Dirt Rally 2.0 does not want to be your friend. Codemasters built a rally simulator where the road breaks apart under your tires, the weather changes how much grip you have, and a single bad corner can end a stage that can take more than ten minutes.
The game came out on 26 February 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One. An Amazon Luna version followed on 3 June 2021. It is a successor to the 2015 Dirt Rally, and it keeps that game’s emphasis on realistic driving physics. It also supports virtual reality on Oculus VR and SteamVR.
Trailer, via EA SPORTS WRC.
Stages From Argentina to Wales
Dirt Rally 2.0 is about rallying and rallycross. Players run timed stage events on tarmac and off-road terrain in varying weather. The base game ships with stages in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Spain and the United States. Codemasters expanded it through downloadable content with stages in Finland, Germany, Greece, Monte Carlo, Sweden and Wales. Those six added stages are remastered versions of stages from the original Dirt Rally.
The rallycross side runs World RallyCross Supercars, including the 2018 season lineup, across eight circuits from the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
The car list has a total of fifty cars: historic rally cars from the 1960s through the 1980s, Groups A, B and R cars, and modern rally cars from the 1990s to the late 2010s. Every car’s setup can be adjusted before a race.
| Feature | Dirt Rally 2.0 detail |
|---|---|
| Base stages | Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, United States |
| Added stages | Finland, Germany, Greece, Monte Carlo, Sweden, Wales |
| Rallycross circuits | Eight |
| Rallycross field | World RallyCross Supercars, 2018 season lineup |
| Release date | 26 February 2019 |
| Amazon Luna release | 3 June 2021 |
The Road Comes Apart
The weather modelling is the part that changes how the game plays. Changes in weather shift the relative level of grip, so players have to take a more nuanced approach to driving. Weather also affects visibility in stages.
The surface degrades too. As more cars pass over a stage, more than 100 layers ensure the road surface starts to shift and break up, which affects grip levels. Some stages take more than ten minutes to complete. There is no rewind function. Damage has a visual and mechanical effect, and it is possible to sustain “terminal damage,” which automatically ends the stage.
That combination is the whole argument. Dirt Rally 2.0 asks for maximum concentration and gives you no way to take a mistake back.
Key facts
– Released: 26 February 2019
– Platforms: PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One; Amazon Luna on 3 June 2021
– VR: Oculus VR, SteamVR
– Critic aggregate: 8.1/10 (10 outlets)
The rallycross mode is the weaker half. Eight circuits and a Supercar field are a fine addition, but the timed stage events are where the game’s systems — degrading surfaces, shifting grip, no rewind — actually matter. Rallycross is a side dish.
The VR support is what separates Dirt Rally 2.0 from most of its competition. Sitting in the cockpit of a Group B car on a Welsh stage, with visibility dropping and the road breaking up ahead of you, is the version of this game that justifies the ten-minute stage length. It is also the version that makes terminal damage feel like a real loss.
Dirt Rally 2.0 is not a game you pick up for a quick run. It is a game you learn, car by car and stage by stage, and it punishes anyone who skips that work. That is the point.
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