Waiting for WRC 23? Get Your Sim Rally Fix Here

Richard burns rally is still good today.jpg
In a recent video by our friends at Overtake, Emily Jones took a look at Richard Burns Rally, comparing it to the more modern rally simulators. With rally fans waiting on WRC 23, which is your best bet for sim rallying?

Image Credit: Warthog Games

In a recent video posted to the Overtake.GG YouTube channel, popular simracing content creator, Emily Jones took a look at Richard Burns Rally. This near-20-year-old rallying simulator is still going strong thanks to a dedicated fan base and a modding community that has transformed the game.


Whilst this older game, especially in its Rally Sim Fans iteration is popular, it certainly has competition from more recent simulators. WRC Generations released in 2022 and Dirt Rally 2.0 was made in 2019 by the same team that is developing the next official WRC title. But how do these three genre-topping titles compare? Well, Emree has everything you need to know.

The ultimate rally game​

In her video, Emily compares the three top dogs in rally simracing by breaking them down into certain categories. From driving physics to content as well as the games' realism and multiplayer game play and even ease to setup, she details the pros and cons of each.

Whilst each game has its own take on physics with some being more forgiving than others on different surfaces, it's when it comes to content that they truly differentiate. WRC Generations is the latest official WRC game and, as a result, features many real-world stages which is great for immersion. Dirt Rally 2.0 however breaks away when it comes to its list of vintage cars. When it comes to RBR though, its content quality doesn't quite match its rivals. That being said, it offers a bit of everything, from modern monsters to old-school brutes.

WRC Generations banner.jpg


As for the online rally experience, it seems Emily prefers RBR, a game from back when online racing was almost unheard of. Rally Sim Fans does a great job at allowing players to race each other thanks to great functionality such as the legs. In longer rallies like SRM, drivers are forced to take things slow as a bump with the trees could result in having to skip an entire leg of a rally. This ties in perfectly with the game's ruthless damage model.

It's this challenging damage model that makes fans turn towards the more recent games which are certainly more forgiving when it comes to accidents. Ultimately, simracing is all about fun. And until the next WRC game releases, rally fans have a plethora of great titles to enjoy. Whether you race on RBR, WRC or Dirt all comes down to personal preference.

Which rally game do you play the most?
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About author
Angus Martin
Angus Martin
Motorsport gets my blood pumping more than anything else. Be it physical or virtual, I'm down to bang doors.

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Comments

DRDNA333
all codies dirt series is "center pivot car physics only" and that is too unrealistic for me, especially since in rally racing the "pivot point" is closer to the front wheels most of the time! RBR Rally Sim Fans all the way!
 
T
DRDNA333 said:
all codies dirt series is "center pivot car physics only" and that is too unrealistic for me, especially since in rally racing the "pivot point" is closer to the front wheels most of the time! RBR Rally Sim Fans all the way!
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Certainly seems that way. Plus baked-in drifts, just where the cameras are. How clever! But how naff.

I have absolutely zero expectations - how many times we hear the same old promises yet get delivered guff. If these folks loved motorsport a bit more and Dollars a little less, maybe we'd get somewhere. But this is an annual franchise? Forget it!! They are going to nickel and dime you, and probably for rubbish. Loot boxes at "service parks"? Design your own dog collar so your 3D Simpet can look hip alongside you at parc ferme? Microtransactions for sunglasses? lol blah blah.
 
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roadyroad said:
Interesting, I haven't tried rally stages in AC but I'm not surprised it feels good on tarmac as it is a versatile engine. I wonder why it is not that good on loose surfaces because I tried mods on oval dirt and I was absolutely surprised how good it felt. Well, I need to try that and some stages look absolutely gorgeous. The only issue is the lack of championship or career (tell me there's a mod for that!).
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If you liked it before I'm sure it's better now. I should have added that I don't find any loose surface sim all that convincing, just my own prejudice/preference. Certainly wet tarmac is currently the most convincing rally feel I have ever had from sims/games. AC has really taken a step up in last 12 months, worth a go.

It's ace

 
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the_last_name_left said:
If you liked it before I'm sure it's better now. I should have added that I don't find any loose surface sim all that convincing, just my own prejudice/preference. Certainly wet tarmac is currently the most convincing rally feel I have ever had from sims/games. AC has really taken a step up in last 12 months, worth a go.

It's ace

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That certainly looks like it's worth a try! Where do you get the co-driver audio call-outs? And is there any option to display symbols of what's coming up ahead, like in most dedicated rally sims?

Thanks!
 
MJQT
UnixRoot said:
Have you even tried RBR?

FFB is like night and day compared to pretty much every other Rally game out there.

The adaptive FFB and the next generation physics mod is the best you can get if you're on a monitor with more than 60 Hz. FFB and physics actually get better with higher FPS.

The cars in RBR actually feel like cars. For me, it's way easier to drive because the cars react exactly how I expect them to react.
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I agree.

Another thing I think is often missed in these kinds of conversation is the difference between physics and force feedback. A car's physics can be very well simulated, and can feel very logical, intuitive, and life-like to drive... but the game's FFB can be lacking (perhaps just because it wasn't programmed well enough, or it's from many years ago). I can believe RBR's FFB isn't the most advanced or may not feel the best, but the cars' raw physics underneath are outstanding (on all surfaces).

One way to test this is try driving without FFB. I've had to survive without a FFB wheel for financial reasons for a while now, and it's given me a fascinating insight into how car physics feel, independent of FFB. You'd be amazed how much you can catch slides and put opposite lock and such without any FFB if the car's physics are well enough modeled. :) And modded RBR's certainly are, thanks to the core RBR game and WorkerBee's Next Generation Physics magic.
 
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Ryan Soucy
I got WRC 9 for free through Amazon Prime Gaming so I gave it a shot. I like it quite a bit. The stages are fun, there just aren't enough of them. I d/l'ed DR2 to compare and while I think its better in almost every technical aspect, the game itself is challenging, but wasn't rewarding. Part of it was the stage design. It seemed like it was designed to frustrate you. I'm okay giving up realism to have a little fun in my spare time.

I played a ton of Rally Championship back in the day. I loved those stages. The narrow roads, the open corners, the ice patches. I could probably remember them all. I loved making the tire decisions too and making the tire last on one stage so that it would be optimal on the 2nd stage. The stage were so long that you wouldn't want to restart in the middle, like all games since.

How's this for a grenade toss: Forza Horizon 5 Rally Pack? I love the gfx, the FFB, the car selection, the HF8 integration. Lets see what the FH5 offline community can do to maximize it!
 
Andy_J
orange400 said:
I don't want anything to do with ppl who don't love RBR, and I immediately disregard any opinions they may have.

Simple as
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I do see that RBR is as good as it gets. I have not stopped playing it since I bought it on release. But to state what you have said is a bit childish.
 
Andy_J
Ryan Soucy said:
I got WRC 9 for free through Amazon Prime Gaming so I gave it a shot. I like it quite a bit. The stages are fun, there just aren't enough of them. I d/l'ed DR2 to compare and while I think its better in almost every technical aspect, the game itself is challenging, but wasn't rewarding. Part of it was the stage design. It seemed like it was designed to frustrate you. I'm okay giving up realism to have a little fun in my spare time.

I played a ton of Rally Championship back in the day. I loved those stages. The narrow roads, the open corners, the ice patches. I could probably remember them all. I loved making the tire decisions too and making the tire last on one stage so that it would be optimal on the 2nd stage. The stage were so long that you wouldn't want to restart in the middle, like all games since.

How's this for a grenade toss: Forza Horizon 5 Rally Pack? I love the gfx, the FFB, the car selection, the HF8 integration. Lets see what the FH5 offline community can do to maximize it!
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WRC 10 is even better. :thumbsup:
 
O
Andy_J said:
I do see that RBR is as good as it gets. I have not stopped playing it since I bought it on release. But to state what you have said is a bit childish.
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Sure its absolutely childish but the truth is, strictly associating with RBR Chads is never a waste of time. :roflmao:
 
DRDNA333
Andy_J said:
I do see that RBR is as good as it gets. I have not stopped playing it since I bought it on release. But to state what you have said is a bit childish.
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So judgemental, this is suppose to be a sarcastic form of humor. For clarity it was simply a joke.
 
flykas
VirtuaIceMan said:
Great stages, great atmosphere, somewhat imperfect handling. But Tyrones Ditches was amazing stage!
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Haha crazy how good the stages are for such an old game. I remember I loved it. Nowdays only thing that is worthy to be called a sim is RBR and its not overrated at all, if it was modernized it would be the bomb.
 

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