Grid Legends’ multiplayer ‘hop-in’ mechanic might be a game-changer

We’ve played Grid Legends’ multiplayer, and it’s about to shake up the racing genre with some neat new tricks.

Following our first preview of the game last year, we went hands-on with some Grid Legends multiplayer. It’s clear that aside from the huge number of events in the game, its online-focused features may further help it stand out in a crowded pack.

Grid Legends multiplayer boasts some innovations that are bound to up the ante when it comes to competitive play. The team at Codemasters has also thought up exciting ways to cut out time spent in lobbies, so players can jump straight into the action. Here’s a breakdown of the main new multiplayer features in Grid Legends.

In, out, shake it all about

Grid Legends multiplayer features a neat ‘hop-in’ system that allows players to join an existing game by seamlessly taking over from an AI that’s already in the race. This is a great way to reduce lobby wait times and allows players to join friends quickly, without spending too much time matchmaking.

Of course, there are some caveats, as jumping into a race can be risky. You don’t always know what car you’re going to be driving or what position you’ll be in. We experimented with the hop-in feature during our time with the game and found it could be a curse and a blessing, depending on the race.

For example, players who’ve been in the race from the start are likely to have already established a comfortable lead, leaving many of the AI cars in the dust. By the time you hop into the race, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

• Read more: When is GRID Legends coming out?

However, on other occasions, we took over from an AI doing well and were able to seamlessly take over from them, with most of the other players already in our rear-view. Should you need to leave for any reason, the AI takes over again.

If you then re-join a race after leaving, you’ll always take control of the car you had before. So don’t think you can hop out, then hop back in again and improve your position. Trust us, we tried. Although our AI had done a stellar job at maintaining our place.

Grid Legend’s hop-in system could truly change how multiplayer racers work. We think it’s especially useful for groups of friends looking to play together. The transition from AI to player back to AI again will also eliminate issues with rage quitters.

While you’ll be rolling the dice when jumping into an existing race, you will at least be rewarded for your time spent there. As we noted in our prior preview, everything you do in Grid Legends pushes some kind of progression meter up — unlocking new cars, events, and more.

“Do you know what Nemesis means?”

Grid Legends also contains a new Nemesis feature, and if you think this sounds a lot like the system in the Shadow of Mordor series, you’d be correct. It’s a lot like that, but with cars. It also works well and adds another layer of drama to proceedings.

Did you nudge that car and cause the driver to spin out of control and fall behind? Congratulations, you just made a Nemesis. The game will alert both players when it establishes such a rivalry. This happens instantly and you’ll be made aware of that player’s movements in the future, meaning there are short-term repercussions for aggressive play.

• Read more: Forza Horizon 5 review

Should you enter a race with them again, they’ll have the chance to settle their score with you. Not only do you need to deal with 21 other racers – one of them is out for revenge, or to at least prove they’re the better driver.

The Nemesis feature also works with AI drivers in a similar way. For now, we’re unsure of the full extent of the Nemesis feature and what other gameplay changes it brings. However, we’re confident it will turn up the pressure on drivers in a fun way.

We look forward to seeing if these multiplayer improvements feel just as impressive when the final game launches. Grid Legends will release on February 25, 2022, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.