea at all, it adds a lot of replay value to the game but it should not be a wall that prevents progression and instead a feature that keeps players coming back after beating all the maps.”
    • “The fact I will actually take more than one week to finish a game plus the replayability value in here through the multiplayer modes is absolutely insane.”
  • humor
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its chaotic tandem bike mode, where players share control, leading to hilarious moments and slapstick crashes. Players appreciate the game's blend of challenging gameplay with funny animations and physics glitches, creating a lighthearted atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. The inclusion of dark humor and quirky tutorials adds to the comedic charm, making it a standout title for both fans and newcomers.

    • “Animations are smooth, and crashes—frequent and inevitable—are conveyed with physical weight and humor.”
    • “The inclusion of a tandem bike mode, where two players share control of a single bike, is a hilarious and chaotic addition that’s perfect for couch co-op.”
    • “It is tough, it is challenging and it is hilarious, glad to have this awesome game in my library.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the varied and immersive environments inspired by global locations, others feel that the removal of the original gritty tone has diminished the overall experience, catering more to a broader audience rather than long-time fans.

    • “The old gritty tone and atmosphere suited the adrenaline junkie gameplay perfectly.”
    • “Physics-based, with a simple task to control a motorcycle trials rider through obstacles-filled 2.5D varied global courses, comes with nice ideas and wonderful atmospheres from worldwide locations.”
    • “I greatly appreciate the atmosphere of the levels in this game.”
    • “Most importantly, the tracks are fun, flow perfectly, and are really satisfying to master, but the overall atmosphere of the game has been completely destroyed.”
    • “The old gritty tone and atmosphere suited the adrenaline junkie gameplay perfectly, but they decided to rip all of the character out of the game in order to cater to 'everyone', instead of their long-term fans.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sense of frustration and disappointment, as players express heartbreak over the decline of a once-great series. The repetitive nature of trial and error, likened to a character's futile attempts to avoid pain, highlights the emotional toll of gameplay challenges exacerbated by technical issues like engine sputtering and inaccurate hitboxes. Overall, the experience evokes a mix of nostalgia and irritation, reflecting a deep connection to the series despite its shortcomings.

    • “A heartbreaking decline of a once-great series.”
    • “Hand-eye coordination... trial and error... I am Bart Simpson touching the hot plate again and again, every time saying 'ouch'... 'ouch'... 'ouch'... and I'll try it just one more time.”
Skip Critic Reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy Trials Rising

14h Median play time
189h Average play time
9-65h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 18 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Trials Rising

Games Like Trials Rising

Trials Fusion ImageTrials Fusion ImageTrials Fusion Image
Street Fighter V Image
The Crew Image
Hot Wheels Unleashed Image
The Crew 2 Image
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Trials Rising is a arcade platformer game.

Trials Rising is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 189 hours playing Trials Rising.

Trials Rising was released on February 26, 2019.

Trials Rising was developed by RedLynx.

Trials Rising has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Trials Rising is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Trials Fusion, Street Fighter V, The Crew, Hot Wheels Unleashed, The Crew 2 and others.