WRC Game — Review & Which to Play

The series

The official WRC licence has a long and uneven history, moving between several developers across many annual releases. Some entries were rushed and forgettable; others were solid, well-liked rally games in their own right. The important thing for a buyer today is that the older games vary a lot in quality, presentation and how well they've aged, so it pays to know which era you're looking at before spending money. The good news is that the current era is comfortably the strongest the franchise has been.

EA Sports WRC

The modern entry, developed by Codemasters under the EA Sports banner, is the headline recommendation for most players. Built on a modern engine, it brings a huge step up in visuals, handling and scope over the franchise's earlier games. It carries the full official licence — the complete roster of cars, teams, drivers and rally locations — wrapped in a deep career mode. A standout addition is the car builder, which lets you create and tune your own rally machine from the ground up, a genuinely fresh idea for the genre and a big draw for enthusiasts who love tinkering.

Handling & content

Expect a serious but approachable rally sim. The handling is detailed enough to satisfy enthusiasts on a wheel, yet learnable for newcomers on a pad, and the official championship structure gives every stage real context and stakes. The content is enormous: a long list of authentic stages across the world's rally locations, the full car roster spanning historic and current machinery, time trials, online play and the career. There's easily enough here to keep a dedicated rally fan busy for a very long time.

Which WRC to buy

For almost everyone, the answer is simple: start with the latest EA Sports WRC. It's the most complete, best-looking and best-handling official WRC game, and it's the safest purchase by a wide margin. Bargain hunters can find older WRC titles cheaply, and a few are worth a look if you've exhausted the modern game, but be aware that quality varies sharply between studios and years. If you only buy one, make it the current entry.

Pros & cons

Pros: the full official World Rally Championship licence, with the complete roster of cars, teams and locations; a modern engine that looks and runs well; detailed yet approachable handling; a deep career mode; the genuinely novel car builder.

Cons: the franchise's older entries are inconsistent and have aged unevenly; the sheer breadth of content and customisation can feel daunting to total newcomers; annual-release fatigue has affected the series' reputation over the years.

Who it's for

The modern EA Sports WRC is for rally fans who want the official championship with the full roster, the most content, and modern handling that works on both pad and wheel. It's also a great pick for tinkerers thanks to the car builder. Newcomers should start here rather than with the older, more uneven entries, and serious sim fans can run it alongside DiRT Rally 2.0 for variety.

Score

Our score: 8/10. The strongest the official series has ever been — a deep, content-packed rally sim with the full licence and a genuinely novel car builder. A point shy of the very top mainly because the franchise's older entries remain inconsistent and the newest game is really the only one worth recommending outright.

See how it stacks up in best rally games for PC, compare with DiRT Rally 2.0, or browse the reviews hub.

Where to buy

The latest EA Sports WRC is available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. Buy from an official storefront during a seasonal sale for the best price. Older WRC titles can be found very cheaply, but check which studio and year you're getting, since quality varies across the series.