GRID 2019 Ultimate Edition

GRID Ultimate Edition is the expanded PC version of Codemasters’ circuit-racing reboot, currently represented by the base storefront name GRID. The Ultimate package is a legacy edition rather than a new rebrand: its Steam upgrade listing has been retired, while existing owners retain access to the included content. It combines accessible handling, aggressive AI, structured career events, online racing, and a substantial post-launch content bundle.

The game sits between arcade racing and simulation. It is designed for quick reactions and close competition rather than strict motorsport authenticity, making it approachable with a controller while still offering enough handling detail for wheel users and advanced assists-off play.

Wheel-to-wheel racing with a rival system

The central loop is simple: choose an event, select a suitable car, manage the race, and build reputation through results. GRID uses a broad selection of touring cars, GT machinery, stock-style racers, prototypes, muscle cars, and other performance classes across road circuits and urban tracks.

Its most distinctive system is the Nemesis mechanic. Repeated contact with an aggressive opponent can turn that driver into a personal rival, changing the tone of later battles. This gives ordinary traffic more context than anonymous AI cars and encourages players to remember who caused a crash or blocked an overtake.

Racecraft also matters. Clean overtakes, drafting, defensive driving, and controlled aggression contribute to a Racecraft meter, rewarding the kind of close racing GRID wants to create. The result is not a pure driving simulator; it is a contest built around positioning, momentum, contact, and split-second decisions.

Players can use flashbacks to rewind a mistake and attempt a corner again. This reduces the frustration of losing a long event to one missed braking point, while adjustable assists allow the same race structure to suit newcomers or players who prefer more manual control.

Career progression and event variety

The main career is organized around racing disciplines and event objectives rather than one continuous open-world map. Progress comes from competing across categories, earning credits, improving driver level, and unlocking access to further challenges.

Career events mix circuit races with different vehicle classes, track layouts, weather conditions, and time-of-day settings. Some races emphasize consistency, while others reward overtaking, vehicle control, or surviving a crowded field. The structure supports short sessions, but the broader progression loop gives dedicated players reasons to return.

Outside career, Freeplay provides a more flexible way to configure races. Players can select vehicles, locations, opponents, laps, assists, and race conditions without following the career order.

Multiplayer focuses on competitive online racing rather than local split-screen. PC players can enter online events and race against other drivers, but split-screen multiplayer is not a core PC feature. That distinction matters for buyers expecting same-machine couch racing from older entries in the series.

What Ultimate Edition adds

The defining commercial feature is the three-season content bundle. Ultimate Edition owners received access to Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3 content through the game’s update and entitlement system.

The package adds 99 extra Career events, divided across the three seasons, along with 12 additional cars. The themes include Hot Hatch Showdown, Track Day Supercars, and Track Day Hypercars, giving the career a wider spread of event types beyond the launch selection.

Ultimate Edition also includes Grid Edition Carbon liveries for selected vehicles, extra player cards, player banners, additional liveries, seasonal rewards, and VIP status. The bonus cars include vehicles such as the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, Pontiac Firebird Modified, Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Time Attack, and Renault R26.

The important buying detail is that “Ultimate Edition” describes a specific entitlement bundle, not a current storefront rebrand. The Steam listing now identifies the underlying game as GRID, while the separate Ultimate upgrade listing is retired. Existing libraries may still show the Ultimate name or its associated content even though new storefront availability has changed.

Who should play GRID Ultimate Edition?

GRID is a strong fit for players who want accessible circuit racing with more personality than a conventional arcade racer. The handling is forgiving enough for a controller, but the combination of braking points, weight transfer, drafting, and race positioning still gives experienced drivers room to improve.

It also suits players who enjoy a structured career without committing to a full team-management simulation. You are primarily here to race, earn progression, handle rivals, and expand your event options rather than manage every technical or financial layer of a professional organization.

Players seeking strict vehicle simulation, detailed engineering setup work, or official championship authenticity may find the model too forgiving. Those looking for local multiplayer should also treat the PC edition cautiously because its emphasis is on solo and online competition.

For a more technical rally alternative from the same publisher family, precision-focused rally simulation in the style of DiRT Rally 2.0 Deluxe Edition offers a very different challenge built around pace notes, surface changes, and stage consistency.

PC controls, views, and platform details

The PC version supports keyboard play, gamepads, and compatible racing wheels. Full controller support makes a pad the most straightforward option, while wheel users can tune steering and input behavior for a more deliberate driving style.

GRID provides multiple camera perspectives, including external chase views and an in-car perspective. The chase camera improves spatial awareness in crowded races, while cockpit-style views make braking references and wheel placement feel more immediate.

Steam identifies the game as a single-player and online multiplayer racing title with Steam achievements, Steam Cloud, and family-sharing support. Online functions are separate from the offline career structure and can depend on account and service availability.

Localization covers interface and full audio support in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese. That makes the PC edition more accessible across European and Brazilian Portuguese-speaking audiences without relying on community translation.

There is no verified mod-support ecosystem comparable to a dedicated simulation platform, and no confirmed anti-cheat feature should be treated as a selling point. The practical PC identity is a Steam racing game with controller support, wheel compatibility, online events, and a legacy Ultimate entitlement.

Comparable racing games on PC

GRID’s closest appeal is its middle ground between arcade immediacy and simulation discipline. It is more structured and competition-focused than a pure demolition racer, but less technical than a hardcore rally or track simulator.

Players who want official single-seater racing, setup work, and a more rules-driven championship structure may prefer career-oriented Formula racing such as F1 2020. Its appeal comes from the licensed championship framework rather than GRID’s mixed-class variety.

For a more physical and destructive interpretation of circuit racing, contact-heavy racing with the deformation and chaos of Wreckfest is a useful contrast. GRID treats collisions as part of rival-driven racecraft, while Wreckfest makes vehicle damage and deliberate wrecking the central attraction.

GRID Ultimate Edition FAQ

Is GRID Ultimate Edition still the current PC store name?

No. The current underlying PC storefront identity is GRID. Ultimate Edition refers to the expanded entitlement bundle, and its separate Steam upgrade listing has been retired. Existing owners may still see Ultimate content in their libraries.

What does GRID Ultimate Edition include?

It includes the base GRID experience plus three seasons of post-launch content, 99 additional career events, 12 cars, seasonal rewards, five Grid Edition Carbon liveries, extra player cards and banners, additional liveries, and VIP status.

Does GRID Ultimate Edition include every piece of extra content?

It includes the three named seasons and the Ultimate-specific bonuses described above. It should not automatically be treated as a guarantee that every separately distributed promotional vehicle or standalone add-on from the wider GRID catalog is present.

Does GRID Ultimate Edition have split-screen multiplayer on PC?

No verified PC split-screen mode should be expected. The PC experience is built around solo racing and online multiplayer rather than two players sharing one local display.

Can I play GRID with a controller or racing wheel?

Yes. The PC edition has full controller support and works with compatible racing wheels. A controller is the simplest way to access its forgiving handling, while a wheel can make throttle, steering, and braking inputs more deliberate.

What languages are supported on PC?

Steam lists English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese for interface and full audio support.

GRID Ultimate Edition remains most useful as a preserved, content-rich version of Codemasters’ accessible circuit racer. Its strongest features are the Nemesis rival system, flexible event structure, forgiving but responsive handling, and the substantial three-season career expansion. The current storefront status is the key catalog detail: look for the base title GRID, not a newly rebranded Ultimate Edition listing.