--- title: "EA Sports WRC Rally Game Is Finally Coming as Sequel to Dirt Rally 2.0" date: "2023-09-01" modified: "2023-09-01" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/ea-sports-wrc-rally-game-is-finally-coming-as-sequel-to-dirt-rally-2-0" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" --- # EA Sports WRC Rally Game Is Finally Coming as Sequel to Dirt Rally 2.0 ![Official EA Sports image teasing EA Sports WRC game reveal on Sept. 5, 2023.]() *\EA Sports WRC via Twitter\* Things have been eerily quiet on the rally [racing]() game front for months now. KT Racing, formerly the developer of the official World Rally Championship titles, concluded its stewardship of the license this year before handing it over to Codemasters and EA. We haven't seen a new off-road racing game from Codies since *Dirt 5* way back in 2020, while the studio's last sim was 2019's *Dirt Rally 2.0*. It's for those reasons that there's plenty of hype surrounding what the racing experts are cooking up next, and we finally received official confirmation of it on Friday. The *Dirt* name has been dropped, in favor of a fresh start: *EA Sports WRC*. The game will be revealed on September 5, and in the lead-up, its social channels [dropped a short teaser]() of modern Rally1-class machines sending up clouds of dust on a dirt stage. https://twitter.com/EASPORTSWRC/status/1697626128171593927?s=20 We've been waiting a long while for official acknowledgment of EA's first WRC title. Last fall, Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming, who's had a solid track record of leaks, particularly around EA's racing games, reported that the title would [include a car-building component](). In the months following it seemed that the game would see release [earlier this spring or summer](), but those supposed targets passed with radio silence from EA. At the time, Henderson also reported that the upcoming WRC product was built upon work initially carried out for a *Dirt* sequel that never materialized. Codemasters' WRC license deal—which was actually secured before the company was acquired by EA—was said to last five years when [*GameIndustry.biz* reported it in 2020](). The *Dirt* series, as well as *Colin McRae Rally* before it, has maintained a longstanding reputation of quality among motorsport and gaming fans, so news that the British developer was taking over the reins for WRC's official game was met largely with enthusiasm. Present rumors suggest release before the holidays, but we won't have to wait long to know for sure—and to see for ourselves if Codemasters has met the hype. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()