Grid Legends release date, gameplay and new details revealed

Electronic Arts has announced a release date for Codemasters’ Grid Legends, while revealing the first gameplay and new information on the racer.

The game will be released on February 25, 2022 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Grid Legends creative director Chris Smith and Codemasters social and community team member Chris Groves revealed new locations, cars, event types and more in the video below released today.

Grid Legends introduces a new story mode to the series called ‘Driven to Glory’. Starring Ncuti Gatwa (Netflix’s Sex Education), it’s billed as a classic underdog tale centred on the Grid World Series.

Brought to life with real actors instead of motion-capture, it blends live-action cutscenes with racing challenges, putting players “front and centre in a fly-on-the-wall documentary that captures every moment on and off the track”.

Progress in the new story mode can be carried over to Career mode, which includes 250 events.

The game will offer over 100 vehicles at launch, including racing trucks and electric cars. It features a new Electric Boost mode, the return of Drift and Elimination modes, and includes fresh locations such as Moscow and London.

Race Creator mode lets players make their own events, including mixing vehicle types, selecting the weather and time of day, and adding features like ramps and boost gates.

In addition to cross-platform multiplayer, EA says Grid Legends allows players to start racing friends who are online “in three quick button presses. No more waiting for friend requests and lobbies; select a race, and the action begins almost simultaneously”.

Electronic Arts completed its $1.2bn acquisition of Codemasters in February.