DiRT 4 Review

Verdict

A flexible, generous rally game that scales from approachable to genuinely demanding. If you found DiRT Rally too harsh but still want real rally driving, DiRT 4 is arguably the best place in the series to start. It won't fully satisfy the most hardcore simulation purists, but for almost everyone else it hits a near-perfect balance of fun, depth and content.

Your Stage system

DiRT 4's standout feature is Your Stage, and it's a genuinely clever one. From a few simple parameters — location, length, complexity and weather — the game procedurally generates a complete rally stage, giving you effectively endless rally content rather than a fixed handful of memorised tracks. That means you can keep creating fresh stages to race indefinitely, and it neatly solves the problem of learning routes by rote. Few rally games before or since have matched that variety, and it remains the single best reason to play DiRT 4 today.

Handling modes

The smartest thing DiRT 4 does is let you choose how hard it is. Switch between Gamer handling — forgiving, fast and fun, ideal on a pad — and Simulation handling, which approaches DiRT Rally's bite and rewards a wheel and careful inputs. That flexibility means the same game can suit a complete newcomer and a sim veteran without compromise for either. The driving itself is excellent across the whole range, with the loose-surface feel Codemasters does better than anyone, so neither mode feels like an afterthought.

Content

Beyond rally, DiRT 4 includes rallycross on licensed circuits and Landrush, a discipline of buggies and trucks on rough dirt ovals and tracks. There's a structured career with team and staff management, sponsorships and vehicle upgrades, plus online play and community events. Between the career, the disciplines and the infinite Your Stage routes, there's an enormous amount to do, and the variety keeps it fresh long after a fixed-track rally game would have run dry.

Content & value

Between the procedurally generated Your Stage routes, the rallycross and Landrush disciplines, the structured management career and the online events, DiRT 4 offers an enormous amount to do for the money. Because the stages are effectively limitless, it sidesteps the usual problem of memorising a fixed track list, which keeps it feeling fresh far longer than most rally games. For players who value variety and longevity, that alone makes it a standout.

Pros & cons

Pros: the brilliant Your Stage procedural-stage system; adjustable Gamer and Simulation handling to suit any skill level; varied disciplines beyond pure rally; a deep career with team management; great long-term value.

Cons: simulation purists may still prefer the sharper feel of DiRT Rally 2.0; the presentation is starting to show its age; some players will miss the prestige of real-world licensed stages.

Who it's for

DiRT 4 is the ideal rally game for newcomers and for anyone who wants to dial the challenge to their own taste, from relaxed pad play to a demanding wheel-and-pedals experience. Hardcore sim diehards may gravitate to DiRT Rally 2.0, but as a flexible, content-rich all-rounder, DiRT 4 is one of the easiest rally games to recommend.

Score

Our score: 8/10. A varied, flexible and content-rich rally game with a brilliant procedural-stage system and difficulty that suits every skill level. Simulation diehards may still lean toward DiRT Rally 2.0, but as an all-rounder DiRT 4 is hard to beat.

Compare with the original DiRT Rally, see best rally games for PC, or browse the reviews hub.

Where to buy

DiRT 4 is available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox, and turns up regularly in seasonal sales at a low price. Buying during a sale on an official storefront is the cheapest and safest option, and given how much content Your Stage provides, it's outstanding value even at full price.