Braking, along with cornering, is always the hardest thing to get right on these MotoGP games. The the ’21 game is no exception, although honestly once you crack the code, it’s got one of the easier models for braking.

But for people who’ve never played these MotoGP games before, the braking can be very tricky initially. Basically you need to brake earlier than other racing games, and only when the bike is upright, getting most or all your braking done before entering a corner. That’s the main point to get right to at least be able to take slower and simpler corners.

But we’ll cover both lighter and heavier braking technique in this guide, so you know exactly what to do to get the bike stopped and take corners properly.

How MotoGP Braking Works (Plus Assists)

Let’s first cover how the braking works, since there’s actually a front and rear brake on these bikes that complicates it versus 4 wheel cars.

Front Brake – This is the most dominant and powerful brake, and what you’ll use the most, so be sure to bind it to a button you’re comfortable with. Pretty much all corners require some use of the front brake.

Rear brake – Binds to a separate button, and is a weaker but still useful braking input. Some players hardly use it and just rely on the front brake, but I definitely use the rear brake a lot to help tuck the bike into corners and correct slight over-runs.

Joint Brake Settings – The ’21 game also has this option, which combines the front and rear brake into one input to make things easier. This means that with this setting on, when you apply the “front brake” you actually apply both the front and rear brake together for greater stopping power. The rear brake still keeps it’s own button and can be applied on it’s own. Always recommended to have this setting enabled when learning the game, although you may want to turn it off later for more nuanced control of the braking inputs and potentially faster lap times.

Braking Input Modulation – An assist that’s also in the game that helps smooth out the braking input to help prevent lock ups, “stoppies” and crashes. Best to have this on High or Moderate when learning the game, and you may then choose to turn it off as you get more advanced.

Standard Braking Technique

Let’s cover the simpler braking technique, for when you’re approaching corners at a slower speed after short or medium length straights only. It’s usually not too hard to get the hang of this (we’ll cover heavy braking below).

Here’s what you need to do:

• Aim to get all your braking done when the bike is upright and in a straight line.
• As you’re approaching the braking zone apply the front/joint brake firmly to scrub off speed.
• Once you’ve slowed the bike down sufficiently, release the brakes and lean the bike into the corner.

Get all your braking done BEFORE you lean the bike into a corner

And then some additional braking tips specifically for when actually taking the corners:

• Do not apply the front brake heavily when the bike is tipping, or you’ll crash.
• You can gently and briefly dab the rear brake when leaning around prolonged corners to tuck the bike in or to correct slight over-runs, but only very lightly. If you hold on the rear brake too long, you’ll see the bike wobbling and you’ll need to release it to stabilise the bike again.
• The separate calibration guide I’ve done for ’21 can also help soften up the inputs to keep the bike more stable under braking.

Specific Technique For Heavy Braking Zones

When they first play this game a lot of players (including myself) find the braking physics frustrating, especially for heavy braking zones after long straights. It’s really easy to keep over-running corners in heavy braking zones.

Until one player found this weird braking hack that changes everything once you start applying it.

Here’s what you do when braking from higher speed (after longer straights):

• As you approach the braking zones (just before), briefly and firmly apply the rear brake on it’s own.
• Then release and apply the front brake/joint brake firmly and quickly.
• Once you’ve scrubbed off the required speed, release all brakes and tip the bike into the corner.
• You can also apply very light and brief dabs on the rear brake to tuck the bike into longer corners.

Heavy Braking Zone Technique Demonstrated (Important)

 

It’s really weird, but it’s like this initial input of the rear brake on it’s own before you enter the braking zone proper, seems to scrub off the extra speed required to stop over-running so much and make the corners after longer straights. It worked for me and once I started doing this, I moved from being frustrated with the game to making corners and lapping much more consistently. Try it out and see if it works for you.

Once you get the hand of the braking a bit more, it’s just a case of mapping out on each circuit where you need to apply this weird braking technique (usually only after 1 or 2 long straights), and everywhere else it’s just the standard easier braking technique.

Moto2 and Moto3 Braking

The Moto2 and Moto3 bikes are more forgiving with their physics, so the braking generally follows the same principles as the GP bikes, but is a bit easier. Everything is moving slower, and top speeds are much lower, so mistakes can be corrected a bit easier.

Basically, the top speeds are slower, but the braking force is also less on these bikes, with the net result that you’re usually braking in about the same place as the GP bikes (possibly a bit later on some corners on some tracks). But the same general principle applies. Get all your braking done in a straight line, and then tip the bike in once you’ve scrubbed off enough speed to make the corner.

Tips If You’re Always Over-shooting Corners

The general braking and cornering physics is very different for MotoGP bikes than for 4 wheel cars and other racing games. It’s a totally different muscle memory you need to get used to, so here’s some additional tips if you find yourself trying to brake correctly but always over-running corners.

1. In general, the braking the turning points are MUCH earlier for MotoGP bike than for 4 wheel cars, so try to get used to braking and leaning in much sooner than you might be used to with other games.
2. Always err on the side of braking too early rather than too late with MotoGP bikes (sometimes even before the racing line tells you to). It’s sometimes even a good idea to very briefly lift off the power just before the braking zone truly begins on long straights, which allows the engine braking to scrub off a little more speed and make sure you’re slowed down enough to make the corner.
3. Also, for heavy braking zones make sure you’re apply the special method covered above (briefly apply rear brake on it’s own—-then front/joint brake—–release—tip into corner) to get the bike stopped better.
4. Also, for heavy braking it’s often better to keep firmly applying and releasing the brakes multiple times, rather than pressing it on once and holding it there in longer braking zones (although it does vary track to track). Test out both methods to see which one works better if you’re struggling.

See my full guide on how to be more consistent and stop missing corners on the MotoGP games, for more detail on these points and other tips as well.