Debuting in 2003, the Trackmania series has had over 15 entries over the last 19 years, each with its own unique game modes. However, the key element that sets Trackmania apart from other racers out there is that the player is often tasked with constructing their own racetracks. With the Trackmania reboot set to release on consoles early next year, it’s the perfect time to look back at the series’ history.

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The History Of Trackmania

Developed by French studio Nadeo, the first Trackmania game released in 2003, strictly for PC. The key selling point at the time was the ability for players to create their own tracks. By participating in the game’s races, players earned “Coppers,” which could then be used to buy new track elements, ranging from pieces of road and checkpoints to bends and trick sections. Trackmania earned some great reviews at the time, with critics praising the game’s high level of creative freedom, but expressing their disappointment with the actual driving controls.

In 2005, a sequel, Trackmania Sunrise released. Built on an improved engine, Trackmania Sunrise boasts better visuals and controls than its predecessor. This sequel also adds two new game modes, “Platform,” which sees players attempt to finish a trick-heavy race without restarting, and “Crazy,” where players compete against ghosts.

A year later, a free version of Trackmania Sunrise released, called Trackmania Nations. This standalone game focused primarily on online play, with in-game billboards being used to show advertisements. Just a few months later, Trackmania United released. Acting as an amalgamation of the series so far, Trackmania United contained all of the previously released tracks, environments, cars, and building blocks. A new shadow mapping feature was implemented, making Trackmania United the most realistic-looking game of the series at that point.

In 2008, Trackmania Nations Forever and Trackmania United Forever released, being updated versions of both games. These updated versions included an overhauled physics system and a slew of brand new building blocks, most of which hailed from the previous games’ Stadium map. Though Nadeo intended for these games to last for at least another few years, the company that used the in-game advertisements closed its doors, leaving Nadeo without a consistent revenue stream. As a result, Nadeo introduced a paid subscription system to the games, which eventually only ended up deterring players.

Meanwhile, also in 2008, Firebrand Games released Trackmania DS for the Nintendo DS. Despite having less than half of the PC version’s environments, Trackmania DS was a surprisingly faithful recreation of its big brother, with the track editor suiting the DS’s touchscreen well. A sequel, Trackmania Turbo, released on DS in 2010, bringing 50 new tracks to the game, along with a new environment.

In 2011, Trackmania: Build To Race released on Nintendo Wii. This title was essentially just a port of Trackmania United, albeit with less content, with one removed environment. Between 2011 and 2017, Trackmania 2 was released in an episodic format. Boasting new and improved graphics, Trackmania 2 debuted with Trackmania 2: Canyon in 2011, followed by Trackmania 2: Stadium in 2013, the Trackmania 2: Valley a few months later, and Trackmania 2: Lagoon in 2017, each adding one environment.

2016 saw the release of Trackmania Turbo, likely the most popular game in the entire franchise, reaching the widest audience by dropping on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Featuring 200 designed tracks, four locations, and the fastest gameplay in the series, Trackmania Turbo is a stellar arcade racer.

In 2020, a remake of Trackmania Nations released for PC, simply named Trackmania. Though the base game is free-to-play, players can buy a subscription to access the game’s track builder, online events, and car customization mechanics. While the gameplay itself was praised by critics, its subscription model was heavily criticized. In the recent Ubisoft Forward Showcase, it was announced that Trackmania is heading to consoles in 2023.

TrackMania is available now on PC and will head to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.

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