EA Sports WRC: Release date, gameplay, cars, modes, more

The new official FIA World Rally Championship game, EA Sports WRC, arrives in 2023. It is a more serious racer with Codemasters in the driver’s seat. So, here’s all we know about EA Sports WRC, including the release date, gameplay, and more.

The World Rally Championship series presses on with a new installment, the 17th in the series, as the baton has now been passed to Codemasters. Previously helmed by Nacon’s KT Racing, now hard at work for the new Test Drive Unlimited game with Solar Crown, EA becomes the fourth publisher to have an exclusive license for WRC.

EA Sports WRC joins a surprisingly big list of major racing games in recent times. EA themselves published F1 23 earlier this year, and other big racers we have this year include the likes of The Crew Motorfest and Forza Motorsport.

So, here’s everything we know about EA Sports WRC.

• EA Sports WRC release date
• EA Sports WRC platforms
• EA Sports WRC gameplay details
• What cars are in EA Sports WRC?
• EA Sports WRC game modes

EA Sports WRC release date 

EA Sports WRC is currently scheduled for a November 3, 2023 release. Players who pre-order digitally can hop in three days before it releases, as early access starts October 31.

EA Sports WRC platforms

EA Sports WRC will hit the shelves for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (on Steam, Epic Games, and the EA app).

EA Sports WRC gameplay details

The finer gameplay details on EA Sports WRC’s gameplay remain slim, but being developed by the same team that worked on Dirt, a lot of its elements will carry over to WRC, and realism is very much the focus.

Codemasters touts that every stage is a fight against the clock, the terrain, and yourself. Levels will have variety with asphalt, gravel, and snow stages as the game features multiple weather conditions—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Driving in each of these seasons will feel different.

All of that across the 17 official FIA World Rally Championship locations, from Monte Carlo and Portugal, amassing over 600km and 200 stages. The general length of these tracks is also said to be longer than they’ve ever been in any previous rally games by the developers.

Some of the tracks now will range more than 30 km. Switching to a more capable engine, Unreal Engine, is what made the scale possible, per the developers. An additional Central Europe Rally will be available post-launch.

For more authenticity in how these wheels slip, drift, and feather, Codemasters also consulted manufacturers like Ford, Toyota, and Hyundai. Keeping up that realism, Rally1 cars can charge their batteries by braking around the corner and use the power to accelerate once you get back on the throttle. There are three multiple settings for this—Aggressive, Balanced, and Cautious—each suitable for certain tracks.

Players can also choose a professional driver setup that is said to “mirror” a professional rally driving experience, and Codemasters has taken feedback from professional drivers as well, including former FIA Junior WRC title contender and 2023 FIA European Rally Championship ERC3 champions.

There are more laid-back and casual settings available as well in EA Sports WRC, to make the world’s toughest motorsport welcoming for new players. It allows you to tinker with much of the game’s handling and settings so you can, regardless of your skill level, enjoy rallying.

Some other details that are important, for realism, in any rally racing game are co-drivers and pace notes. The previous DiRT games were fairly spot-on and maintained a good balance between realism and fun gameplay. WRC will follow suit, and your co-drivers and engineers will be fully voiced. Likewise, there will be simplified notes if you don’t want to get into the intricacies of the sport. 

What cars are in EA Sports WRC?

EA Sports WRC has 78 rally vehicles across 18 classes. Here’s the full list:

WRC

1. Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID
2. Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID
3. Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID

WRC2 

1. Citroën C3 Rally2
2. Ford Fiesta Rally2
3. Hyundai i20 N Rally2
4. ŠKODA Fabia Rally2 Evo
5. ŠKODA Fabia RS Rally2
6. Volkswagen Polo GTI R5

Junior WRC

1. Ford Fiesta Rally3

World Rally Car 2017-2021

1. Ford Fiesta WRC
2. Volkswagen Polo 2017

World Rally Car 1997-2011

1. Citroën C4 WRC
2. Citroën Xsara WRC
3. Ford Focus RS Rally 2001
4. Ford Focus RS Rally 2008
5. MINI Countryman Rally Edition
6. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI
7. Peugeot 206 Rally
8. Seat Córdoba WRC
9. ŠKODA Fabia WRC
10. SUBARU Impreza 1998
11. SUBARU Impreza 2001
12. SUBARU Impreza 2008

Rally2 

1. Ford Fiesta R5 MK7 Evo 2
2. Peugeot 208 T16 R5

Rally4

1. Ford Fiesta MK8 Rally4
2. Opel Adam R2
3. Peugeot 208 Rally4
4. Renault Twingo II

NR4/R4

1. McRae R4
2. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
3. SUBARU WRX STI NR4

S2000

1. Fiat Grande Punto Abarth S2000
2. Opel Corsa S2000
3. Peugeot 207 S2000

S1600

1. Citroën C2 Super 1600
2. Citroën Saxo Super 1600
3. Ford Puma S1600
4. Renault Clio S1600

F2 Kit Car

1. Ford Escort Mk 6 Maxi
2. Peugeot 306 Maxi
3. Renault Maxi Mégane
4. Seat Ibiza Kit Car
5. Vauxhall Astra Rally Car
6. Volkswagen Golf IV Kit Car

Group A

1. Ford Escort RS Cosworth
2. Lancia Delta HF Integrale
3. Mitsubishi Galant VR4
4. SUBARU Impreza 1995
5. SUBARU Legacy RS

Group B (4WD)

1. Audi Sport quattro S1 (E2)
2. Ford RS200
3. Lancia Delta S4
4. MG Metro 6R4
5. Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2

Group B (RWD)

1. BMW M1 Procar Rally
2. Lancia 037 Evo 2
3. Opel Manta 400
4. Porsche 911 SC RS

H3 (RWD)

1. BMW M3 Evo Rally
2. Ford Escort MK2 McRae Motorsport
3. Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500
4. Lancia Stratos
5. Opel Ascona 400
6. Renault 5 Turbo

H2 (RWD)

1. Alpine Renault A110 1600 S
2. Fiat 131 Abarth Rally
3. Ford Escort MK2
4. Hillman Avenger
5. Opel Kadett C GT/E
6. Talbot Sunbeam Lotus

H2 (FWD)

1. Peugeot 205 GTI
2. Peugeot 309 GTI
3. Volkswagen Golf GTI

H1 (FWD)

1. Lancia Fulvia HF
2. MINI Cooper S
3. Vauxhall Nova Sport

Builder Cars

1. WRC Builder Car
2. WRC2 Builder Car
3. Junior WRC Builder Car

EA Sports WRC game modes

EA Sports WRC will have the regulars for a rally game, what’s new and exciting, though, is the Builder Mode. As the name suggests, the Builder Mode will allow you to create your own dream rally car. But don’t expect to be able to tighten every fastener yourself, as in terms of modifications, you can select the chassis, body shells, and a few other all-important mechanical parts.

Another mode available is a 32-player cross-platform multiplayer, and you can race with your friends and other drivers in the community.

Beyond these two additions, you’ll have Career, Championship, Time Trial, Regularity Rally, and a few others. We don’t have any brief information on these modes, but they should be fairly similar to what we’ve seen elsewhere in Codemasters’ racers.

That’s all we know about EA Sports WRC, we’ll update once we know more about it. For more on EA Sports WRC and other racing games, check out:

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