EA Sports WRC review: A true Dirt Rally 2.0 sequel?

I get sideways and crash a few times in my EA Sports WRC review, which picks apart all the most important elements, having played for 40-plus hours.

With Kylotonn churning out decent rally racing towards the end, fans of the sideways-prone motorsport have been spoiled. Now it is the time of Codemasters to take the official WRC reigns – hence my full EA Sports WRC review.

Is this the Dirt Rally 2.0 successor we had all been hoping for? Is the internet right to be hating on it as hard as it is? Are those who like it really just paid EA shills?

Undoubtedly it is partly the fact that IP-killer EA is the publisher that has created a stronger level of criticism. Us oldies, however, will remember a time when EA and Dice created the marvellous RalliSport Challenge series on the original Xbox.

I digress. Sit back, grab your preferred beverage, set the YouTube video quality to 4K, like, subscribe and let me know what you think in the comments.

Please note: This is the script from my YouTube video, click play above to watch or click here.

Handling & Physics

Let us start with the most important bit, the handling. Compared with Dirt Rally 2.0, EA Sports WRC is somewhat familiar though I would say it is mostly more consistent and shares a level of WRC Generations intuitiveness. As I said in my preview, looser surfaces are bags of fun.

Yes, the same centre-point car rotation is still a thing. Hence why it appears cars have rear-wheel steering if you use the third-person views or replays. This is why you can be flat against a barrier, steer away and nudge the back end – same as it was in Dirt Rally 2.0.

Yet there is greater surface detail and overall cars seem weightier and more communicative. Heavy snow bogs you down and rotates the car. River crossings hinder progress. Cars jump in realistic fashion.

Savagely fast Hybrid Rally1 beasts, meanwhile, require a different driving style to maximise the electric motor and there is certainly handling variation between all classes of vehicle. Particularly front-wheel drive and Group B.

Going full-send through those new and much longer stages, a byproduct of the Unreal 4 Engine as opposed to Ego, it is hard not to enjoy sliding round a corner before gracefully swapping direction for the next one. In a zen-like flow.

Possible, thankfully, on both controller and with a steering wheel though I shall talk more about that later on.

Slow to moderate speeds are enjoyable in EA Sports WRC, aiding new player accessibility. But with all assists off at top speed there is very little margin for error. Especially with some of the generally thinner stages, of which the longest is 34.8km (21.6 miles). That is 27-odd minutes of driving.

The issue is that by importing what seems like a fair bit of the Ego handling model, some gremlins are still present. Tarmac being one of them. It is just not especially enjoyable to drive on, as there is still a level of floatiness and the grip level seems inconsistent.

Or, perhaps, the grip level is okay but that rear-wheel steering-esque car rotation proves too twitchy for grippier surfaces. Whichever input method you use, it is hard to judge corner entry speeds and maintain good pace in them. Either too slow or you smack into a barrier. Little in between.

Also like Dirt Rally 2.0 (though more so) is that front-engined and mid-engined rally cars with front-wheel drive and 4WD are happy being thrown around if you are quick to countersteer. With the engine at the back or rear-wheel drive, however, and frustration is rarely far away.

Driving that old rally BMW lump, it reminds me of Dirt Rally 2.0. Unsaveable oversteer ahoy! At least with a wheel you can more easily handle that speedy, heavy machine with decent haste.

Though it may seem as if I dislike the EA Sports WRC handling, the reality is that when it is good it feels brilliant and, according to some rally drivers, similar enough to the real thing to keep sim purists happy without alienating casual players.

Just do not expect the best tarmac experience as, though seemingly improved, Monte Carlo and other tarmac-based rallies do not feel as rewarding except with downforce-heavy Rally1 cars. Plus there does not seem to be much handling difference between fresh and worn tyres or soft to medium compound.

Visuals & Graphics

What about the EA Sports WRC visuals? Well, with an RTX 4090 it is a mixed bag. That new Unreal 4 engine provides larger stages for a more gruelling ride as well as more life and depth. Scenery stretches far and wide, helping make each country feel more real and believable.

Yet there are teething problems. Monte Carlo in the town areas can be a slow-motion mess, while other stages have occasional stutters. These do not necessarily impede your driving, but it does break the immersion. A recet update has improved things, but it is still not entirely smooth.

Perhaps it is my own stubbornness that I think maxed settings at 4K should be possible with my GPU. But then some stages offer a smooth, consistent experience so it appears optimisation is more to blame. Especially knowing that the review guide admits frame-rate drops are a known issue.

To be fair, certain graphics settings on PC such as car reflections can be turned down with little effect on fidelity but a significant improvement to frame-rate consistency.

Terrain pop-in can be noticeable as well, with some stages seemingly able to avoid it while others are prone to foliage appearing out of nowhere. Oceania AKA New Zealand is a prime example. Again, not a huge problem for driving fast, but hardly a step-up from Dirt Rally 2.0.

Then there are other weird quirks such as tyre tracks appearing ahead of you on some surfaces, white road lines appearing through solid objects, headlight illumination from the floor and what I would say are not-so-convincing snow, water splash and rain effects.

I do, however, prefer the EA Sports WRC aesthetic compared with Dirt Rally 2.0. It is less murky, more realistic and countries are generally lovely to look at and suitably detailed. At least, on PC. I cannot comment on PS5 or Xbox Series X|S though I can say there is no 120FPS mode.

The pastel skies of a Rally Estonia sunset, for instance, are magnificent. Rally Sweden’s forests feel icy and unforgiving. Rally Kenya and its granular, rocky surfaces stay with you too though I dislike the lack of wildlife as seen in WRC Generations. Well, except for some birds.

Countries and Stages

Of course, good handling means little without fun stages. Thankfully, EA Sports WRC delivers some of the most compelling examples in a rally game. Each one with unique handling challenges such as narrow impasses, constant acute hairpins or high-speed jumps.

In terms of rallies, there are 17 global locations (12 stages apiece) across 600 kilometres (372 miles). Central Europe will be offered “not long after launch”, according to an EA representative.

To give you an idea of length (no jokes), the aforementioned longest route, Pulperia in Chile, is nearly twice as long as previous Codemasters games and there are other 30km-plus rallies. In WRC Generations, the longest is 25.9km.

Famous stages such as Col de Turini in Monte Carlo and El Chocolate in Mexico are present and relatively bang-on, while others are mostly detailed, entertaining and a winning combination of speed and technical challenge.

Even the tarmac rallies such as Monte Carlo, Japan and Croatia are designed well, it is just that the tarmac feel lets things down.

I would say that Croatia is a somewhat uninspiring rendition and Japan lacks the same visual wow as in WRC Generations. But there are countries where the opposite is true.

Cars

78 cars and not one behind a paywall, that is what you get in EA Sports WRC when it comes to cars. 10 of those are current rally steeds from WRC, WRC 2 and Junior WRC while the remaining 68 are historic vehicles from the last 60 years. Dirt Rally 2.0 had 54 cars before factoring in paid DLCs.

Vehicle variation is good, with the likes of Group B insanity, slower classics and those ridiculously fast hybrid Rally1 machines all catered for. Plus you can build your own using the new Builder mode.

Though not the most expansive experience, mechanically or aesthetically, it is cool to be able to make a custom vehicle inside and out. From the engine and gearbox to the bumpers and steering wheel, you can at least make something that is your own though the styling is not my favourite. Why not some old 80s or 90s options?

Then there are the engine noises, which are some of the best in a rally game. This makes sense as Codemasters has allegedly re-recorded many of them. Better than some of the WRC Generations offerings, which were sometimes a little too artificial. Though transmission whine really can dominate in rally cars.

Pace notes, meanwhile, are great too though I would recommend having them as early as possible in faster cars. I never experienced a bad rally call in 45 hours of gameplay, but you could argue the old announcer was more enthusiastic in Dirt Rally 2.0.

Game Modes

As for EA Sports WRC game modes, there is no rallycross or virtual reality. The latter is coming later to PC via OpenVR at a currently undisclosed date. Sadly, not PSVR2.

You do, however, get a photo mode, regularity rally where you need to drive at a constant speed between checkpoints or be penalised, championship, moments, time trial, quick play solo, quick play multiplayer, clubs, livery editor, rally school and driver customisation.

Most game modes are served in comprehensive fashion, with the ability to setup custom events and adjust various factors including the AI difficulty, damage level, running order degradation, weather and time of day.

Said livery editor is somewhat lacking. Being layer-based means you can make some amazing stuff, but the user-interface is not the not the most intuitive or comprehensive compared with other current and older racing games. You can just use other player creations if feeling lazy though.

Missing from Dirt Rally 2.0, photo mode is great in terms of features and camera control. It is just annoying you cannot use it on-the-fly. Instead, you can only access while watching the replay at the end of a stage.

Local and online multiplayer are well catered for, too. I was able to jump into a game fast using the session browser or create my own rally or regularity rally. You can even save templates as you can in other offline modes.

It is a shame there is no co-driver mode as seen in the later WRC games from Kylotonn, but I will say that EA Sports WRC does a decent job when it comes to clubs and custom events, while the Rally School and its multi-surface events get you up to speed if necessary.

There is also ‘moments’ for playing famous rally moments or fictional scenarios. More than 50 will be available to all players, with a further seven for those who have an EA Play subscription.

Career

What about the main career mode? Well, EA Sports WRC has kept me playing beyond three seasons despite event repetition, dialogue repetition and a weaker aesthetic than in WRC Generations and other Codemasters titles such as F1 23.

This is partly because the budget system genuinely forces you to manage your money and fleet of rally cars while maintaining standards set upon you by your benefactor. You cannot initially have the largest and best fleet of cars or staff – you have to earn it.

With events happening weekly, you can pick and choose whatever you want to do. So long as you have a car capable of entering. Just remember that staff will get tired if they never rest and that it is worth investing time into the chief engineer to reduce costs. Especially if you crash a lot.

Win stages, earn points and soon each championship will be yours. Drive badly though and you will need to eat into your weekly budget for repairs, particularly in events where you borrow a car. In doing so, you may fail benefactor goals and lose standing.

Unfortunately, special stages are missing though there are hints in certain rallies. Extra tyres can be earned for completing the shakedowns, of which there is a maximum of five. Sadly, you cannot reuse worn tyres.

EA Sports WRC makes a few other mistakes in the career mode. There should be more event variety and benefactor happiness accumulation seems slow. You may also want to move planet after hearing about the bloody budget for the billionth time. It is nearly as grating as Papa Fernando.

Not only that, AI times are inconsistent. At 70 to 80 difficulty, I have won by 30 seconds to a minute. In some stages the racing is close, but mostly you really have to crank it up to get much of a challenge if you know what you are doing.

Despite all of this, the career mode kept me coming back to unlock every custom builder part, win every championship and work my way up from Junior WRC to the top WRC level. Where cars cost significantly more than anything else.

You can skip Junior WRC and WRC 2 if you so desire, but for the sake of longevity, practice, involvement and enjoyment I would urge you to start from the bottom. Those slower cars can be some of the most rewarding to drive.

Steering Wheel & Controller Support

What about EA Sports WRC with a steering wheel? Well, the list of supported devices is comprehensive but lacks a few obvious brands. Tweaks can be done to ensure compatibility though and with some finessing there is a decent level of force-feedback. Things are quite heavy by default for the Fanatec CSL DD, as if designed for the weaker 5Nm version.

Chucking rally legends around and counter-steering hard as you battle tight trails and loose surfaces really does bring EA Sports WRC to life. It may not always be the most accurate experience, especially on tarmac, but it usually entertains.

As for controller, it can be twitchy by default and a bit annoying for certain cars. However, with the steering sensitivity set to as low as possible you can set fast times and avoid frustration, especially as the Builder car option lets you avoid rear-engined and rear-wheel drive machinery.

Unfortunately, controller and steering wheel users alike currently have to endure the slow-reacting, slow-steering arms of the driver if you use that view. Unless you go into settings and remove the steering wheel, which is not a bad idea as it is this view that lets you adjust your seating position.

Should I buy?

Though much of the internet has decided to hate on EA Sports WRC, the simple fact is that I have put more hours into it than other big recent racing game launches such as Forza Motorsport. For sheer driving fun and challenge, on a good day it is glorious.

The problem is that issues seemingly forgiven or somewhat ignored in Dirt Rally 2.0 – such as how cars turn, the difficulty of handling rear-engined and rear-wheel cars and floaty tarmac – prevail.

Plus it can be a bit of a stutter-fest in some places, depending on settings and platform, while the AI inconsistencies can make it more of a battle against yourself as opposed to other racers. Unless you play online.

For other things, however, such as stage design, loose surface handling, career mode enjoyment, engine noises, accessibility, Rally1 driving and steering wheel force-feedback, I would say EA Sports WRC is solid.

I would also disagree with the general consensus that it is an easier experience. Going truly fast over those longer, technical stages takes serious practice. It is as difficult, sometimes more so. Just in a different way.

To be fair, I would understand those who want to hold back on purchasing. The foundations are solid and recent updates are a step in the right direction, but it seems as if those on console are having a bad time and you could argue Codemasters has not innovated much.

Then again, Dirt Rally 2.0 at launch was a bit of a mess in some places and WRC Generations still has some notable bugs. And if you want to bring Richard Burns Rally into it, well, not everyone has a PC or wants to make it work at its best. Plus there is only so much you can do with a rally game.

Ultimately, I would give EA Sports WRC seven Earl Grey teas out of ten. In the future, WRC Generations and Dirt Rally 2.0 may end up falling behind. For now though I would go in expecting a largely enjoyable rally game with its fair share of hiccups.