Stages, Rallycross, Performance: Why Our Community Still Prefers DiRT Rally 2.0 Over EA Sports WRC

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Monte Carlo Rally, DiRT Rally 2.0. Image: codemasters
Without a doubt, EA Sports WRC and DiRT Rally 2.0 are the two heavy hitters in modern rally titles. But interestingly, our community question last week showed that you prefer the older title - so we look at why our community still loves DiRT Rally 2.0.

On paper, it should be a clear win for EA Sports WRC versus DiRT Rally 2.0: It is newer, has the 2023 and 2024 WRC seasons plus plenty of historic content on board, has longer stages and more choice for locations - and yet, things not always as straight-forward as one might think.

In a previous article on this subject, there were ample conversations in the comments about which sim is best. The poll that was attached showed that a larger percentage of those readers preferred DiRT Rally 2.0 over WRC. In that article, we looked at both title's reputations as well as their features. Here is why DiRT Rally 2.0 is the preferred rally sim over WRC according to our community.

Poll Results
EA Sports WRC: 31%
DiRT Rally 2.0: 57.4%
Other Titles: 11.6%

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M-Sport Ford in EA Sports WRC. Image: EA Sports

Content​

The main topic of conversation and debate in the comments section of our previous article was the content differences between the two titles, and Richard Burns Rally as well.

The car choice is nicely balanced across both titles, however, contemporary cars are where WRC shines. DiRT Rally 2.0 has an almost endless list of DLC cars that cost as little as €2 that spice up the car list. The base game list is also impressive so regardless of which sim you prefer you get a nice variety.

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Junior WRC class. Image: EA Sports

WRC has a big lead on DiRT Rally 2.0 when it comes to stages and rally lengths, as mentioned in the previous article. However, a lot of the community was more interested in how it feels to drive these stages and how these titles handle them, of course.

"For me the bad thing about WRC, is that in lifeless compare to Dirt Rally 2.0. It needs to improve. The stages need more life and immersion, they must bring random events to the game. I don't know if they can bring ERC and WRX to the game, but at least they need to include the Special Stages, so we can have more depth to the game and some similar to Dirt Rally 2.0 and of course a Free Roam option, Dirt Fish place should make a return." - WerferHarfer

The WRC fans love the variety in stages, whereas the DiRT Rally 2.0 fans appear to prefer the driving feel of their sim and are willing to sacrifice up-to-date cars. The other big issue is the EA anti-cheat that so many people oppose, so much so that they have uninstalled the game entirely or cannot start it anymore.

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Citroen C4 sideways in Sweden. Image: Codemasters

Graphics & System Requirements​

The graphical differences between WRC and DiRT Rally 2.0 are obvious in some places, but very slight in others. There are certainly some big surprises, and the older DiRT Rally 2.0 is certainly not to be dismissed - neither are the struggles of WRC related to the Unreal Engine it uses.

Before comparing the graphics, let's take a look into the system requirements to run both of these titles at a good framerate without sacrificing the graphical detail. OverTake user Rodger Davies explained his experience with WRC and why he prefers DiRT Rally 2.0 very eloquently in the comments section of the community question article:

"For me, if I was recommending a new user: DR2

I couldn't play WRC because of the crazy stuttering for the first few months. It does now (as of Oct '24) seem to be resolved, but even if it is I have a problem that WRC doesn't have game modes I want to play.

In DR2 I loved the career championships - the AI was well done and crucially there was no clutter like the WRC one seems to. And best of all, the season's events were truly randomised. With WRC, not even the stages within the events are random; they apparently follow the same order each year. Even with the '24 DLC, there's a single fixed calendar. WRC also only really has a career for the three modern classes, the historic classes are sidelined.

OK, so career isn't for me; solo play. But in solo play rallies or championships I can't select the classes. So if I want to role play Vatanen's Escort or Alen's Fiat 131 I have to run 60th on the road with fully rutted stages behind a load of Group B and Group A cars. How hard would it be to have a toggle to turn off multi class?

Last resort; dailies. I loved the 'you have one shot' approach in DR2 to these... but no, they're gone. Replaced by a 'moments' stage which, ironically, you can run over and over.

The UI is also much worse IMO - DR2's menu was great in its simplicity, big blocks and a consistent approach throughout. WRC one I find inconsistent by comparison (and I turned the music off, which I never did in DR1 or 2).

Back to graphics for a sec... WRC has made the switch but it looks far worse for the performance. The water effect of rain and splashes is poor compared to DR2. In DR2 cars got caked in mud whereas I can run a wet Kenyan stage in WRC and the car still looks cleaner than the Skoda in my driveway.

But, importantly WRC has better tarmac handling and far more stage mileage. I like having the choice for a female codriver and some of the car list is truly inspired, such as the Talbot Sunbeam and Hillman Avenger (although some terrible class groupings remain, like the Stratos bundled with Group A cars instead of the other '70s machines). That said, DR2 had the superb RGT class, which is one of my favourites - it's such a pity we can't combine these with WRC's tarmac handling.

WRC's DLC structure adding new stages to existing locations to further increase the unique KMs of events like Monte Carlo and Portugal is great too, this is something DR2 lacks, and having 60km of unique stage for some countries makes a huge difference compared to the older game." - Rodger Davies

Below is a table comparing the recommended hardware for running these two rally simulators. Rally is one of the hardest disciplines of motorsport for your computer to run and process because it requires loading data for just a few seconds at a time as you fly through a dense Australian forest or along a high-speed Polish backroad.

System Requirements

Hardware EA Sports WRCDiRT Rally 2.0
Operating SystemWindows 10 or 1164bit versions of either Windows 7, 8 or 10
ProcessorAMD Ryzen 7 3700X Intel i5 10600KAMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i5 8600K
Memory16 GB RAM8 GB RAM
GraphicsNvidia RTX 2070 Radeon RX 5700 XTAMD RX Vega 56 or NVIDIA GTX 1070
DirectXVersion 12Version 11
Storage110 GB available space + SSD recommended100 GB available space
VROpenXR, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, Valve Index, Oculus Rift S, Oculus CV1, HTC ViveSteamVR or Oculus PC
Sound CardDirectX CompatibleDirectX® Compatible soundcard
System requirements on Steam as of October 2024

Starting with WRC, the recommended system requirements are much more equipment-heavy compared to DiRT Rally 2.0. This may be down to the fact that WRC is over four years newer than its competition, however, DiRT Rally 2.0 does not let itself down graphically, so which one is better?

"As I am not able to run EA Sports WRC due to the AVX lock (really should be specified on Steam’s mininal requirements, as my CPU is far better spec than the one mentioned on Steam, it only doesn’t support AVX), it’s DR2 then. I also like the old rallycross. I would love to be able to play EA Sports WRC, because I love the roster of classic cars (from 90s)." - Kulibob

It all comes down to what you want from your sim. If you have a lower-end computer and a loss of graphical detail is inevitable, I would recommend going with DiRT Rally 2.0. However, if you love licensed content and want to drive your favourite WRC cars in amazing detail, EA Sports WRC is the way to go in this match-up.

OverTake user, RayMy, described his experience with WRC on his hardware:
"For me, EA WRC works perfectly smoothly on my PC, even after adding anti-cheat. I don't have the game on the C: system drive, but on the E: drive. I play in 4K with DLSS balanced and almost everything on ultra settings except shadows, post process and reflection on medium. Mirror off.

My PC is: Win 10, Ryzen 5 3600, 32gb RAM, RTX 3060 Ti 8gb and nvme ssd drives"
- Raymy


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Opel Kadett C GT/E Image: Codemasters

Rallycross​

Whilst being a point of conversation not related to the core disciplines of both games, Rallycross is a much-loved discipline amongst rally fans like OverTake users JorritVD and Alexandre Costa. The lack thereof in WRC is a major sticking point for a lot of players who were considering switching from DiRT Rally 2.0.

"Well, I've been looking for a rally sim lately, as I started doing some rallycross on AMS 2 and iRacing and that made me want some "real" rally. I'll probably buy both and try for less than 2 hours and make a decision as I don't like having games I don't play." - Alexandre Costa

The issues are within the licensing of the two titles. WRC focuses on real-life WRC cars and teams, so having rallycross in the title does not make much sense from a licensing perspective. However, that is where DiRT Rally 2.0 shines. You can race on eight official circuits from the FIA World Rallycross championship, complete with licensed cars and support series.

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Peugeot 205 T16 Rallycross. Image: Codemasters

To further DiRT Rally 2.0's dominance within Rallycross, there is an entire career mode centred around the mode with its licensed circuits and cars. This sets the title apart from its competition and is the obvious choice for new and experienced players who have tried rallycross in something like Project Cars 2 or iRacing and want to try a licensed version of this crazy racing discipline.

Overall, the split of content and quality is healthy and there is a solid fanbase for both titles. DiRT Rally 2.0 came out on top in our poll, but that does not mean that you should stop playing WRC. Play what you enjoy playing and what you get the most enjoyment out of - which is key to sim racing happiness, after all.

With the poll showing DiRT Rally 2.0 was more popular, what would you want to see added or removed from EA Sports WRC in the future to catch up with its competition? Let us know in the comments below!
About author
Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

Comments

FFB in DR2 is MUCH better, WRC feels like there is a rubber band conected to the wheel, and the feebcak arrives half a second later.... try this , drive staright and swing your wheel 45 degrees either side of centre pretty fast, you will note you drive straight like you are on rails.. this is not what cars do. i guess its setup from the ground up for thier plethora of 10 year olds mashing buttons on xbox/playstation to build in ease of use..
 
My opinions are as follows

Dirt Rally 2.0 is the most fun of the bunch. It's got the most engaging feeling of rallying, and one that just begs for just one more go. It might not be the most realistic, but it is fun.

WRC (Kylotonn). I think WRC 9 and upwards were actually pretty good, IMO the actual rally physics in some places are perhaps more realistic than DR2.0 in the way that the cars behave, but it's not quite as much fun - I don't feel as connected to the car as I do in DR2.0. Also these titles are marred with interface issues, and certain controller issues which can be got around, but it's not smooth sailing in that respect.

RBR. It might have the most accurate rally physics if it's supporters are to believed, but honestly I find it a chore to drive, it's just not that engaging. It's not that it's difficult to drive, it's just that I never get that "Whoooaa Yeeeaaah" feeling like I do in DR2.0.

EA WRC - It would be something if it actually launched. I did put about 90 minutes into it when it first released, but it was stuttery as hell. I did try again just after EA introduced the anti-cheat but unfortunately after that and subsequent updates it appears to have stopped working completely.
 
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@Connor Minniss please can you update my quote in the OP? I wrote it in a fit of pique and have tempered my language and added a bit more balance.

For the record, WRC is on sale on Steam at the moment and I strongly recommend trying it. I gave it another chance to try the new stages and check my experience from the OP and I'm happy to say the performance bugs have gone. I'm happy to say the Poland stages in particular are some of the best in the game and it seems the EA team has gotten an improved understanding in how to design and optimise the stages.

I don't miss rallycross at all and one of WRC's selling points to me is a more focused rally game.
 
WRC feels like there is a rubber band conected to the wheel, and the feebcak arrives half a second later....
Sometimes proper setuped wheel and ingame options makes wonders.

I can only accept your opinion but I don't understand it at all.
For me, EA WRC (correctly set up) is clearly the best rally game since RBR

After a good (after tweaks) Dirt Rally1, part 2 was a bitter disappointment for me in terms of FFB/physics
We don't even need to talk about route design, do we?

PS: To be fair, i bought the game half year after release and never had any performance issues with it (R5800x3D, RTX 3080)
 
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OverTake
Premium
@Connor Minniss please can you update my quote in the OP? I wrote it in a fit of pique and have tempered my language and added a bit more balance.

For the record, WRC is on sale on Steam at the moment and I strongly recommend trying it. I gave it another chance to try the new stages and check my experience from the OP and I'm happy to say the performance bugs have gone. I'm happy to say the Poland stages in particular are some of the best in the game and it seems the EA team has gotten an improved understanding in how to design and optimise the stages.

I don't miss rallycross at all and one of WRC's selling points to me is a more focused rally game.
The quote has been updated, thank you for letting me know and sharing your valuable insight :)
 
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Even that WRC still missing some immersion aspects (at least a better podium celebration), I still prefer WRC. I like Rallycross but WRC is what I really like and love. FFB is amazing and better, also the stage degradation is closer to real life tahn DR 2.0, just need more visuals upgrades and what was also missing in DR 2.0, puddles. The license is in a good place right now, best it ever had. Just hope the F1 World sutff don't get in this franchise.
 
Interesting to see some people's opinions on ffb, I personally found dr2 was dull and simplistic compared to wrc24. Took me sometime to crack the code of ffb on wrc24 but having done so now, it's far superior for me personally.

Also have to agree with @WerferHarfer that although rallycross is fun, the wrc licence itself is much more enjoyable (also for me personally)

I was always of the dr1 was better than dr2 camp. I found dr2 to feel too easy to drive (much like wrc24) dr1 had felt the more hardcore out of wrc24/dr2 and dr1.
 
People complaining about WRC FFB, please take some time to finetune the FFB. Out of the box it is indeed pretty bad. There are some excellent guides on this site and Reddit that will guide you to set it up correctly.
 
For me, Dirt 2.0 (I drove more than 2500h) is still a good choice and WRC24 pre-ordered was the biggest game buying mistake I made....Thanks to them I know I will never pre-order again.... Thank you EA.
I gave it another chance recently after all the updates but it still can't draw me in for more than 2 hours.
The physics are uninteresting and for me much worse than Dirt 2.0
FFB is bad (I play on Fanatec DD, tested different settings) graphics are not stunning and still has slight crunches (despite 7800x3d,4090 and 64gb Ram).
Routes are boring and have very similar elements to each other ....
On the plus side for me only the choice of Cars,so after trying again it was definitely uninstalled.
In my eyes, what codemasters did by switching to Unreal Engine and EA's policy destroyed this game.
 
I prefer WRC over DR2.0 simply because of the amazing stages, nothing in any other rally game even gets close. People talking about "lifeless" makes me think they must be playing a different game, but everyone has their opinion, no problem. Pity I cannot play WRC since the anticheat introduction any more (nad I wouldn't even know how to cheat, lol) , three months now and still no end in sight for some steam users like me.
 
I don't get the discussion regarding rallycross, we can play WRC and still continue to play to rallycross in DR2.0, it shouldn't be taken into account to decide which game we prefer for rally.

As of performances, with DLSS, it runs as well as DR2.0 (except on the second long Monte Carlo stage which is very poorly optimised, unless they fixed that recently). But of course, it will be worse for people with an older graphic card, or an AMD one.

I don't get the feedbacks on the FFB (unless people don't take the time to set it up correctly, but it was the same with DR2.0). To me WRC FFB feels like a fixed version of DR2.0 FFB. DR2.0 FFB is good for what is there, but there is some missing effects they never implemented (tire slip/spin). They took like 1 or 2 months to admit they were missing and said they would fix it, which they never did. They simply grayed out the sliders which had no effect, and they still are grayed out...
For me, WRC FFB feels like DR2.0 FFB with the added ability to brake properly (I feel nothing on DR2.0, which makes it almost impossible to have a good braking without locking with no ABS) and to feel when my tires spin on turn exit on loose surface to control the throttle more effectively.

As for the physics, not only it seems obvious WRC is better, but more important, rally drivers who play to both games confirm that. IMO, cars are unsettled too easily and slide too much on loose surfaces in DR2.0, and the braking is a pain in the ass without ABS (maybe just because of the FFB). And of course there is no debate regarding the tarmac physics. I too felt the WRC1 cars were too grippy at first, but I guess we all underestimate how grippy those crazy cars are with brand new tires. They slide a lot more with worn tires.

Also, many people considering WRC is less hard/intense just don't push enough, which is probably natural when you come from DR2.0, you've to commit even more, particularly with WRC1 cars vs DR2.0 WRC2 ones.

And of course many people prefering DR2.0 just made their mind from the start, based on some issues like the stuttering they had on their first go, or the anti cheat (which is utterly crap, don't get me wrong) or simply because they convinced themselve that the physics are less good, and won't change their mind no matter what. It's funny when you consider it was the same with DR2.0 which also had many issues which took a lot of time to be fixed, some having never been fixed, and people complaining constantly like they do with WRC. It's just even worse with WRC.

For the record, WRC is on sale on Steam at the moment
Thanks, I was waiting for a deal arround 15€ on the season pass, it will do the job way sooner than expected.
 
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WRC is simply unplayable on my 4090 and Pimax Crystal. No matter how much I tweak it the graphics are just horrible compared to not only DR2 but compared to every other title out there. They just completely messed up the VR implementation.

The Unreal Engine with deferred rendering is just a huge mistake.

I hope that they switch engine for the next title otherwise the series are ruined forever. That Unreal Engine is unfixable.
 
WRC is simply unplayable on my 4090 and Pimax Crystal. No matter how much I tweak it the graphics are just horrible compared to not only DR2 but compared to every other title out there. They just completely messed up the VR implementation.

The Unreal Engine with deferred rendering is just a huge mistake.

I hope that they switch engine for the next title otherwise the series are ruined forever. That Unreal Engine is unfixable.
yes UE is not suit for any racing games
 
OverTake
Premium
I've not tried WRC but if you were to ask me to choose between DR and DR 2.0 I'd probably go with the original.
(Caveat: I'm getting old and forgetful and it's a long time since I've actually fired up either of them, but nonetheless... ;))
 
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