I’ve just recently got the MotoGP 22 game as it was on sale, but I’ve got to say it’s a VERY hard game to get used to in terms of the handling. All aspects of the controls and physics are hard, including the braking.

Every player that first turns on this game will find themselves crashing the bike constantly, so I wanted to put together a guide based on my own progress, on how to get used to the braking physics and controls on the game.

The braking system is different on this edition even from previous MotoGP games, and it’s totally different from other racing games.

Here’s a very quick list of steps to brake properly in MotoGP 22:

1. Apply the front brake in a straight line and when the bike is upright.
2. Then apply some rear brake as well if desired
3. Gradually release the brake as you turn into the corner apex.

But this is only an outline sketch – so let’s cover this complex issue of braking in more detail (beginner and advanced concepts).

Key Tip – The Front Brake Is The Most Dominant

This is a beginner’s question that wasn’t clear to me turning on the game and I haven’t seem made very clear in the “how to” stuff on MotoGP 22. There are controls for both a front and rear brake, but how are they supposed to work? Together in tandem, separate, or something else?

Looking into this, it’s clear now that the front brake tends to be the most predominant and the most often used. The rear brake is meant to be used more as a complement to the front brake if desired, and generally isn’t applied as much (some players rarely use it).

Therefore bear this in mind when new to these MotoGP games and learning how to brake. Make sure you’ve got easy to apply controls assigned for both the front and rear brake, but it’s the front brake that you’ll be applying the most, especially in the first stages of braking (how much you use the rear brake – if at all – is down to personal preference and needs some experimenting).

How To Brake (More Simple Beginner’s Method)

Let’s break the braking process down with as much detail as possible for beginners, so we can see where we might be going wrong if we’re struggling on MotoGP 22 in the early days. (join the club!)

Step #1 – Pick the braking/reference point – I’d always recommend having the ideal trajectory/corner markers assist on in the early days to help with this. The braking zones and turn in points are much earlier on MotoGP bikes than 4 wheel cars. Take time to learn the tracks and be ready for corners well in advance. Also, for the MotoGP class bikes especially, it’s often a good idea to lift off the accelerator and “coast” slightly before the racing line tells you to break to prevent over-shooting the corner and leave more “wriggle room” for braking.

Step #2 – Apply The Front Brake – Strongly but smoothly apply the front brake (70-100% pressure depending on the speed and corner). To begin with, do this ONLY when the car is pointing in a straight line and upright, not leaning. Also if you’re riding without assists, pull back on the left analogue stick to shift the rider’s weight backward and prevent “stoppies”. Also shift down the gears if you’re running them on manual (I’d leave them on Semi-Auto while learning the handling).

Step #3 – Applying The Rear Brake (Optional) – If you’re a little late on the brakes, or just entering a heavy braking zone or sharp corner after a long straight, you can also dab (not hold) the rear brake as well as the front to add a little more stopping power and help get the bike turned in. I’ve been using the rear brake quite a lot so far, but other players don’t use it that much at all and rely mostly on the front brake (down to personal preference).

Step #4 – Ease Off The Brakes – Once you’re confident you’ve slowed down sufficiently to make the corner, come off both the front and rear brakes and lean into the corner, aiming to hit the apex and take the shortest line out of it for best lap time.

Step #5 – Back On Throttle – Once the bike is upright or almost upright again, ease back onto the throttle and exit the corner. For chicanes and other sections with multiple corners in quick succession, you might not even need to apply throttle and instead start turning again straight away to make the next corner.

This simpler method of braking won’t deliver the absolute best lap times, but it’s  a good method to at least get used to the game’s difficult handling in the early days. We’ll cover more complex braking further below.

Assists To Help With Braking

There are some in game assists or Riding Aids on MotoGP 22 that can make the braking easier when learning it in the early days.

Firstly, there’s a full on Auto Brakes assist that you can enable from the Riding Aids menu:

I found this useful to turn on in the first few days of playing the game for a short while, just to at least get used to the turn in points and the track layouts, while having the game handle the braking for you for a while.

But you’ll find it really slows down your lap times having this assist fully turned on, to the point where it’s difficult to even pass the in game Tutorials. Therefore if you want to complete in any kind of serious way, you’ll have to turn it off.

Here’s how I’m planning to progress with the braking assists:

1. Auto Braking on for a short time just to learn the steering and the tracks (turn it off pretty quickly though)
2. Auto-braking assist turned off, but all the other braking sub-assists (cornering/roll modulation) turned to High in the early stages to keep the bike more stable.
3. If my skill level and confidence improves, will drop these sub-assists to Moderate of Off.

But make no bones about it, just starting out MotoGP with the braking assists (and the assists in general) all turned off is a sure-fire way to annoy yourself off the game. It’s a very difficult learning curve so I’m following a tapered, gradual approach and recommend others to do the same.

Ninja tip – If you find yourself constantly over-running or over-shooting corners even if you’re braking early enough as per the racing line, trying increasing the Engine Braking (EBS) setting within the ECU settings. It will increase the stopping power of the bike and help get the car slowed down to properly make corners.

Things To Avoid Doing When Braking

Here’s some common newbie errors MotoGP players make, especially with the ’22 edition with it’s difficult handling.

1. Don’t Brake Too Late – Perhaps the most common mistake for MotoGP gaming newbies, especially if you’re used to the F1 games instead. Braking distances are MUCH longer for bikes than for 4 wheel cars, so always err on the side of early braking when learning the game. Any braking and turn in points you might have learned on a certain track from other racing games – forget them. It’s an entirely new rhythm and muscle memory you need to build for MotoGP games. Turn the racing trajectory/corner indicators on if needed to learn when to begin braking. If you’ve come into a corner too hot, tapping the front and rear brake quickly might help out, but you’re likely to run off the track a lot if you brake too late.

2. Don’t Hold On For Too Long – This is especially for heavier braking zones after long straights. It’s often better to apply the front brake repeatedly in an on-off motion (apply, release, apply, release, apply, release) in quick succession rather than slamming it on once and holding it there. This often causes lock-ups, and the on this game the bike often just runs on past the corner even if you brake quite early. Taking several goes on the front brake can often deliver better stopping power than one single application.

3. Don’t Brake When the Bike Is Leaning – Another common mistake that leads to you being thrown off a lot in the early days. Be very careful when applying the brakes and turning/leaning at the same time. You can get away with it sometimes when the bike is very slightly tilted, but as soon as there’s any kind of serious leaning into a corner, also even moderately applying the brakes will lead to you falling off. You’ll know if you’ve over-done it – the bike will have this strange kind of “wobble” or “tank slapper” – if you see this, come off the brakes immediately to avoid being thrown off, even if it means you might run off track. Get most or all of your braking done when the bike is upright and in a straight line, especially in the early days.

It should be said that even applying all the correct principles for the braking on MotoGP 22, and also avoiding all these mistakes, the braking physics can still feel very annoying and inconsistent on this game. Many players have for this reason switched to the ’23 game, or back to the ’21 game instead.

More Advanced Braking Method (Trail-braking)

Once you’ve got used to at least basic braking as I’d call it (brake in a straight line—release brake—-turn in—hit apex—-back on throttle) and got all your reference points sorted for the tracks, you can start being a bit more aggressive on the braking to bring lap times down.

A more advanced method of braking is sometimes called “trail-braking“. This is where you’re more aggressive on the brakes, also applying them while turning, but doing so very skilfully and gradually and with a knowledge of where the “limit” lies so you don’t over-do it and fall off the bike.

You’re basically not coming totally off the brakes BEFORE turning like with the simple method, but instead guiding the bike into the apex of the corner whilst simultaneously gradually coming off the front brake.

Here’s a summary of how trail-braking generally works:

1. Move quickly and smoothly to 80-100% brake pressure with your input.
2. Still keep the brake applied, but gradually release the brake as you approach the apex of a corner
3. How much and how quickly you need to release the brake while turning into a corner to avoid falling off, is something you’ll need to learn through trial and error and practice.

When done correctly, trail-braking is designed to allow you to carry more minimum speed through corners for better lap times. You can arrive at corners carrying more speed and brake later if you master this method.

But in the early days of learning this game, it’s best to just get used to more conventional braking first, and then move on to more advanced techniques once you’re confident with the handling.

See the video below for some more useful info on applying the brakes properly on MotoGP 22, including specialized advice for the Moto 2 and Moto 3 bikes as well as the MotoGP ones.

Developing Rhythm & Consistency With Braking & Cornering

I think a large part of the reason why so many players struggle with the MotoGP games is that we’re used to a totally different braking and cornering technique from different racing games.

With MotoGP games, it’s not about holding the accelerator for as long as possible, until the racing line turns red and tells you to brake, and then braking as late and aggressively as possible.

When learning the game, it’s better to be more restrained and get into a rhythm of taking corners correctly lap after lap, without falling off. We might have to drop habits we’ve learned from the F1 games for example, which have totally different braking physics to games like MotoGP 22.

Here’s a simple braking/cornering routine I’m following to help with this:

1. On longer straights, as you approach the braking zone, lift and coast for a short while, until the Ideal Trajectory line turns green.
2. Once it does, go hard on the front brake with the bike upright, and add rear brake as well if desired for more stopping power.
3. Scrub off most of the speed in a straight line, and lean in once you’ve slowed down enough make the corner.
4. Hit the apex and then get ready for the next corner.
   1. 1. When there’s only a very short straight or section before the next turn, only the slightest dab or burst of the accelerator is needed for MotoGP and Moto2 bikes, nothing more or you’ll over-shoot
      2. When there’s another corner immediately after that corner, literally no accelerator is needed – just coast and turn for the next corner.
5. Keep repeating this until you build confidence and rhythm on a track and find yourself making corners more and more often, and falling off less and less.
6. As you get more confident and consistent on a track, then you might start to very gradually push slightly harder and try to find time under braking in certain corners.

The lift and coast aspect, and being more sparing with the accelerator, has been crucial for me to get more into the rhythm of lapping the tracks, instead of trying to push too hard into corners, over-shooting and falling off the bike every few corners as a result. Try it and see if it makes you more consistent.