WRC Generations Review (PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)

After seven years of developing World Rally Championship simulators, Parisian developer, Kylotonn is ready to hang its cape, handing over the license to develop future games to Codemasters. But not before releasing 2022’s sequel to WRC 10, which instead of being called WRC 11, is called WRC Generations for bringing together the greatest hits from previous games, bundled together with this year’s World Rally Championship events. After attending the Safari Rally in Kenya mid this year, I couldn't wait to put together this WRC Generations review.

WRC 10 is a great game that will go down in history as one of the greatest entries of World Rally Championship simulations to play that includes an Anniversary mode celebrating the history of the motorsport. And as is tradition with annual releases, 2022’s WRC Generations is expected to raise the bar even higher, with innovative iterations to match modern gameplay. So, does WRC Generations outperform WRC 10, and all other entries before it? Did Kylotonn do a stunning job in their last go at the franchise? Just how worthwhile is it to play WRC Generations? 

WRC Generations: What’s New?

In all of history’s attempts at simulating the annual World Rally Championship events, Kylotonn sure does one stunning job of releasing an outstanding entry of the bunch, even if the approach it takes is the infamous “kitchen-sink” one. WRC Generations is an all-you-need greatest-hits compilation from previous entries in the franchise, bundling an overwhelming amount of content into one lesser-priced installment.

Getting yourself a copy of WRC Generations gives you access to not only 85 cars, 37 of which are classics, but also 22 countries amplified with 165 unique timed special stages. From Chile to Germany to Mexico to Turkey bonuses, plus all 13 WRC 2022 season locations, WRC Generations is a statement from Kylotonn wrapping up their seven-year stint, even if by simply stacking up more content than ever before.

Rally1 Hybrid Car Models’ Electric Boosts

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As in the real world, WRC Generations introduces Rally1 hybrid WRC cars for the first time in the series. These powertrains feature a new 100kW hybrid unit and the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine from the WRC cars of the last decade. With this new feature, gamers can now try their hands at electric boosts. However, temporarily, the 500bhp electric bursts mean you could power up your engine under braking, around corners, or even whenever you see it speeding down the road. 

What’s more? The hybrid cars give you three power-ups to choose from: a powerful but short boost, a balanced one, or a less powerful boost that lasts longer. Otherwise, the driving isn’t that much different. The only thing about the cars is an extra nuance that allows you to tweak the car’s power-ups based on which electric boost you prefer. For that extra 100 kW of electrical power boost, it’s definitely a joyride to spin up the tires at a higher, faster-accelerating speed and pace.

Career Mode First, All Else Later

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In WRC 10, gamers had to grind until the end of Anniversary Mode to have their go at Career Mode. For gamers impatient to grind through all the historical events in there, it was quite a headache, sometimes giving up midway. Now, Career Mode is pretty much the same, except this genius privateer comes immediately after you start grinding, essentially allowing you to progress through the game driving a car you can call your own.

Using the livery and sticker editor, gamers are free to design their own team and car. Don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed with the technicalities of design and its tools. WRC Generations lets players share and download their designs, and you can be sure you'll find the exact car model you want. This is helpful because some of the classic cars in WRC Generations don't have sponsors, so their logos and other details aren't as accurate. In no time, though, World Rally fans will surely have at their disposal more accurate car models to check out.

The World is Your Stage

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Dirt Rally 2.0 is the only installment that comes close to the variety of locations that WRC Generations offers, with its 13 locations. Now, you’ve got yourself 13 locations from the official 2022 WRC season, and nine more of the greatest hits from previous games. However, iconic locations like Australia in WRC 8 and Poland in WRC 7 don’t make a return.

Still, the new Sweden environment makes you forget those in absentia by immersing you in a realistically gorgeous snowy terrain. If there’s one thing most will agree on, it’s the slick looks of WRC Generations. The lighting is great, regardless of the time of day. Dynamic weather changes come through in the finest ways, from dry tarmac turning wet in real-time to the sun peering through canyons, to glowing campfires and the headlight cutting through the trees. All of the realism we expect from a real-life simulator comes through, along with six brand-new special stages to check out. 

Unless you’re being too picky, checking whether the snow lands or the rain washes the mud off, WRC Generations is by far one of the slickest-looking installments, offering overwhelming variety at a glance. And with the 4K/60 fps settings, it’s definitely optimized to match modern technology.

Car Feels, Handling, and Everything in Between

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For most gamers, the feel of the cars while driving holds the final say—a fact you’ll be happy to know is executed to near perfection. For some gamers, the cars from WRC 10 and WRC 9 felt floaty. However, steering is easier in WRC generations, with the cars changing direction less frequently. The cars are heavier, gliding around corners smoothly. However, the hybrid models do need more attention and care, which also makes them more grounded, intuitive, and natural to drive.

Cranking up the engine gives quite intense force feedback, so much so that you may have to take a break from the feels running through your arms. Especially with the Fanatec GT DD Pro; it gives more realistic force feedback that is both physically intense as well as mentally engaging. Though the steering wheel’s force feedback can have some issues. However, for the most part, going off-course and colliding with obstacles seems pretty obvious. 

Driving on snow, asphalt, gravel, or dirt gives feedback distinctively, with either one being responsive and reliable. The gravel feels loose, the asphalt less sticky. Plus, adaptive triggers offer resistance, adding to the experience. The DualSense speaker, in particular, can be a bit over the top, especially when simulating collisions. So you may want to plug in some headphones or a real sound system to enjoy a more realistic feel that immerses you completely into the game. 

Overall, once you acclimatize, you can trust your car, whether historic or hybrid, to maintain a steady rhythm, floating through the stages, and giving you a consistent, predictable drive as you go.

May the Best Driver Win!

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Also new to WRC Generations are the leagues completing daily and weekly challenges for the top crown in the Hall of Fame. Depending on your skill level, you can join the beginner, junior, rookie, professional, champion, or legend leagues, and do so solo or as a team. So, if you have a burning desire to show off your skill sets, the WRC Generations Leagues System is a definite place to start. 

And to raise the stakes even higher, WRC Generations introduces cross-platforms too. Now, your liveries, stickers, leaderboards, and yes, leagues, tallies up across all platforms, whether PC, Xbox, or PlayStation, to show who the best of the best are across platforms, and even give an idea of which platforms are the fastest.

The Verdict

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WRC Generations is a great culmination of the greatest hits from previous WRC games. It’s the final entry from Kylotonn’s seven-year stint, one where they did stunningly well, leaving nothing to chance. By leaving nothing to chance, Kylotonn took the kitchen sink approach and bundled together the best WRC game by content to date, bringing forth solid racing, stunning environments, and great handling you can rely on.

As far as innovations go, there is nothing entirely new about WRC Generations. The game offers a wealth of great content. However, it’s mostly iterations of familiar gameplay, along with historical content featured in previous games. 

But as much as WRC Generations lacks genuinely new content, it uses a tried-and-true recipe that offers engaging, solid gameplay regardless. With its overwhelmingly huge content offering a variety of strikingly beautiful locations, solid racing, and tight controls – nicely knit under one roof – any gamer wanting a good time can rest assured they will have it.