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Games
The Best Rally Games Of All Time
Allow us to be your co-driver as we guide you through the genre’s greatest entries ever.
The rally sport is considered the highest art of driving and so we have been honored with numerous video game titles in the last few decades that represent this point of view. Terrifying terrain and the need to drive from start to finish in the shortest possible time have always been the source of inspiration for this sport. Fortunately, there are also a few games that hold all the fascination of the sport and are still outside the racing norm.
We are introducing you to four of our favorite rally games that look at the sport from a different angle.
1. Dakar 18
Dakar is not that far removed from the classic rally experience, but anyone who knows the event knows how crazy the race in the desert is. Big Moon Studios bring the annual madness to our screens without forgetting the challenge of inhospitable terrain.
Dakar 18 provides an authentic simulation in which the teams' original logbooks serve as a navigation aid. Uses the graphic sketches to correctly estimate landmarks and distances. Fortunately, you have a reliable co-pilot who will keep you on course.
2. Overpass
This extremely demanding off-road simulation is not about drifting through hairpin bends at top speed, but simply crossing the devilish terrain in one go - with no time limit. Equipped with an ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle), the racetrack is like a fancy puzzle that has to be solved. You are literally required to take a break and find the best possible route through the rocky terrain.
3. Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo
Sébastien Loeb has proven to be one of the best drivers in motorsport history. His career includes 9 world titles. The game lives up to its name and puts us behind the wheel not only in modern WRC cars, but also in alternative exotic cars.
The selection of 17 manufacturers provided is unparalleled in this genre. Throughout all rally epochs - from the rear-wheel drive racing cars of the 1970s to the monstrous Group B machines of the 80s to the Pikes Peak monsters of the modern age - everything is there in accurate execution.
4. Art of Rally
Rally doesn’t necessarily require mud. Art of Rally, however, is a sepia-tinged nostalgia trip for rally fans from the makers of Absolute Drift, with its stylized aesthetic embracing warm autumnal hues rather than the filthy realism usually favored in the genre.
Its top down view may bring to mind Micro Machines games of yore but Art of Rally is clearly in love with rally itself, delivering a simple but surprisingly authentic take on the sport, with over 50 vehicles from the 1960s to the 1990s from the infamous Group B era. Delivering style and substance in equal measure, and with a beautiful, bold twist, Art of Rally is an idiosyncratic winner.
5. DiRT 2
Although it took its name from Colin McRae’s rallying series, 2009’s DiRT 2 saw a huge change of direction for gamers. Gone was the gritty, simulation focused feel of previous games, and in its place a whole new range of fictional stages.
Instead of official rally cars, gamers were granted access to a weird and wonderful world of rallycross racers, desert buggies and everything in between. However, the highlight of DiRT had to be the career mode. Putting you in the shoes of an up-and-coming racer, DiRT combined a progressive story with accurate handling and stunning visuals, to create a unique rallying title.
6. WRC 7
Take on the FIA World Rally Championship’s 13 rallies and 52 special stages, with their environments faithfully reproduced. Embody the best drivers in the Championship behind the wheels of their new, faster, more powerful, and more agile cars. Choose among cars from prestigious manufacturers such as Hyundai, Toyota, Citroën, and Ford, perfectly recreated for a realistic driving experience. 55 official teams are available, including a large selection of WRC 2 and WRC Junior drivers. The 13 Epic Stages offer an unprecedented gaming experience with special stages that last more than 15 minutes: the ultimate endurance test for both drivers and WRC fans!
