DiRT Rally 2.0

DiRT Rally 2.0, from 2019, is the sequel to the simulation-focused DiRT Rally from 2015 and brings the DiRT series back from more arcade-like entries like DiRT 4 to tough, technical rally driving. Codemasters focused above all on surface physics – gravel, mud, or asphalt genuinely wear down with every pass of a car and change the character of the stage, so the first and last driver of a season are really driving on a visibly different, more rutted and less predictable path. The game offers licensed cars and crews from the real World Rally and rallycross championships, including historic machines from earlier decades of motorsport.

The stages are modeled after real locations – New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, Poland, Australia, and the United States – and the career mode forces the player to manage an entire team, hire mechanics, manage a budget, and decide how extensively to repair a damaged car between stages. Compared to its predecessor, the game also places greater emphasis on rallycross on circuits with barriers, jumps, and joker laps, which serves as a faster, more arcade-like breather between the demanding forest and mountain stages of classic rally.

DiRT Rally 2.0 later received an official FIA World Rally Championship license in the form of an extensive paid expansion, bringing it closer to the status of a truly official World Rally Championship game with licensed teams and a season. The game also supports virtual reality headsets and a wide range of force-feedback wheels, making it a popular choice on PC among owners of dedicated sim-racing rigs with pedals and a shifter.

Why play: players looking for a rally simulation where a mistake in a corner means real damage to the car and a visibly different, gradually crumbling stage for the next driver will find DiRT Rally 2.0 one of the most precise and demanding titles in the genre on PC.