EA Sports WRC drops this week, and we got the opportunity to review the latest World Rally Championship game. For the first time in over 20 years, developer Codemasters gets to once again work with the WRC license. But how does WRC separate itself from the likes of DiRT Rally 2.0, Codemasters' previous sim racing game? Let's find out as we hit the road with EA Sports WRC.

EA Sports WRC Review: What Is WRC?

EA Sports WRC is a Rally racing game developed by Codemasters and published by EA Sports. The game is available for Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, The EA App, and Epic Games Store.

Codemasters is no stranger to developing racing games, having developed titles such as Colin McRae Rally in 1998 and their most recent Formula One title, F1 23. The company became a subsidiary of EA Sports in 2021, having created their first real sim racing game since DiRT Rally 2.0 in 2019.

WRC is a sim racing game. Therefore, it focuses more on realism rather than gimmicks that make the game arcade-like. Additionally, these games provide a more difficult but rewarding experience that makes you feel as close to the real thing as it possibly can. WRC is no exception, as the game truly does provide a realistic feeling.

EA WRC Gameplay 

WRC feels like a true successor DiRT Rally 2.0 when it comes to gameplay. In fact, both games play identically and share very few differences. However, WRC definitely proves better in a few areas. In fact, the Dynamic Handling system made several improvements to ensure a better experience for the most hardcore WRC racers. Racing feels more realistic in almost every aspect, from start to finish.

Not only do we get to drive official WRC, WRC 2, and WRC Junior vehicles, but they feel as real as it gets on the road. The way the cars move, their tire grip, their turning and more all feel like a natural evolution over its predecessor. Additionally, the game lets you tune almost anything you wish about the car before each race even begins.

WRC's biggest strength is the control it gives the player. Not only does the new Car Builder Mode allow for some deep customization, but everything else feels more catered to the player. For example, I love the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, but the starting livery with the car is okay. However, you can customize and create your own liveries, with stored colors to save for later. Additionally, you have several options for decals and the materials of your car. So if you want an all-Matte Subaru Impreza, the world is your oyster.

The same works for editing both your driver and co-driver. You get plenty of appearances to choose from, considering you rarely see your driver, and the livery options at launch (and in the Rally Pass) seem promising.

As mentioned before, tuning you car before each race makes it so easy to play the game the way you want. Perhaps you want to get the best speed possible, but need to adjust a couple of things. On the other hand, what if you want to reach a certain time but with the worst settings possible? WRC, like DiRT Rally 2.0, has an extensive tuning system. No matter what, you're sure to get a challenging but adrenaline-pumping experience.

I enjoy the challenging but rewarding aspect of WRC. It takes time to fully get a grip, but it's totally worth it for what you get in return. Additionally, WRC includes a nice difficulty slider which allows even the newest of players a chance to learn the game.

The best thing about WRC is the track lengths. With the Unreal Engine, some tracks span over 3okm long, which let you partake in some real endurance battles. In previous titles from Codemasters, most courses would be roughly 10-15km, but with over twice the distance to cover, it makes races much more exciting.

This is good because driving in WRC feels almost relaxing when you get the hang of it. Having access to Junior WRC, WRC 2, and WRC vehicles, is a major plus, too. But that's not all, you can also race around with other vehicle classes such as Group B, H1 (H2, and H3), NR4/R4, your own custom built cars, and plenty more options.

Over 70 cars to choose from means WRC trumps over the 52 DiRT Rally 2.0 had on day one. Codemasters obviously plans to release more vehicles, so expect the list to get even bigger from here on out. It might even be worth waiting for a game of the year edition, if they plan to release such a version.

And it's not just cars, but the drivers and teams that make their way into WRC. This, of course, includes Hyundai Motorsport driver Craig Breen, who tragically passed away earlier this year. The developers made sure to honor his legacy, which you can see when you hover over his character in the Championship Team Select screen.

Lastly, the HUD in WRC feels a lot better, with much less clutter on the screen than before. Of course, players can customize how much they want on the screen, but I like the default settings. Additionally, the game's UI is easy and simple to navigate, and you get used to it right away.

There's only three areas I wish WRC could've improved on in terms of overall gameplay. While we understand WRC is a rally game, we do miss the Rally Cross tracks from DiRT Rally 2.0. Additionally, we also missed the inclusion of an open map for us to drive around in. While Dirtfish in DiRT Rally 2.0 wasn't exciting, we felt the transition to next-gen consoles would mean a big course for fans to test drive their cars in.

That being said, getting the WRC license itself makes up for the absence of these two features. Additionally, 17 locations at launch with multiple tracks to choose from should keep you entertained for now. An 18th location is also coming for free in a future update, so stay tuned.

Secondly, we wish the Livery Editor could be a bit more expansive. It's not bad for building a basic logo, but we could there was more options. Perhaps Codemasters could find a way to implement a better livery editor through the EA Racenet app, or perhaps they just need to add more too customize with. Overall, I don't consider this a massive issue, but I think it would make the

Lastly, I really am not a fan of regularity rally. I can see the mode's appeal to some, but to me it just didn't click. Personally, I enjoy trying to see how fast I can make my vehicle go while trying to keep my vehicle in good shape. The experience is more thrilling, and more rewarding. Regularity rally, on the other hand, limits you and the car you're driving in.

In Regularity Rally, you need to reach the end of the track but incur as few penalty points as possible. You do this by matching the pre-set speed limit your co-driver tells you, and following their directions with complete accuracy. The driver with the least amount of penalty points wins the competition.

By the sixth time my co-driver told me to slow down the pace, I was ready to park the car and start wailing on him. Nevertheless, I managed to finish each race with my sanity intact. Jokes aside, Regularity Rally is fine, but I just wasn't wowed by it.

Overall, if you liked DiRT Rally 2.0's gameplay, you'll feel right at home with WRC. You might think it's an issue, but I say if it isn't broke then don't fix it.

EA WRC Review – Career

Career mode makes its way into EA Sports WRC, offering a simple yet entertaining experience that keeps you interested along the ride. The mode itself is fairly simple. Each week, you get to choose one event to participate in. However, you need to consider a few things before randomly picking an event.

Firstly, Career Mode starts you off in either WRC Junior, WRC 2, or WRC if you prefer. I went with Junior to try and get the full experience and climb to the top, and I'm glad I did. It gives you a chance to experience all three competitions.

When you begin your career mode, you're introduced to all the major mechanics that you need to consider while the year progresses. Essentially, you need to concern yourself with the calendar, your benefactor, and your team. Since I only got one event to choose per week, it made the experience of being on my own team incredibly fun. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to keep my benefactor happy while trying to acquire engineers and teammates.

When you don't participate in an event, you still get to find out how your team performed, showing you just how much your absence impacts the team's performance. Overall, Career Mode keeps you really excited in the beginning.

At a certain point, it does become a bit repetitive. I wish there could've been more events, and I was never personally crazy for Regularity Rally. Additionally, I felt the presentation could've been a bit more improved. Outside of a few changes, WRC's presentation feels very similar to DiRT Rally 2.0.

But this kind of issue is prominent in most sports games' career modes. So, I give WRC the benefit of the doubt. It definitely entertains you enough to make you revisit the game again in the future. And most of the locations are fun to drive in, with plenty of tracks to drive on. So, you won't get bored too fast.

EA WRC Review – Championships

WRC Championships is, as the name suggests, a mode that follows the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship. You take control of your favorite team and progress through the year as you normally would. Essentially, Championships feels like a much more condensed version of career. So if you're looking to just race and experience the real 2023 season, this mode serves a nice way to do so.

As we mentioned before, Codemasters honored Craig Breen by putting him in the game and with a ribbon on his character menu. Overall, a pretty great move from the company to remember whose whole life was dedicated rally driving. He became a rally driver like his father, Ray Breen, before him. Unfortunately, Craig's life was taken too soon, as he passing away in a collision in a pre-race event during the 2023 Croatia Rally.

Overall, Championships is solid, though like Career it does get boring after a few events. I think Codemasters has gameplay down, but we could still use a bit more in terms of presentation, stat tracking, and perhaps news coverage. After all, the mode really just needs a few small adjustments to really make it stand out.

EA WRC Review – Car Builder

One thing we were ecstatic to cover in this WRC Review was the new Car Builder Mode.

Overall, the Car Builder Mode feels like a great addition for those who love the customization aspect of racing games. Typically, most racing titles just let you customize the livery and gear of the driver. However, WRC goes one step ahead and lets you build your own car.

You get to decide the car's drivetrain before moving onto mechanical opponents. Then, you get to focus on the car's body, interior and exterior to give it the look you want. The bets part about this mode is that you can build a WRC, WRC2 or Junior WRC car. You just need to make sure the vehicle fits the proper regulations, which the game seems very forgiving with. You're able to build some pretty sweet rides in this mode, and you don't feel too limited in what you can create.

Be prepared to save up some credits though, as it's going to take a good amount to build the car you like. Drivetrains alone for certain vehicles cost you upwards of 660,000 credits or more. But the experience is worth it, because it brings you closer to the real thing. Overall, we love the Car Builder mode. It keeps you incentivized to keep playing as you slowly work towards building your dream Rally Car.

EA WRC Review – Game Modes

EA Sports WRC also comes with other modes to keep you entertained in case you want to drive off the beaten path.

  • Time Tria – As the name suggests, it lets you try any track in any location with any vehicle class. It's simple, but very addicting for players looking to constantly beat their own times.
  • Rally School – Includes a few tutorial missions for new players to help get them acquainted with the game. Overall, if you really want to learn how to play WRC, playing an event or two should give you the info you need. However, you might pick up a few tips at Rally School to give you a better understanding of the game's mechanics.
  • Quick Play – Lets you create your own offline and online championships, much like how you could in DiRT Rally 2.0. It might be my favorite mode, considering I can control all aspects of the championship. It lets me pick the classes I want, the locations I want, and if I want a rally or regularity rally race.
  • Clubs – With the game not even being out yet, there's not too much we can say about Clubs. However, we like the idea of the mode, and look forward to seeing special events from the developers. Additionally, we might get to see events created by real-world pros and WRC content creators.
  • Photo Mode – As the name suggests, you can take photos of some of your favorite moments, if you'd like. We appreciate its inclusion in the game

Overall, these modes provide a nice getaway if you wanted to take a break from Career or Championships. Personally, I see myself being the type to do Quick Play the most, and using it to create some entertaining championships.

EA WRC Review – Music/Audio

The EA WRC soundtrack has a wide variety of songs, several of which the theme of the game perfectly. When you're on the road, the sound quality is superb. From the sound of the car, the road, the co-driver, and everything else, WRC sounds true-to-life.

Though you feel very invested in the race, you get this feeling of relaxation of just following along with your co-driver. This is especially the case in every Shakedown before an event. Since the results don't matter, you get to pay more attention to other details like sound quality and presentation.

However, the new WRC cars sound extremely weak. I don't blame this on Codemasters, but all these new Hybrid vehicles don't sound as dangerous or exciting as the old ones do. To be honest, some of the cars sound like battery-operated toys you used to play with as a kid. While this didn't affect my final score, I just felt it necessary to mention.

WRC still offers plenty of other vehicles that still roar like a proper rally car should. And as you guessed, the sounds from these bad boys should satisfy any gear head.

EA WRC Review – Graphics

When it comes to accuracy, WRC impresses on every level. The tracks look true to life, the vehicle models look stunning, and smaller details like human models and such look phenomenal. We really like being able to select seasons on certain courses, which adds a level of replay-ability while reducing on repetition. If you're creating your own custom championship, you'll be glad to know  you can still customize certain aspects about the weather, time of day, and more.

However, something about the graphics don't seem quite as polished as they did with DiRT Rally 2.0, which looked amazing on last-gen systems. On PS5, something looks off-putting, especially with the lighting and colors. Additionally, I felt like certain aspects, such as dirt or snow rolling around your tire as you burn rubber didn't look as good. And while I love all the new locations in, they don't feel as vibrant or colorful.

For some strange reason, the game looks like Resident Evil 7 to me sometimes. I feel this way especially when it comes to any greenery like bushes or shrubs. This isn't exactly one of the worst things to say, but it feels out of place. Besides, on next-generation systems, you'd think it look a bit more polished.

That being said, the game still looks fine, but you might want to adjust your TV's visual settings to get the look you want. Perhaps the transition to the Unreal Engine might have caused some hiccups, but the overall gameplay experience still feels smooth.

Verdict: Is EA Sports WRC Worth Your Money?

While similar to DiRT Rally 2.0 in many ways, WRC still provides an excellent racing experience. Codemasters once again reminds us why they're the best of the best when it comes to simulation racing. Bigger locations and courses give way to more intense events, and the driving feels as good as ever. The vehicle selection at launch also feels nice, with 78 cars across 18 classes. The livery editor and customization suite also feel heavily improved, though we hope to see more options when it comes to logos.

Outside of gameplay, we enjoyed most of the modes, especially the new Car Builder. However, we feel Career Mode, while fun, could've provided a bit more substance. Additionally, the graphical presentation of WRC seems almost like a downgrade to its predecessor. We also miss Rally Cross, but the return of WRC also helps make up for it.

WRC also shines when it comes to its relaxing and head-bump inducing soundtrack. And out of most recent Codemasters games, WRC gives the player a ton of control over their own experience. From tuning to customizing to tournaments and to your own career, WRC literally puts you behind the wheel.

That wraps it up for this WRC Review. We hope you enjoy the game if you decide to pick it up.

EA Sports WRC Review Score: 8.5/10

Editor’s Note: ClutchPoints received a PS5 review copy to allow us to cover this game. These copies did not, in any way, affect this EA Sports WRC Review’s final score and verdict.

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