EA Sports WRC: Everything We Know

DiRT creator Codemasters is back at the helm with Electronic Arts for an all-new spin on the acclaimed WRC racing series. With developer Nacon out of the picture, fans of the franchise can now look forward to a fresh era of motorsport racing, with the upcoming EA Sports WRC bringing “the foundations of over 25 years of rally-game heritage” to a modern front on both consoles and PC. And the best part is, it’s due out at the end of 2023 — so you needn’t worry about waiting around for several years to get your hands on the next leg of the journey.

Of course, we’ve still got a fair few months ahead of us before EA Sports WRC finally hits the dirt running. And, since EA has been pretty open about the whole idea since first teasing its existence earlier this year, we thought we’d scrape together all the details on the matter to date. Care to hear the whole story? Here’s everything you need to know about EA Sports WRC.

What Is EA Sports WRC?

To put you in the picture, EA Sports WRC is a single-player and online multiplayer competitive racing game by Codemasters and Electronic Arts. According to the devs, the latest installment in the acclaimed racing series will combine “the power of the Unreal Engine with the DiRT Rally series physics” in order to create “longer, more detailed stages than previously possible, with 18* official FIA World Rally Championship locations and over 600km of unforgiving asphalt, gravel, and snow stages.” That’s according to the guys over at Codemasters, who, up until this point, have poured blood, sweat, and tears into building the award-winning DiRT franchise.

“EA SPORTS™ WRC is the purest form of motorsport where every stage is a fight against the clock, the terrain, and yourself,” said Ross Gowing, Senior Creative Director at Codemasters in a press release. “This is the rally game we’ve always wanted to make, combining our studio’s deep knowledge and expertise with the power of the official WRC license representing the pinnacle of rally motorsport.”

Story

It’s a WRC game, clear as day, so don’t expect to see any drawn-out story arcs spread over the top of its core gameplay modes. In fact, EA Sports WRC will launch with a lot of the same modes as the other games in the series — so you can definitely expect to see the likes of Career, Championship, and Time Trial all make an appearance.

What’s interesting about the upcoming entry is its “Moments” mode—a highlight reel, of sorts, that will let players “race and overcome recent events alongside real-world highlights and nostalgic throwbacks.” This’ll be embellished with a whole bunch of other modes, too, including but not limited to an ambitious cross-play online racing mode. So, clearly there’ll be plenty to work through.

Gameplay

According to the devs, EA Sports WRC will launch with a total of 200 tracks, as well as 70 classic cars, making it one of the most ambitious WRC games ever made. In addition to this, it’ll also make way for something called “Builder” mode—a system that will allow for users to forge and manage their own rally cars using various blueprints. Add the fact that it’ll also squeeze in the core game modes that have made it into just about every game in the timeline to date, and you’ve got yourself quite the motorsport banquet.

“Working together with official WRC teams and manufacturers, such as Ford, Toyota, and Hyundai, each vehicle is built to tackle every challenge they'll face throughout the season,” reads the blurb. “The hybrid-powered 4WD Rally1 cars are some of the fastest in the sport's history, capable of incredible speeds while tackling gravity-defying jumps, deteriorating surfaces, and adverse weather.”

Going by what’s been said so far, EA Sports WRC is being built in Unreal Engine, and will essentially use the same physics as the DiRT Rally series. So, if you’ve ever romped through any of Codemasters’ earlier works, then you’ll no doubt have a vague idea of what to expect when EA Sports WRC pulls up to the starting line later this year.

Development

Ever since Codemasters acquired the rights to the WRC franchise a couple of years back, it’s become apparent that the franchise as a whole hasn’t quite reached its peak just yet. In fact, thanks to the general advancements of Unreal Engine, the forthcoming EA Sports WRC will actually be the series’ boldest entry in the timeline to date. What’s more, with Electronic Arts’ expertise in the racing field, fans have every reason to believe in the new vision the franchise has decided to openly adopt. Will it pay off in the long run? Here’s hoping.

Trailer

In case you’ve been wondering — yes, there is in fact a trailer of EA Sports WRC. But hey, don’t let us spoil it for you. If you’re interested in catching a peek at what’s to come later this year, go ahead and check out the initial announcement trailer above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

EA Sports WRC will be coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam, EA, and the Epic Games Store on November 3, 2023. It will cost $49.99, and will launch with a special digital edition, which will include a variety of day-one add-ons for those who pre-order it before its global release.

Standard Edition (Pre-Order)

• 3-Day Early Access
• Ford, Toyota and Hyundai livery & apparel packs
• VIP Rally Pass for 5 in-game seasons

Interested in staying up to date with EA Sports WRC before it goes live later this year? If so, then be sure to check in with the devs over on their joint social feed here. If anything changes ahead of its November 3rd launch, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the updates right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of EA Sports WRC when it comes to consoles and PC later this year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.