Tour de Sofa — the best computer games for a cycling fix during the cold winter months

The bicycle has a long and storied history in video games. The classic nostalgia hit is Paperboy from Atari, originally released for the arcade in 1985 but eventually released on a plethora of systems including the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Game Boy, Atari ST and beyond. It even made an appearance in BBC quiz show First Class, played by schoolchildren trying to win a computer for their school.

Since then, we’ve seen cycling games proliferate. The bike has appeared in Grand Theft Auto, with San Andreas protagonist CJ using a BMX to escape the cops if he’s been particularly unlucky (and there are bikes in GTA V too). Though the simple pleasures of throwing newspapers around your neighbourhood have sadly diminished, we’ve been given a whole new range of ways to have video game fun with two wheels. Here are some of them...

Parcel Corps

Release: 2024
Formats: PC, PS5, Xbox

Released in 2024, Parcel Corps is a simulation of the life of a cycle courier, in which you do skid turns, ride under parked lorries, jump off rooftops and terrorise grannies in the park... OK, it’s not exactly a simulator, but it’s a fun recreation of riding a bike around a bustling city, with shades of Sega games such as Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio.

Made by Northern Ireland developer Billy Goat Entertainment, Parcel Corps delights in setting you up with bizarre deliveries handed out by somewhat unusual characters, as your Lycra-clad dispatch rider moves through the city while dodging traffic and riding across building sites to find shortcuts. 

billygoat.tv

Descenders

Release: 2019
Formats: Mobile, PC, PS4/5, Switch, Xbox

Downhill freestyle cycling with tricks thrown in, Descenders uses procedurally generated levels, which means you may never face the same track twice.

The aim of the game is simply to complete its downhill trails, and every time you bail off your bike due to contact with the scenery or a mistimed landing you’ll lose some health. Run out completely, and your run will be over. You either start again, or pass the controller (or your phone, this is a game you can take with you wherever you are) to a friend to see if they can do any better.

There are also online leaderboards, turning it into a kind of Strava for bike routes that don’t exist, and a sequel, Descenders Next, is in the works for 2025.

descendersgame.com

Bike Mechanic Simulator 2023

Release: TBA
Formats: PC

The fact a game with ‘2023’ in the title isn’t out yet as we go into 2025 is a bit of an irony, but there's a free demo for the game available on PC gaming marketplace Steam, and the PC specs required to make it work are modest.

The lucrative (ahem) career of a bike mechanic is the game’s area of operations, tasking you with the repair, maintenance and testing of bikes from MTBs to city riders, as well as fulfilling customer orders and expanding your workshop to include a coffee shop and outdoor testing arena.

While it may not bring the excitement of downhill racing or parcel delivery, the game trades in the kind of quiet satisfaction of a job well done, and we look forward to seeing the finished article.

See the demo here

Pro Cycling Manager 2024

Release: 2024
Formats: PC

A change of pace... not for the cycling (which remains furious) but in the way the sport is approached. Pro Cycling Manager puts you in the seat of a sports director, leading a team of cyclists to victory (hopefully) in events such as the Tour de France. You’ll need to work your way up to such heights, of course, and that means dealing with sponsors, negotiating with riders, and maintaining their performance through training. Then watch as your riders achieve their race objectives, or are left in a heap at the side of the road after contact with a rival...

pro-cycling-manager.com

Wheel World

Release: TBA
Formats: PC, PS4/5, Xbox

An upcoming game with no demo available at the time of writing, Wheel World is an open-world exploration game packed with things to do on two wheels. Not only can you find bike upgrades scattered around the world, to tailor your ride to your own unique style, but once you’ve built the ultimate riding machine you can use it to race elite teams and personal rivals. There's also a world-saving plot to work through while you’re upgrading and racing.

The game takes a pleasing painterly approach to its graphics, rendering its world in flat shades and low-detail visuals that give it a friendly, approachable vibe a world away from more serious, technical biking games.

annapurnainteractive.com

Tour de France 2024

Release: 2024
Formats: PC, PS4/5, Xbox

The official game of the most famous bicycle race in the world, with licenced World Tour and Pro Tour teams to manage.

Its online mode, Criterium, sets weekly challenges for you to test your team’s strategy against up to six other players. You can put together a team from a pool of 900 world-class riders, and create your own jerseys for them to wear. In Pro Team and Pro Leader modes, you take the reins of professional peloton teams, or create your own, and battle your way to the top of the UCI rankings.You can even build your own cycle race from all stages available in the game, picking the rules and riders to take big prizes across multiple events, locations and surfaces.

The game can also be bought as a bundle with Pro Cycling Manager, doubling your management potential, and we expect a tweaked 2025 version will be available in the new year. 

tour-de-france-the-game.com

What have we missed? Let us know in the comments, and if you have more time to kill be sure to check out some of the best cycling films and our favourite cycling-themed TED Talks