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Rally racing may not be the most popular form of motor racing around, but it’s certainly one of the most exciting. It’s also one that has regularly proved to be a perfect fit for video games, from Sega Rally Championship (and it’s Sega Saturn port masterpiece) and Colin McRae through to modern offerings. Enter WRC from Codemasters and EA Sports, this year’s official World Rally Championship game.
Long-term fans of rally racing video games may notice that there’s been a shift behind the scenes, as Kylotonn had been behind the official World Rally Championship games for some time, but with EA Sports getting the licence the job has passed on to the racing game experts at Codemasters. As it turns out, Codemasters has the potential to be just as successful here long-term as with their F1 racing games.
An Exciting Drive
When it comes to the feel of rally racing, Codemasters has done an excellent job with WRC. The level of excitement to be found in the game is fantastic, doing a fantastic job of emulating the feel of rally racing. It feels like the player is right there, rather than detached from the whole experience or a passenger.
It’s very clear that Codemasters has built upon what worked so well about DiRT Rally 2.0, their last rallying game and for many the studio’s magnum opus, as it feels like a template for WRC albeit with a shift to the Unreal Engine. WRC may or may not be better, and it is certainly different; it’s a game built with newcomers to the genre in mind, therefore a little smoother, more accessible, and lenient.
Players can decide whether they think this is a good thing, but one area where WRC absolutely succeeds is with its sense of speed. The player is not going to be hitting the top speeds of Codemasters’ own F1 games or Forza Motorsport, but those moments where the player can truly let rip are absolutely thrilling. Meanwhile, the treacherous nature of rally racing with its steep cliffs, sharp turns, and blind corners, amplifies the whole experience.
Authenticity Inbound
Another area of success in WRC is the precision of its design and the authenticity of the overall game. The title has 78 real-world cars, and this feels closest to reality of any rally game for some time. It’s not just the visuals, as one area that feels nearly perfect is with the audio design of the game, from the sounds of engines through to the way that the co-driver’s instructions blend with the overall atmosphere. It’s incredibly impressive.
This feeds through to the game’s stages, too. WRC includes over 200 rally stages across different countries and continents, and the amount of variety here really does speak to the global nature of the sport. There are some omissions here that could leave rally fans with a raised eyebrow, but nothing that can’t be fixed with further expected updates as time goes on.
Most importantly, WRC is designed in a way that the player truly gets into a groove with the co-driver’s instructions. This is a relationship and design element that is essential for any good really game, and WRC allows this to work amazingly well. The player will drift into seamlessly recognising the callouts from their co-driver as they come, forming a telepathic bond, and it’s one of the best examples of this gameplay in action in a rally game.
Shaving Off Some Seconds
WRC is a very strong racing game, but there are some things that Codemasters will want to consider, either for tweaks to this year’s game or for future releases. Make no mistake: this is a fantastic rally racing game, but there is some room for improvement.
One element that Codemasters may want to revisit is the structure of the game’s Career Mode. It’s an enjoyable mode, and likely where solo players will spend a fair amount of their time, but its structure feels a little gamified and odd at first, especially for those who are familiar with rally racing. It’s understandable as to why this would be chosen, as a means to get players unfamiliar with the sport into a comprehensive mode, but some changes going forward could pay dividends.
There are also some technical issues that Codemasters may want to look to address. More variety in grip between different surface types or weather conditions could make those differences really hit home, and there are some issues with clipping bits of scenery that break immersion. Thankfully, these are relatively small issues and don’t do much to diminish the overall quality of the game.
Our Review Score & Final Thoughts
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WRC is a fantastic racing game. Codemasters has created an excellent entry in its rally racing library, and its first official World Rally Championship game is an accessible but still challenging experience that is all about mastery. It’s strong title in its own right, with scope to build into a fantastic ongoing series.
WRC is out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 download for the purposes of this review.
