MKAU Gaming was lucky enough to be invited to a live preview event for EA Sports’ newest title, EA Sports WRC, which is coming to current generation consoles and PC, and from what we could see from the event, we are beyond hyped to sink some time into this one. I will never stop being amazed at the power of gaming and how great it can look and handle.

EA Sports WRC is the biggest rally game EA has ever made, with eighteen global locations, seventeen of which will be available at launch, and the eighteenth coming with a free update, meaning there should be over 200 stages to race across, and plenty of content to keep you racing for hours. The game features the entire WRC calendar, representing over 600 km built into the game. You’ll have access to the 10 WRC, WRC2, and JWRC vehicles, all of which are licensed, and the content doesn’t stop there, with access to 68 historic vehicles dating back to the 1960s. You’ll see me flying around in the iconic blue and yellow livery on the Subaru WRX.

One of the features that grabbed my attention more than anything is the fact the developers have completely overhauled the Dynamic Handling System, which is said to be the most realistic feeling handling system to date. During the preview event, the developers were proud of how the car behaves on different terrain, so if you are in the snow, smashing through dirt, or tearing up the bitumen, you will feel a difference with the vehicles. The car’s handling will behave the most realistic it ever has.

It turns out that one of the developers is a rally car driver in his spare time, and he’s used this title to practice for races in real life, mentioning that the weather changes in the races keep you on your toes. You could be starting in a sunny race and end it with a thunderstorm. I’m starting to see a huge increase in weather needs in games with racers wanting the most realistic feel, and they have promised for this title to be the most immersive title in rally simulation. Players looking to race during the black of night or finish a race with the rain belting down will have this opportunity.

The developers have created a career mode that empowers the players to create their own team, and it gives you the option of competing in any level of the WRC Championship, with options from the WRC, WRC2, or the JWRC. The career mode offers the opportunity to manage a team of engineers and make key decisions within the team while you are trying to become the next Colin McRae. You get to create your driver, choose your team name, and make choices that keep your team’s best interests in mind to keep them happy.

For the racers out there who want to dive deeper into the customization built into the game, you have the option of using “Builder Mode.” You can choose everything down to the chassis layout, what mechanical parts you want to use, and what you want the body’s shell to look like – you have all the exterior customisation parts, but you can also customize the interior. Once your vehicle is complete you have the option of taking it out and testing it and making adjustments where needed. For the players who love making something unique, there is an amazing livery editor, so you can really make them standout.

You get to relive the most iconic and memorable moments from the 50 years’ worth of history in the WRC. From the game’s launch, you will have a new moment available every 24 hours, each built with introduction videos and real-life WRC footage.

If you need to learn the basics behind the art of racing rally cars and how to properly understand your spotter shouting instructions, “Rally School” might be the perfect option as an introduction to the simulation world. You can learn from exercises and then some basic tests to pass the Rally School before making your way to becoming the G.O.A.T.

You can earn some awesome driver cosmetic customisations from the “Rally Pass” and the developers have confirmed there will be five seasons from the launch of the game, but there was no mention of whether or not this will cost real-life currency, and if so, how much.

I’m starting to see more and more people utilizing the photo mode in games to get that perfect shot to put on their socials and get all the likes. With how good the vehicles and environments looked during the preview event, there will be some amazing photos on their way. Who knows, you could recreate some iconic photos in the moments game mode and post them to your socials. The photo mode, from what we could see, looked really simple, but it looks like it will do everything you could need.

Virtual Reality has been announced and will be added to the title in 2024 for PC players using Open VR, another feature that people absolutely love in racing games as it adds to the immersion of a title and brings a more real-life feel to the game. It would be awesome to see VR also coming to consoles at some point, but as I mentioned, it’s only been announced for PC in 2024.

It would not be a racing game without the standard game modes we all love, which are Quick Player, Time Trial, and Multiplayer, which we all seem to spend more time on than anything else, especially when it puts you up against some of the most extreme players in the world.

I’m keen to see how much content is packed into this game on release. I grew up playing rally games and they add another level of difficulty to the racing genre, which I love. The fact that they have actual rally car drivers in the development team shows they are getting industry professionals to make the most realistic experience.

Written by: Hayden Nelson