EA Sports WRC Coming 3 November, Pre-orders Open Now

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Following last week’s announcement, the newest WRC game finally has a reveal trailer. Releasing on 3 November, this is EA Sports WRC.

Image credit: EA Sports

The time has finally come, rally fans. Indeed, months of speculation, rumours and slowly disappearing hope have come to an end for those looking forward to a new official WRC game. Taking on the baton from Kylotonn, Codemasters and EA now have five years of the WRC licence ahead of them.

The pairing known for the F1 series of games finally released the reveal trailer for the upcoming game. Releasing 3 November, EA Sports WRC is set to feature a number of changes from the Dirt Rally series of old. Here is everything the trailer reveals.

Unreal Engine​

The first thing fans will notice from the reveal trailer is the graphics: They are far flatter and more realistic than those of Dirt Rally 2.0. Whilst less pretty, this will surely not be a bad thing as immersion will certainly come with the improved engine.


Indeed, the game will run on the Unreal Engine, a popular option for games of all realms in recent years. Much like Assetto Corsa Competizione, EA Sports WRC will adapt its own physics into the graphics engine.

Speaking of physics, EA is firm in its statements that the new game will indeed be a sim racing title. This should put to rest the fears that the title would cater solely to a beginner audience whilst omitting the more hardcore racing fan. However, there will reportedly be simplified pace notes and several driver aids to help newcomers get settled in.

Content in EA WRC​

Built upon the physics engine of Dirt Rally 2.0, the game will clearly also feature many cars from the previous rally game. A selection of classic cars feature in the reveal trailer, including the Lancia Delta HF Integrale and Subara Impreza WRX STI. Reportedly, a total of 68 cars will feature in the game at launch.

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Subaru Impreza EA Sports WRC. Image credit: EA Sports

Elsewhere, thanks to the official WRC licence, the game will obviously feature the trio of hybrid Rally1 cars one can see roaring up stages in the real series. The junior categories WRC2 and 3 will also join the game with a number of models each.

Speaking of stages, 18 of the 19 rally locations in this year’s WRC season will feature in the game at launch. The Central European Rally will join at a later date via a post-launch update. These 18 locations will account for 600km of roads covering asphalt, snow and gravel.

EA Sports WRC Game Modes​

One interesting game mode will allow players to add to the current line up of manufacturers. Much like F1 23‘s My Team, players will be able to create their own car meeting Rally1 specifications. How one will go about putting together the styling in this so-called ‘Builder’ mode is as yet unclear, but it will offer something unique in rally game spheres.

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Builder mode lets you create your own rally car. Image credit: EA Sports

Elsewhere, the recent F1 23 addition of real world scenarios is trickling down to the upcoming rally game. In fact, Moments will put players in actual scenarios of the real world season. Furthermore, Moments using classic cars will also feature.

A whole host of online racing options will be available to rally fans. From the aforementioned daily Moments challenges with leader boards and a Clubs section in which groups can organise rallies of up to 32 players, there will surely be plenty to do.

Pre-orders Open Now​

EA Sports WRC is available to pre-order right now. Available on Steam, Epic Store, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, it does away with the previous generation of consoles. As a result, one can expect a leap in graphical and physical rendering from the likes of DiRT Rally 2.0.

By pre-ordering the game, players will gain access to five VIP Season Passes as well as the Team Apparel pack. The biggest perk must be the three-day early access, meaning fans will get to play from 31 October.

Currently available at a discounted rate of €44,99, the full game will come in at €49,99 at launch.

OverTake’s own Jonas “Champion Joe” Schulz was on hand to react to the reveal trailer. Check out what he thinks of the news here.


Are you excited for EA Sports WRC? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
About author
Angus Martin
Motorsport gets my blood pumping more than anything else. Be it physical or virtual, I'm down to bang doors.

Comments

So does this mean it also doesn't have triple screen support since they are using the unreal engine? I know Kunos solved this issue, but it took enormous amounts of work.
 
Huh. I actually am kind of intrigued. Don't remember the last time I said that about anything that had anything to do with EA.

Once it gets VR, I may be swayed... Especially with the "My Team" feature.
 
Wonder how the limitations of the unreal engine will affect this game. Shame they didn't just develop the ego engine further
It has been around for like 15 years and its results were not stellar at any front. This is a good development (albeit one that will bring teething issues).
 
I'm surprisingly pumped about this game. DR 2.0 is one of my favorites, and this looks like a good sequel so far. I'll probably jump in with a pre-order, which I almost never do. I'm assuming it'll support most/all wheels, just waiting for that list to be sure.
 
I like that the box mock up I saw says "From the creators of DiRT Rally". I knew that but I like it being mentioned. It's of course surprising to hear of a new graphics engine but if the game is a development of DiRT Rally 2.0, has new content, historical content etc. it's looking promising.

I think (and this is not a joke) I will play it using an Xbox controller until they add VR. I've tried that with the previous game and it's fun. I can only take driving "seriously" once I am able to get it in VR.
 
600km of roads spread over 18 locations = ~33km per location.
ASSUMING that each stage is chopped up and reversed stages of one long stage, that would clock in at about 16km per location.
Not QUITE what K-T was doing, but that's more than I was expecting from Codies. Hopeful.

I was also afraid that Codies would sell the base game with like 6 or so locations and the remaining locations would be sold as DLC. Thank god they put that concern to rest.
 
D
Worked alright, except for the part about it recognizing my very widely-used wheel/pedals :p
Never bothered with the wheel, not even sure if any were supported, controller worked fine. My kid had fun with it.
 
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