Dakar Desert Rally Review

Verdict

Dakar Desert Rally nails the one thing most racing games skip entirely: navigation across genuinely open desert. If you want authenticity and scale over arcade thrills, it delivers an experience few rivals even attempt. It isn't the most polished racer around, and the learning curve is real, but the sensation of being out in a vast, indifferent landscape — picking your own route, conserving your machine, simply trying to reach the next waypoint — is something special. For fans of rally raid, it's essential. For players after instant pick-up-and-play action, it asks for patience first.

Gameplay

Instead of a fixed ribbon of track, you follow a roadbook and a sequence of waypoints across vast open terrain. That single design choice transforms the game: every stage becomes a test of route-reading as much as raw driving skill. You're constantly judging headings, watching the roadbook, and deciding whether the direct line over a dune is worth the risk of what's on the other side. Stages are long, varied and demanding, running from fast desert flats to technical dune crossings and rocky mountain passes.

There's a genuine sense of expedition here — of covering ground, managing fatigue and vehicle wear, and earning every finish line rather than being handed it. The game rewards consistency and smart navigation over reckless speed, which is unusual and refreshing in a racing game. When you complete a long stage cleanly, having read the terrain correctly and kept your machine intact, the satisfaction is hard to match elsewhere in the genre.

Graphics & physics

Terrain deformation, dynamic weather and distinct vehicle handling all sell the rally-raid fantasy convincingly. Sand behaves like sand, dunes loom and roll under you, and a sudden change in weather can turn a routine stage into a fight for survival. Visually it's solid rather than cutting-edge — it won't top a benchmark chart — but the scale and atmosphere of the open desert more than make up for it. Crucially, performance scales well across hardware, so a mid-range PC or a current console runs it comfortably without major compromises.

Content & vehicles

The roster spans five classes — cars, bikes, trucks, quads and SSVs — and each one genuinely changes how you read the terrain and manage risk. Cars are balanced and forgiving; bikes are fast and dangerously exposed; trucks are heavy and momentum-driven; quads and SSVs sit in between. Switching class is like switching games, which adds enormous replay value. On top of the vehicle variety there's a career-style progression through the event, free roam for practising in the open desert, and online play for racing others. For a full class-by-class breakdown and advice on what to drive first, see the vehicles guide.

Pros & cons

Pros: authentic roadbook navigation that nothing else replicates; a huge, atmospheric open desert; five genuinely distinct vehicle classes with real replay value; a strong sense of scale and endurance; performance that scales well across hardware.

Cons: a steep learning curve, especially around navigation; presentation that lags the big AAA racers; an open, unguided design that can frustrate before it clicks; relatively thin onboarding for newcomers.

Who it's for

Rally-raid and simulation fans who value authenticity and atmosphere over instant gratification will love it. Players who mainly want quick, guided arcade racing may bounce off the navigation in the early hours — though our tips and tricks guide is designed specifically to get you over that hump and into the part where the game shines.

Final score

Our score: 7/10. A distinctive, authentic rally-raid experience with scale and atmosphere that few games match, held back from a higher score only by its steep onboarding and modest presentation. If the navigation-first design appeals to you, add a point; if you need instant arcade fun, take one off. Either way, it remains the most convincing licensed Dakar experience on PC and console today.

Ready to dive in? Start with our tips and tricks, or browse more in the reviews hub. Back to the Dakar Desert Rally hub.

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