''Dirt Rally 2.0'' (stylised as ''DiRT Rally 2.0'') is a racing simulation video game developed and published by

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer and former publisher based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts and managed under the EA Sports ...

for

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

, and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

. It was released on 26 February 2019. A version for

Amazon Luna Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform developed and operated by Amazon. The platform has integration with Twitch and is available on Windows, Mac, Amazon Fire TV, iOS (as a progressive web app) as well as Android. Games and channels from b ...

followed on 3 June 2021. It is a successor to the 2015 video game ''

Dirt Rally ''Dirt Rally'' (stylised as ''DiRT Rally'') is a racing simulation video game developed and published by Codemasters for Windows. A Steam Early Access version of the game was released on 27 April 2015, and the full version was released on 7 D ...

'' and emphasises realistic driving physics.

Gameplay

''Dirt Rally 2.0'' is focused on

rallying Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

and

rallycross Rallycross is a form of sprint style motorsport held on a mixed-surface circuit (racing), racing circuit using modified production touring automobile, cars or prototype racing cars. It began in the 1960s as a cross between rallying and autocross ...

. Players compete in timed stage events on tarmac and off-road terrain in varying weather conditions. The game features stages in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Codemasters also announced plans to expand the game through the release of

downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...

, and released stages in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. These stages are remastered versions of the stages included in the original ''Dirt Rally''. There is also a rallycross mode with World RallyCross Supercars (including the lineup of the 2018 season) and eight circuits from the

FIA World Rallycross Championship The FIA World Rallycross Championship (official abbreviation is World RX) is a rallycross series organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA in conjunction with series promoter Rallycross Promoter GmbH (founded by Red Bull G ...

. ''Dirt Rally 2.0'' lets players choose between a total of fifty cars, including the aforementioned World Rallycross Supercars, historic rally cars from the 1960s through the 1980s, Groups A, B and R rally cars, and modern rally cars from the 1990s to the late 2010s. This was later expanded to thirteen locations through

. Every car can have its setup adjusted before a race. The game also features a new weather modelling system where changes in the weather affect the relative level of grip and require players to take a more nuanced approach to driving. The weather also affects visibility in stages. The surface of the stages is also subject to degradation; as more cars pass over a stage, more than 100 layers ensure that the road surface will start to shift and break up, affecting grip levels. The gameplay therefore demands maximum concentration, especially as some stages can take more than ten minutes to complete. There is no rewind function and damages not only have a visual but also mechanical effect, with it being possible to sustain "terminal damage", which automatically ends whatever race the car is in as a DNF (

did not finish In racing, did not finish (DNF) denotes a result of a participant who does not finish a given race, either because of a mechanical failure, injury, or involvement in an accident. This may also be used in cases where the competitor has hit the time ...

). The "My Team" mode introduced in ''

Dirt 4 ''Dirt 4'' (stylised as ''DiRT 4'') is a simcade racing video game developed by Codemasters for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in June 2017, and for Linux and macOS in March 2019 by Feral Interactive. A sequel, ''Dirt 5'', was released i ...

'' is expanded upon, requiring players to hire specialist engineers to maintain the car. However, other elements such as customising liveries, signing sponsors, and expanding team facilities were removed. Damage sustained during a rally carries over from event to event. Players are also able to make a wider range of strategic choices, such as tyre compounds; softer tyres offer more grip but wear out faster, while harder tyres are more durable but produce slower stage times. Codemasters later introduced a more comprehensive tutorial for setting up the car to make the process more accessible for newcomers, amateurs and players who have been deterred from exploring setup options in the past. The release of downloadable content follows a fortnightly schedule, and includes the return of rally locations from the first game, as well as cars such as the

Škoda Fabia The Škoda Fabia is a series of passenger cars produced by Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto since 1999. It is the successor of the Škoda Felicia, which was discontinued in 2001. The Fabia was available in hatchback, estate (named Fabia Combi) ...

and

BMW M1 The BMW M1 (model code E26) is a Mid-engine design, mid-engined sports car produced by German automotive manufacturer BMW from 1978 until 1981. In the late 1970s, Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to ...

. The final DLC package is titled "Colin McRae: Flat Out". It features a new location in

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

in Scotland, cars driven by

Colin McRae Colin Steele McRae, (5 August 1968 – 15 September 2007), was a British rally driver. He was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion, and in 1995 became the first British driver to win the World Rally Championship Drivers' title. At 27, ...

, and a scenario mode where players re-enact moments from McRae's career.

Development

''Dirt Rally 2.0'' is the first game in the series to be developed by

after game director Paul Coleman's departure from the company in early 2018. Rally drivers Ryan Champion and Jon Armstrong served as consultants throughout the game's development with occasional help from

Oliver Solberg Oliver Solberg (born 23 September 2001) is a Swedish rally (sports), rally driver. After winning multiple Crosskart, crosskarting championships in his early years, Solberg became the 2018 RallyX Nordic Champion and the 2019 FIA ERC1 Junior Champi ...

, while veteran co-driver

Phil Mills Philip Lewis Mills (born 30 August 1963) is a Welsh rallying co-driver. He was winner of the 2003 World Rally Championship (WRC), as co-driver to Petter Solberg. Mills was born in Trefeglwys, Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of W ...

lent his voice as the game's English-speaking co-driver.

Neil Cole Neil Cole (born 1 March 1972) is an English television presenter, comedian, radio broadcaster and actor. Early life Cole was born in Bristol in 1972, lived in Allendale, New Jersey, USA as a child, and attended King Edward Grammar School in ...

is the English-speaking voice of the rallycross spotter. As with other Codemasters racing games, the audio team meticulously recorded individual tracks of intake, exhaust, turbo and supercharger, transmission, and cabin noise from inside and outside of each real car featured in the game.

Reception

''Dirt Rally 2.0'' received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

Awards

References

External links