Are you a motorcycling hero or zero? Find out with these computer games

Have you ever wanted to compete in the world-famous Dakar Rally, pilot a MotoGP bike at a historic European race track or go wheel-to-wheel against some of the best Speedway racers on the planet?

You can. Sort of.

Right now, riders are stuck at home due to the COVID-19 virus or because of winter weather and are looking for ways to feed their motorcycle jones. One of the easiest ways is to play motorcycling-related computer video games. You don’t need a high-powered gaming rig to conquer the virtual motorcycle racing world, especially if you choose to play and older (and cheaper) game.

Also, some games have free demos so you don’t even need to buy the game to play. If you play the demo and like the game then it’s easy to buy the full version.

Here are some of the motorcycling computer games you can play on Steam, which allows players to buy and download video games. Just go to steampowered.com and search for “motorcycle” to get a list of what’s available. Who knows, you may be the next virtual “King Kenny” Roberts or Jeremy “Showtime” McGrath, who are both in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

DAKAR 18. Published by Bigmoon Entertainment, Deep Silver. DAKAR 18 (photo above) is a simulation of the famed cross-country rally that allows players to choose from a variety of vehicles, including motorcycles and quads, to experience the race. The 7,500-mile course through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina allows riders to get off the roads, experience deep mud or even tow a stuck competitor. The game simulates the 14 stage of the 2018 Dakar Rally. Players can race alone or join online multiplayer races.

MotoGP 19. Published by Milestone, MotoGP 19 is simulated world championship road racing featuring the 2019 riders from MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3, Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup classes and MotoE. The game includes more than 50 legendary racers, more than 35 bikes from early two-strokes to modern four-strokes and 19 different tracks.  The game also allows you to fine-tune your bike’s traction control system, engine braking, anti-wheelie system, engine and chassis. You can even customize your helmet, lower back patch and racing number.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix 15. Published by SoftPlanet, FIM Speedway Grand Prix 15 lets you experience Speedway racing. Brakes? You don’t need no stinking brakes!  The game features 2015 Speedway stars competing at real Grand Prix stadiums from Australia to Sweden with different surface types. The game also allows you to buy and repair motorcycle parts and change your bike’s settings to get the winning edge.

Trials Rising. Published by Ubisoft, Trials Rising lets you take your dirtbike riding craziness to new heights. Ride the Great Wall of China, wheely around New York City and blast around the Eiffel Tower in Paris. While showing off your riding skills Be careful so you don’t crash your bike into a hot-air balloon during one of your high-flying stunts. The game features more than 125 tracks. For some silly fun, two players can control one bike.

MX Bikes. Published by PiBoSo, MX Bikes is billed as “a realistic motocross simulator based on a scratch-built physics engine that accurately simulates motorcycle dynamics and setup options. In this game you can host or join MX races. PiBoSo says game features include chassis flex simulation, dynamic terrain deformation, wet terrain simulation and wet weather, user-selectable rider gestures, LAN and online racing, and the opportunity to pint your bike, helmet, boots and gloves.

Road Redemption. Published by Tripwire Interactive, Road Redemption is a motorcycle combat game that features racing, robberies, battles on bikes and more. You are the leader of a motorcycle gang on a cross-country trip that features mayhem around every corner. Kick and grab your opponents while screaming down the highway at 100 mph, or smack them with a pipe to earn experience to upgrade your character and bike.

Motorcycle Club. Published by Nacon Plug In Digital, Motorcycle Club lets you ride 22 motorcycles from BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki and Yamaha. Players choose bikes in different styles that range in size from 125cc to 2,000cc. There are more than 20 different circuits that you can ride, or challenge rival clubs for bragging rights.

Sayonara Wild Hearts. Published by Annapuma Interactive, is a game that features characters with names like The Fool, Little Death and Hermit 64 as well as gangs named Dancing Devils, Howling Moons and Stereo Lovers. Simogo, the Swedish developer of the game, calls it “a dreamy arcade game about riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords and breaking hearts at 200 mph. As the heart of a young woman breaks, the balance of the universe is disturbed. A diamond butterfly appears in her dreams and leads her through a highway in the sky, where she finds her other self: the masked biker called The Fool.”

RIDE 3. Published by Milestone S.r.l., Ride 3 allows players to choose from 230 bike models representing 30 different brands to tackle roads, road courses, MotoGP tracks and even Supermoto tracks worldwide.

Biker Garage: Mechanic Simulator. Published by BeardedBrothers.games, Biker Garage: Mechanic Simulator let’s you own your own shop and fix clients’ machines. You start small but with the right business savvy you can create a thriving big-dollar business. You buy, sell and install and uninstall parts; buy, restore and sell bikes for profit, and even find junkyard machines that you turn into high-priced beauties. You can test your creations on your own quarter-mile track.

Full Throttle Remastered. Published by Double Fine Productions, Full Throttle Remastered, was first released by LucasArts in 1995. Double Fine Productions says “one minute you’re on the road, riding, not a care in the world. Then some guy in a suit comes along and says he’s got a deal for you and your gang. But when you come to, you’ve got a lump on your head, the law on your back and a feeling in your gut that the road you’re on is about to get a lot rougher. Full Throttle is a classic graphic adventure game from industry legend Tim Schafer, telling the story of Ben Throttle; butt-kicking leader of biker gang the Polecats, who gets caught up in a tale of motorcycles, mayhem and murder.”