DiRT 4

The first Colin McRae Rally was released almost twenty years ago, but DiRT 4 shows that Codemasters is still the best company in the genre of rally games.

Once you strap yourself into the rollcaged bucket seat of Dirt 4 it’ll be extremely tough to extricate yourself from it anytime soon. [September 2017, p69]

Finishing a race carries as much emotional punch as entire other games. [Aug 2017, p.94]

The variety keeps you in the game and that, in time, enables you to master the feel and potential of the cars on offer. Best of all, improving is enjoyable - you never feel as though you're playing simply to get better. You can't ask for more from a racer than that. [Issue#189, p.76]

After the success of DiRt Rally, Codemasters is back with a vengeance. DiRT 4 is a testament to everything the company has learned over the years, the best DiRT game to date and one of the best racers of all time.

The sensation of rubber recklessly drifting across the sand, of splattering across your face and a grumpy Scotsman calling out the course before you as you violently swerve around corners. Rally racing is mental stuff and Dirt 4 captures that manic joy perfectly. The full fearless package of graphics, guts and glory.

Dirt 4 manages what very few racing games do. It’s driving is challenging yet accessible, and it pairs this with an almost endless amount of content. The career mode is robust, and the stages are varied and beautifully designed, but the ability to create your own unique tracks using Your Stage is what sets Codemasters’ game apart from every other rally game that has come before.

DiRT Rally was the entry point, the entrée if you will, ahead of the main course of DiRT 4. While sim die-hards may still prefer the former it’s hard for me to go back given everything on offer here. The simulation underpinnings are still there and the cars will still spit you off if you go over the edge but everything is much more pliable and far friendlier to those of us driving on a gamepad. There’s more to see, more to do and more importantly, it’s much more fun!

I've never been more charmed by a racing video game and I could not recommend any other more than Dirt 4, to anyone of any ability. Dirt 4 is a joy.

Codemasters strikes again! Technically great and filled to the brim with content, this is quite simply one of the best rally games ever made.

Dirt Rally was an amazing title that simply lacked features. Dirt 4 doesn't merely fill some of those holes; it gives the franchise a rich backdrop that makes the game the best in the series. It also has a new identity beyond the multiple racing disciplines. Codemasters has given us a feast that spurs our appetite for the kind of hasty danger you can never get enough of.

From the comprehensive career mode to the fun of Rallycross and Joyride, Dirt 4 is one of Codemasters’ best. And it’s the best rally game by quite some distance.

The latest in arguably Codemasters cornerstone racing franchise; rally racing on PS4 just doesn’t get better than Dirt 4. It simply doesn’t.

If Dirt Rally's punishing difficulty alienated longtime series fans in any way, this commitment to accessibility should help to bring them back, and the near-infinite possibilities of Your Stage should keep them playing. Dirt 4 is a shining example of Codemasters at their brilliant best.

DiRT 4 succeeds at taking the series to another new level which almost makes this one of the favourite ones I’ve played in the series. The gameplay mechanics work extremely well and I had no issues with the DualShock controller while I controlled these powerful off-road vehicles. Furthermore, there’s a plethora of modes to play, heaps of cars and lots of different areas that make this title some excellent value for money. Lastly, it’s not just as a rally game as the developers have added lots of fun modes and vehicles to help expand the gameplay. Then you have the daily and weekly challenges which just expand the scope of the game, including the ability of playing it in either two modes, gamer or simulation!

DiRT 4 is a great racing game thanks to its sophisticated physics, gameplay mechanics and precise controls.

Codemasters has managed to offer a game for both newcomers and expert drivers as well, which is a must for DiRT 4 to be really enjoyable. The learning curve is easy to handle, the game offers enough content in several styles and even though the most exigent will always want more realism, it's completely on par with the expectations.

Dirt 4 is the conjunction between arcade gamers and simulation lovers. It has a beautifully programmed learning phase and Your Stage can really evolve the way to live Rally in games, even if we were expecting e far more intense upgrade from the previous game.

As a full package Dirt 4 is brilliant, mainly because of the options in making the behaviour of the cars exactly the way you want it to be. Well done Codemasters.

Quotation forthcoming.

DiRT 4 delivers a great rally experience, especially with the different racing types including Rallycross. Some visuals are not what we can expect in the current generation, but the driving experience is great. Also, Codemasters did a great job adding a tool that helps you randomize routes and tracks, so basically you can have unlimited tracks to race on.

DiRT 4 works no matter whether you’re looking a hard, realistic experience, or if you just want to enjoy a good racing game. Codemasters has options for both types of players, and this game becomes a must-have for racing fans.

DiRT 4 encompasses all that it means to race. To spend hours tuning your car, taking it out for a ride to test, bringing it back in to the garage to tweak some more, and repeating until everything is perfect. To have the stressors of the day simply fall away the second the red lights turn off and you are given the “GO” light. To have a perfect run and relish in your victories, as well as to have a devastating setback at the last second, but to learn from your mistakes and carry your head high as you give it another go.

DiRT 4 is a great title, fun and scalable: the right compromise of simulation and accessibility.

DiRT 4 is a solid racer that offers a compelling, fully customizable experience with lots of content.

DiRT 4 is a highly-polished and well-thought-out title that could truly succeed in pulling more players towards the genre. It looks great and with the new optional arcade-style handling model, the barrier for entry is low. Even with that in mind, hardcore players are served better than ever before with increased options at the top end. If you like your racing fast, filthy, and challenging, there’s no doubt that this ticks all of the boxes.

A great game although not a risky one. DiRT 4 makes everything right but its offering is not as deep as we were expecting.

The innovative and tight simulation of the latest DiRT: Rally renews the traditional and relaxed arcade mood of the long-established DiRT series in a game that successfully blends the two approaches. DiRT 4 is no revolution, just an excellent recap.

DiRT 4 does a remarkable job of creating a sense of speed.

DiRT 4 is something of a feat: both a considered challenge and an appetizer to the world of rallying at large. It helps that the actual racing is spot on, too, with cars that handle brilliantly.

DiRT 4 is contingent on your experience with previous games. You will see things that come back and others that do not. Design decisions with which you will agree, while another portion of the community won’t do at all.

A series that was in danger of going stale has managed to take time off and re-evaluate what bedrock the foundations were built upon. Whilst more reserved in presentation, the racing recovers a serious edge that heightens the peril associated with one of motorsport’s more enticing arenas. Whilst I do miss the crutch of quick rewinds and don’t quite fancy the new Landrush mode, the majority of what’s on DiRT 4’s menu is served up exceptionally well.

While many modern racers attempt to deliver a visual showcase, Dirt 4 instead focuses on what’s going on under the bonnet. Every vehicle – except those damn crosskarts – feels incredible, as if you're trying to tame some naughty mechanical beast. Each shunt deforms your car’s body, each lap cakes it in dirt, and you can see your driver’s head wobbling around as you drive over each bump. It’s super-convincing.

With its strong gameplay, deep feature set and above-average visuals, the good far outweighs the bad with Dirt 4.

Dirt 4 it's exactly what many fans of the series were waiting: a solid rally game with tons of options and good graphics.

DiRT 4 relies heavily on its own procedural editor, and it shows in the long run, when you start to recognize and react to the different building blocks. Nonetheless, it's a pretty fine racing game, one that is extremely fun and addictive.

Dirt Rally was just a glimpse of what was yet to come, with Dirt 4 bringing this long running series back with not just rallying, but more full-on wheel to wheel action alongside it. In going for a more focused style of game and a more demure attitude, it’s lost some of Dirt 3’s hyperactivity and fun, but with a limitless supply of new stages to send you car hurtling along, Dirt 4 is a rallying game for the ages.

Codemasters has provided enough meaningful upgrades for DiRT 4 while keeping the core simulation racing aspect intact. This should appease the hardcore fans while allowing people with interest in the series to take a drive.

DiRT 4 is an impressive package that takes the strong foundation of DiRT Rally and sprinkles on a few friendly updates, such as DiRT Academy and the return of Landrush. The handling, whichever way you lean, is robust and extremely gratifying with cars that are a lot of fun to drive. The career mode gives you plenty to do, and Your Stage means you’ll never be short of new rally challenges to take on. Some very slight graphical gripes aside, this is another success story for a developer that seems to be firing on all cylinders.