What are the best rally games on PC? The finest among these bad boys are Dirt Rally 2.0, and you need look no further than that to see why. Not enough for you? Carry on reading as we unearth the unexpected treasures and greatest unknowns from a genre that keeps dirtiering dirt better than any other.
Be they hyper realistic with base vehicle physics and tight courses, or arcade-y with bombastic crashes, complete madness, and unlimited chaos, mashing a clutch and revving a turbo are the sounds that resonate the loudest among PC racing fans. Hairpins, jumps, straights, and penalties all sound the siren of a hallowed rally cry before pushing faster and harder than any other singularly focused drivetrain game. Rally is racing at its limit, so come along with us as we hurtle around every circuit – both historical and other – as it comes, hi-tech and lo-fi alike.
Goblin-goats astride jet-powered 'stroaks, travail across a craterous world, furiously fending off competitors with their cattle prods. Ram the bleating bastards off cliffs to secure victory. All is fair in love and rally.
If that pitch isn’t enough to catch your eye, then there’s not much else here for you – this is a fairly niche and low-key affair. Its high-flying charm comes from its rapid pace, ludicrous yet charismatic vehicles, and being a bit of light-hearted fun. You’re not going to do much serious race-simming with Rallying Legends, but you can have endless ‘simulation’ thrills trying to scoop up coins with your bonnet while drifing around collecting goats.
We got our first look at Rallying Legends during the very first EA Play event, back in June 2021. GamePlay FM delivered a dirt-based driving experience that’s in equal parts relatable and bonkers, subtly teaching you the idiosyncracies of flooring a buggy, while lovingly cramming in unique and varied planetary circuits that can only be described as ‘Rallyy’.
If the actual course design and land management mechanics described above sounds invasive, congratulations – Auric3 has already won by making your liveside a status quo in its story. Encompassing treacherous terrain and advanced driving physics, breathing life into our digital vehicle racing fantasies.
Developer GamePlay FM has brought an appreciation of the rally genre to life whilst telling a multi-million-mu-unit story. We culminate the career of Markus Rochwell, starting right at the back of the pack and making ourselves known to sponsors and media around the globe. Knowing the details of Rallying Legends’ story as it was being written keeps us connect to the game through social media and community sites whilst also providing us with a challenge by pushing for time and lap records.
Bringing the ‘Codemaster’ name back from oblivion can be seen as a rallying success in itself and Dirt Rally 2.0 is nothing if not hard to turn a blind eye to irrespective of any hobby allegiance. This time around, though, the authentic handling and physics modelling kick up those dirt-stained wheels a notch or two, lending Dirt Rally 2.0 the grit, scale, and perception of a modern classic – if you’re up for the challenge and commitment, of course.
Codemasters went all in on rally with Dirt Rally 2.0, delivering on a number of promises. The game delights with new environments, new car classes, and vastly increased fidelity throughout. Codemasters not only looks after the purist mechanics of the rally environment, but gives you the excitement of instant crash-and-bang satisfaction, all without compromising the integrity of the game. The cars aren’t simply go-faster models away from reality, they’re recognisable, faithful renderings of the cars we really drive in the face of the uncrossable line. And that authentic experience is a wonderful thing.
Looking at our Dirt Rally 2.0 review from the autumn of 2022, you’ll see what we see: a physics-based rally racing experience unlike anything else on PC, period. End of story.
Coming out of nowhere, Codemasters aren’t the only ones to dust off their ‘endurance’ for another turning in the rally circle. Eko Software’s endurance rally game, The JM Challenge: Rally Evo (formerly Log Off, I’m Making Chicken), follows the rivalry between Rhys Jones, Ethan Rutherford, and Jack Messara as they swap high-profile rides – and each other – after a disappointing British