EA Sports WRC Update 1.9 Introduces Controversial EA Anticheat

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Images: EA Sports WRC
The latest update for EA Sports WRC is set to be released on July 18th. Included in the update is the controversial EA anti-cheat that has caused issues with other EA titles in the past.

EA Sports WRC is due for its latest update, 1.9. Included in the update is a whole raft of changes to the 'Moments' mode as well as VR adjustments and career mode changes. The main headline of this update, however, is not positive. EA's anti-cheat will be included and is rumoured to break the game entirely for users on the Steamdeck. Time will tell if this is indeed the truth.


EA Sports WRC's 1.9 update is already coming under some scrutiny from players around the world. The anti-cheat is the star of these comments, but the lack of new cars, stages, locations and content as a whole has been noted. How long can the title survive without an injection of new and usable content for the player base to enjoy?

EA Sports WRC 1.9 Patch Notes​

Key Changes​

  • Added EA anticheat on PC, please read this FAQ for more information.
  • Performed additional preparatory work on esports WRC. Follow us for more information in the future.
  • Addressed several minor bugs and issues with VR Beta.

Crash Fixes​

  • Fixed an issue with Quick Play Multiplayer in which the game would crash while navigating through screens as others are joining the lobby.

Audio​

  • Fixed an issue in which co-driver calls could be mistakenly heard during transition screens following a stage finish.

Career​

  • Fixed an issue in which the Budget Impact screen would not display information after the Benefactor's relationship changed.
  • Fixed an issue in which the Test Drive option would no longer be available after using filters in the Vehicle Vendor.
  • Improved performance of AI teammates in Regularity Rally events.

Clubs​

  • Fixed an issue in which the countdown timer for Clubs on the Clubs Hub screen was unlabelled.
  • Fixed an issue in which the Find Me command would not highlight the correct player on Leaderboards.
  • Fixed an issue in which the player's customised car would revert to its default livery when resuming an in-progress Club Event.

Graphics & Performance​

  • Adjusted appearance of raindrops on windshields when driving in interior views.

Input Devices​

  • Added an indicator on the UI to show when a device binding has been edited by the player.

Locations​

  • Central Europe - Fixed an issue in which some spectators were floating above the ground.
  • Mediterraneo - Asco - Fixed an issue in which the car could pass through some specific rocks without collision.
  • Mediterraneo - Ponte - Fixed an issue in which the car could pass through some specific rocks without collision.
  • Mediterraneo - Monte Cinto - Fixed an issue in which the car could pass through some specific rocks without collision.
  • Mediterraneo - Serra Di Cuzzioli - Fixed an issue in which the car could pass through some specific rocks without collision.
  • Mexico - El Chocolate - Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
  • Mexico - Otates - Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
  • Mexico - Ibarrilla - Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
  • Sardinia - Monte Olia - Fixed an issue in which colliding with an invisible object would cause Terminal Damage.
  • Sardinia - Mamone - Fixed an issue in which colliding with an invisible object would cause Terminal Damage.
  • Sardinia - Monte Acuto - Fixed an issue in which colliding with an invisible object would cause Terminal Damage.

Moments​

  • Addressed an issue where some Moments did not have Service Areas.
  • Adjusted sorting of Moments so that new and in-progress events are at the "front" of the list.
  • A Moment to Remember - Corrected errors with localised titles and descriptions.
  • Blast Off - Fixed an issue in which the speed requirement would not trigger despite the player achieving the target finishing position.
  • Fixed a UI issue in which the player's filters and position would not be retained after backing out of an archived Moment.
  • Fixed an issue in which multiple Moments did not have video previews.
  • Historic Success - Corrected errors with localised titles and descriptions.
  • Home Hero - Changed classification to Fictional
  • Home Hero - Corrected errors with localised titles.
  • Icy Podium - Corrected errors with localised titles.
  • Long Haul - Changed vehicle to Hyundai i20 N Rally2
  • Long Haul 2 - Adjusted all medal difficulties (now easier).
  • Pacific Run - Corrected errors with localised titles and descriptions.
  • Scandia Blizzard - Corrected errors with localised titles and descriptions.
  • Slide Away - Adjusted Gold Medal difficulty (now easier).
  • Slippery Conditions - Fixed an issue in which this was not displayed as an EA Play Moment.
  • Sustainable Fuel Challenge 3 - Adjusted Gold Medal difficulty (now easier).
  • Turbo Time - Corrected errors with localised titles and descriptions.
  • Underdog - Changed classification to Fictional

Options & Settings​

  • Fixed an issue in which the German language descriptions within Advanced Graphics were applied incorrectly.
  • Removed DLSS Upscaler Sharpness option as sharpness is identical regardless of setting.

Quick Play​

  • Fixed a UI issue in which the number of players listed in a Quick Play Multiplayer lobby would not update after receiving an invite.
  • Fixed an issue with Quick Play in which the AI difficulty could be set to 0 instead of the minimum (1).
  • Fixed an issue with Quick Play Multiplayer in which a new host was unable to start a Championship after the original host left the lobby.

Rally Pass​

  • Fixed an issue in which multiple item previews within the Rally Pass were rendered out of focus.
  • Season 5 - Fixed an issue in which the Lightning Bolt livery was inconsistently applied across all 3 WRC cars.
  • Season 5 - Fixed an issue in which the Vibrant Impact livery was inconsistently applied across all 3 WRC cars.

VR Beta​

  • Adjusted brightness and contrast of road surfaces when driving in interior views.
  • Fixed an issue in which certain scenes in frontend menus were incorrectly rendering out of focus.
  • Fixed an issue in which certain VR controllers would send invalid inputs while disconnected.
  • Fixed an issue in which spectating another opponent would cause the camera to float under the car once said player finishes a stage.
  • Fixed an issue in which spectators and race marshals took on a corrupted appearance when at the edge of the screen.
  • Fixed an issue in which the environment would not render properly on Oceania stage replays.
  • Fixed an issue in which the Virtual Monitor would not reset its view position after using the Reset Options & Extras setting in Save Management.
  • Addressed several additional minor bugs and issues with VR Beta.

Miscellaneous​

  • Fixed an issue in which a car that received a puncture during Shakedown would start further Shakedowns and the Event with that puncture.

This update is lacklustre, to say the least in terms of new or exciting content. The only real addition is the anti-cheat software. The bug fixes make up a large majority of the patch notes with plenty of 'Moments' and 'Locations' errors.

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The Rallypass received some livery adjustments and the 'Clubs' and 'Career' modes have also received some changes with the AI performance and UI issues. But apart from those changes, the rest of the update is simply just bug fixes and game mode adjustments. New and exciting content is a must for the next update.

Does EA Sports WRC 1.9 live up to your expectations? Let us know over on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
About author
Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

Comments

The day they announced the kernel level anticheat i requested a refund. Had nearly 3 hours clocked in and wrote my reason for support being "I did not buy the game knowing it will have kernel level anti-cheat added later". Thankfully my refund was accepted. Also the VR is absolute trash and looks like something a 2015 early VR Oculus prototype might have looked like, and it runs even worse.
 
The new slogan of EA: Why settle for doing things badly when we can do them even worse? Honestly, if I owned shares, I'd sue the geniuses making these brilliant decisions that make the company look worse every day in the résumé of anyone unfortunate enough to have worked with such masterminds.
DALL·E 2024-07-17 15.15.41 - A cartoon depicting an office environment of the worst video game...jpg
 
Premium
I also went for a refund, with similar wording, and less time in the game, and was refused. Though I had previously refunded the game as well.

Might try again.

It sure as hell is never getting installed again.
 
Anytime an anti-cheat is mentioned the same kind of people come forefront and start spamming the leaving sh*t out of any forum. Vocal minorities as for anything today, god forbid for social media.
 
2 of my biggest complaints in sim racing are bugs and unfair racing conditions...

This update addresses these 2 key things for me... On a title that has had enough game breaking bugs listed for me to steer clear of of stick to DR2 just like the F1 series and sticking to the older version... Which in itself has a lot of people complaining about cheating...

How is this not a positive update? Shouldn't we be happier with a company addressing these things? Is the anti-cheat that invasive to your privacy? Or am I missing something else here?
 
2 of my biggest complaints in sim racing are bugs and unfair racing conditions...

This update addresses these 2 key things for me... On a title that has had enough game breaking bugs listed for me to steer clear of of stick to DR2 just like the F1 series and sticking to the older version... Which in itself has a lot of people complaining about cheating...

How is this not a positive update? Shouldn't we be happier with a company addressing these things? Is the anti-cheat that invasive to your privacy? Or am I missing something else here?
Everyone is FORCED to have kernel level anti-cheat even if you only ever want to play single player. I do not care about online, i do not want that stuff in my game nor my PC when i play offline.
 
Premium
Should be illegal for any company to install anything at that level without the option to say no and get an instant refund.

And lets not pretend this is going to stop cheating. Its more likely aimed at either data collection or piracy.
 
Last edited:
2 of my biggest complaints in sim racing are bugs and unfair racing conditions...

This update addresses these 2 key things for me... On a title that has had enough game breaking bugs listed for me to steer clear of of stick to DR2 just like the F1 series and sticking to the older version... Which in itself has a lot of people complaining about cheating...

How is this not a positive update? Shouldn't we be happier with a company addressing these things? Is the anti-cheat that invasive to your privacy? Or am I missing something else here?
Agree. The game has performance issues that are most likely caused by an unfixable design. Even so, they are being addressed and patched together as good as possible, to make the game better, which obviously should be applaused.

I'm currently living in a tent, so I will not be able to test the patch just yet, but I'm curious about the VR-updates. VR is still in beta, so I'm expecting more improvements there.

About the anti cheat, I'm also skeptical by nature to such intrusive software, even if the intentions are good. Security holes and stuff could always be an issue when allowing third party software access that deep into your system. But I have a dedicated gaming rig not being used for anything serious, so for me it's no problem. And there are probably other, bigger security issues around, which the casual gamer is not even aware of.
 
Well... after first annoucement of this useless anticheat and the catastrophic VR ive uninstalled anyway.
Posted my opinion (no insulting anyone) and they banned me for 24h.
Its fine. Ive learnt my lesson, now they need to learn.
For me there will be no next UE experiment from EA.
Now lets see how many negative opinions will follow.... mine is already there.
 
2 of my biggest complaints in sim racing are bugs and unfair racing conditions...

This update addresses these 2 key things for me... On a title that has had enough game breaking bugs listed for me to steer clear of of stick to DR2 just like the F1 series and sticking to the older version... Which in itself has a lot of people complaining about cheating...

How is this not a positive update? Shouldn't we be happier with a company addressing these things? Is the anti-cheat that invasive to your privacy? Or am I missing something else here?
EA fixed some bugs but not all, and then force an added anti-cheat on a game with limited multiplayer activities (suspicious). The anti cheat robs your pc of performance resources in fact. Its also possible a functional game might not even launch for your platform anymore...
 

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