We’ve known it’s on the way for a long, long time but Codemasters have today announced Dirt 4, and it’s coming out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC on 9th June.
It follows on from the success of Dirt Rally, but this is a fuller experience beyond the more finely honed simulation rallying, taking on the broader and more diverse events and disciplines of Dirt 2 and 3, and beyond. It will include RallyCross and buggy racing in Landrush.
Codemasters also have a new system called Your Stage, dubbing it a game changer. It’s an on-the-fly rally route creation tool, allowing for a randomly generated stage at the touch of a button. It can accommodate both players who want the longer, more technical routes and those who just want a quick blast through the countryside, letting you set up challenges and set times for your friends.
There’s over 50 cars in the game including the Ford Fiest R5, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, Subaru WRX STI NR4, and Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2, and you’ll be able to take them through stages in Australia, Spain, Michigan, Sweden and Wales. As mentioned, this is also the official game of the FIA World RallyCross, including races at Montalegre, Lohéac Bretagne, Hell, Holjes & Lydden Hill.
If you’re a diehard racing fan, you can dive straight into the career mode and competitive online racing (both synchronous and asynchronous), but newcomers will also be able to get up to speed through the Dirt Academy training school based at DirtFish Rally School in Washington, USA, and Joyride’s simpler lap time challenges, shamsh challenges and free-play areas.
Underneath it all, you can choose to play with more friendly handling or turn the game engine to the simulation physics model based on that of Dirt Rally. Naturally, that extends to being able to tune your vehicle set up and having damage and repairs in the game.
We’re going hands on with the game today, and will have a preview in the not too distant future!
Oh, and before you ask, this is all coming from the team at Codemasters Southam, with the dev team formerly known as Evolution Studios working on their own new IP.
#DiRT4 is being made by the awesome team in Southam who did all the previous DiRT games. Our team in Cheshire are working on a new IP. https://t.co/vtDH6TuYxA
— Paul Rustchynsky (@Rushy33) January 26, 2017
Source: a press release and being sat in the corner writing this up during the Dirt 4 presentation
Tomhlord
Nice, looks like a more accessible game than DiRT Rally. June 9th is a nice surprise.
rSp8
Codemasters, Please may we have a proper, licenced touring cars game in the vein of the TOCA series? It doesn’t have to the BTCC (although that would be great), WTCC or something else will do. Thank you.
tonyyeb
This. But I want BTCC.
camdaz
Yes a BTCC game would be great, as would a WTC, but I would also be happy with an unlicensed game based on either or in that vein.
aerobes
Awesome news and a genuine surprise!
TSBonyman
Dirt Rally proved too tough for me in the end, as i knew it would but i couldn’t resist a pure rally game by Codies. At least i can be optimistic that Dirt 4 will be more my level and the Your Stage feature sounds pretty cool.
camdaz
I’m quite intrigued to see how good the Your Stage works out, it’s certainly got me more interested in the game.
Stefan L
It’s good. You don’t have direct control over where things are placed, but a couple simple sliders, a “generate stage” button, and you’ve got a new stage that you can load up and race down.
camdaz
I hope the co-driver knows where to go!