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EA SPORTS WRC (PS5)
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Publisher: EA.
Developer: Codemasters. Released: November 2023. Genre: Racing. Other versions: XSX; PC. Posted 5th April 2025. By Tom Clare © 2025 |
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Built as a sequel to DiRT Rally 2.0, EA Sports WRC would usher in a new era for Codemasters’ enduring series in 2023. Their first licensed World Rally Championship game in over twenty years would coincide with the British company’s takeover at the hands of EA. Just as significantly, the game marked a move away from the celebrated Ego engine, on which countless brilliant rallying titles were built, in favour of Unreal Engine 4.
A seismic set of changes on the surface, though the gameplay will be familiar to fans of the sim-leaning DiRT entries of the previous generation. It’s based on the 2023 WRC season, where just three manufacturers (Ford, Hyundai and the all-conquering Toyota) competed, the paucity of modern vehicles an unfortunate by-product of the series’ inability to attract manufacturers. Unsurprisingly then, the game provides a ridiculously comprehensive array of iconic rally cars from the last sixty or so years, including Imprezas, Deltas and Quattros. You can even blast around in a Seat Ibiza if you’re that way inclined. There’s a flabbergastingly vast selection of routes to drive, with 12 ‘real’ rallies alongside around half a dozen more based on historic events. The game totalled more than 200 stages at launch, and by any metric, this a bewildering quantity.
Car detailing is as remarkable as ever, whilst excellent environmental conditions make racing in the rain a challenging treat
I love seeing games embracing technology, not least because it’s nice to be reminded the new hardware you bought wasn’t purely offering cosmetic benefits. Its use of the DualSense rumble function is superbly immersive, the best I’ve seen from any racer. The series has always made clever use of controller vibration, but in EAWRC it’s reached another level. The pad bobbles as you hurtle over rough terrain, whilst tarmac is met with a tighter-feeling buzz. You can feel it when you’re losing adhesion to the road. The effect is remarkably intricate, like a pulse for your car’s condition. Accruing damage results in hitches and rattles through the pad, just enough to let you know a piece of bodywork might be loose, or the radiator’s struggling. The effect such a tertiary element brings to the game is stunning, the developers deserve huge credit.
The introduction of Unreal Engine 4 posed questions, but for the most part, EAWRC answers them convincingly. Importantly, driving retains Ego’s enviously smooth performance and high frame rate, with visuals excelling through stunning-looking cars and striking weather conditions. There are instances of slow-down, though I emphasise that these are very infrequent. The quality of the crowd and scenic detailing is nothing world-beating, as you’d perhaps expect given some of the stages are more than 20km long and there must be tens of thousands of roadside elements to animate. Little touches, like flares lighting the night stages, dust clouds left in the tailwinds, villages and quarries lend the experience occasional visual variety, though you’ll likely miss most of it with your eyes glued to the road.
The introduction of Unreal Engine 4 posed questions, but for the most part, EAWRC answers them convincingly. Importantly, driving retains Ego’s enviously smooth performance and high frame rate, with visuals excelling through stunning-looking cars and striking weather conditions. There are instances of slow-down, though I emphasise that these are very infrequent. The quality of the crowd and scenic detailing is nothing world-beating, as you’d perhaps expect given some of the stages are more than 20km long and there must be tens of thousands of roadside elements to animate. Little touches, like flares lighting the night stages, dust clouds left in the tailwinds, villages and quarries lend the experience occasional visual variety, though you’ll likely miss most of it with your eyes glued to the road.
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The devil’s in the detail, as the saying goes, and it’s the myriad small touches that impress. Engine notes sound unbelievably good, with different timbres depending on the era of the model. Acceleration results in pleasant pops and whirs, and the incredibly detailed, crisp co-driver delivery can be customised to allow earlier or later calls.
The WRC guarantees an incredible array of challenging conditions that are a perfect fit for video gaming. To save yourself some pain early on, it’s worth adding some traction control if you’re using a control pad. The game is hyper-realistic and trying to simulate the finesse of pedal pressure with a trigger is tremendously difficult, the consequences of which being spinning mid-corner due to over-revving. It helps that the handling is beautifully receptive, as you’ll learn to sense when cars are about to break traction on different surfaces, as well as how they respond differently under braking on perilous wet roads. It’s a mesmerising challenge, one that demands concentration and rewards consistency, judgement and controlled bravery with supremely satisfying gameplay. Every rally tests you in an entirely different way. The tight, windy snow stages of Sweden, the frighteningly fast forest blasts of Finland, the lumpy dirt of Kenya, the flowing gravel sweeps of Croatia and the picturesque hills and cherry blossoms of Japan. EAWRC is not a game you’ll master overnight, but it wastes little time drawing you in.
The WRC guarantees an incredible array of challenging conditions that are a perfect fit for video gaming. To save yourself some pain early on, it’s worth adding some traction control if you’re using a control pad. The game is hyper-realistic and trying to simulate the finesse of pedal pressure with a trigger is tremendously difficult, the consequences of which being spinning mid-corner due to over-revving. It helps that the handling is beautifully receptive, as you’ll learn to sense when cars are about to break traction on different surfaces, as well as how they respond differently under braking on perilous wet roads. It’s a mesmerising challenge, one that demands concentration and rewards consistency, judgement and controlled bravery with supremely satisfying gameplay. Every rally tests you in an entirely different way. The tight, windy snow stages of Sweden, the frighteningly fast forest blasts of Finland, the lumpy dirt of Kenya, the flowing gravel sweeps of Croatia and the picturesque hills and cherry blossoms of Japan. EAWRC is not a game you’ll master overnight, but it wastes little time drawing you in.
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It’s hard to fault the racing. The project’s modest list of negatives typically stem from presentation and structuring. Codemasters’ previous outings delivered decent online options, notably the daily challenges that saw players pitting their times against the world on an individual stage. Whilst these remain mostly intact, multiplayer is more circuitous than it should have been. Necessitating the use of a mobile app to enter online challenges feels more like a data-harvesting exercise than something genuinely helpful to players. Moments, a mode consisting of a mix of scenarios both real and ‘inspired’, is good in principle. The battle for medals hooked me for a time, though it’s a little bit by committee, as though a team was tasked with firing out dozens of challenges with little attempt to connect the player with the scenarios.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll no doubt say it again: basing a Career mode around an office/calendar setup remains a dull way of presenting a racing game. Admin for admin’s sake is never good and whilst it might be argued that balancing the books and pleasing your sponsor adds a sprinkling of realism, it makes things feel unnecessarily corporate. Team-building and car loans add little to the experience, and whilst the car builder function is nice enough, it too seems like a lot of menu trawling for little gain. Regularity Rally is new to the series, seeing players aiming to reach checkpoints in a pre-determined time. Too slow or too quick, and you’re slapped with penalty points. Granted, it’s different, but driving at controlled speeds is hardly the game at its adrenaline-pumping best, and you’ll quickly tire of this setup.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll no doubt say it again: basing a Career mode around an office/calendar setup remains a dull way of presenting a racing game. Admin for admin’s sake is never good and whilst it might be argued that balancing the books and pleasing your sponsor adds a sprinkling of realism, it makes things feel unnecessarily corporate. Team-building and car loans add little to the experience, and whilst the car builder function is nice enough, it too seems like a lot of menu trawling for little gain. Regularity Rally is new to the series, seeing players aiming to reach checkpoints in a pre-determined time. Too slow or too quick, and you’re slapped with penalty points. Granted, it’s different, but driving at controlled speeds is hardly the game at its adrenaline-pumping best, and you’ll quickly tire of this setup.
Effects, such as the dust clouds kicked up by the cars, look awesome. Sadly, your eyes will be glued to the road ahead
Despite a few blemishes, there remains no rallying game in recent generations that comes even close to matching the quality of Codemasters’ efforts. Understandably, there were concerns for the series when EA assumed control. Would it retain its identity, its complexity, or its quality? Or would it go the route of DiRT 5, a vacuous carnival game? Fans can breathe a sigh of relief: EA Sports WRC is a hugely enjoyable and remarkably comprehensive rallying experience. Granted, it’s not quite the masterpiece that was DiRT 4, but those wanting a weighty take on the real WRC will get tonnes out of this game. A brilliantly crafted, immersive racer with enough stages to keep rallying nuts happy for months.
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VERDICT"If you love a challenging, technical rally game, then this one's for you. Despite a few small issues, Codemasters' mastery remains unrivalled, as they continue to ratchet the bar ever-higher for challengers." OVERALL: 8/10 |
OTHER GREAT CODEMASTERS RALLY GAMES REVIEWED
Colin McRae Rally (1998, PlayStation)
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DiRT 4 (2017, PlayStation 4)
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