Trackmania also known as Trackmania 2020 is the first new game in the series in what feels like forever. This is actually a remake of the 2006 Trackmania Nations game. This is a series I have very fond memories of and Trackmania does many, many things right. It is such a shame that the things it does right and pulled down by what feels like an unfair subscription-based model.
How to Download Trackmania
To download the game from the Epic Games Store or from the Ubisoft Store, click on the Download button at the end of the review. Check out also our reviews of other Trackmania games: Trackmania² Stadium (2013), and Trackmania Nations Forever (2008).
The Game Review
Let me start with the positives. The racing action that Trackmania offers is awesome! It is the kind of thing that is easy to pick up and play, but fiendishly difficult to master. This is not your typical racing game where all you are doing is winning championships. Do not get me wrong, you want to be the best racer around, but shaving seconds of your time is what you are really driving towards.
The control of the cars has a very “unique” feeling to them. It is very hard to explain, but they have a kind of high-speed/floaty type thing going on. I do not mean that as a negative, it is part of what makes the driving in this game and the series in general so much fun. It just might be something that takes you a little while to get used to it.
You play against other human racers which I like. You can race against other players or even when you are playing “solo” the other cars are ghosts of other players runs. I like this idea and I feel that it makes the challenge you are getting more real than some cheating rubber banding AI will offer you.
Trackmania is a free to play game and without spending a penny you get access to many different tracks, there are over 45 actually. That sounds like a lot, but many of these tracks can be blasted through in a bit over a minute. To get the best out of this game you simply have to buy one of their subscription models.
I say that because the track editor and being able to play other peoples created tracks is what this game is really all about. From tracks that are in Mario Kart, retro arcade-style tracks, and more the only limitation here is peoples (or your own) imagination. It is truly amazing the number of tracks that the community has built already.
However, in getting back to that subscription model. Ubisoft is offering two, one is 10 bucks a year and the other is 30! You get various “perks” however, the fact of the matter is the real stuff that makes Trackmania so much fun is hidden behind these subscriptions. Why not just release this as an actual “game” and charge 30-50 bucks for it out the gate? I know I would feel far more comfortable with that than the route they have gone.
Trackmania 2020 at its core is awesome. The racing is fast, I love the way you race against other players and the game is a lot of fun. However, the free to play aspect of the game is more like a demo as you are not getting to experience what the game is truly like. I for one do not like the idea of paying 30 bucks and only having access to a massive chunk (the most important chunk!) of a game for a year.
