DiRT Rally 2.0

February 26, 2019 xrschool

$13.99-$19.99 Often heavily discounted PC + VR "Best racing experience ever" in VR

Codemasters • 89% Steam positive • Metacritic 84 critic • Iconic global rally locations

DiRT Rally 2.0

"Dares you to carve your way through iconic rally locations from across the globe, in the most powerful off-road vehicles ever made, knowing that the smallest mistake could end your stage." Codemasters' rally simulator with dynamic weather, night stages, and a VR experience players call the best in racing.

Developer/Publisher: Codemasters

Price: $13.99-$19.99 (often $1.99-$5.99 on sale)

Released: February 26, 2019

Platform: PC (Windows) • SteamVR

8.5

/10

XR School Score

Highly Recommended

89% Steam positive from 36,000+ reviews • Metacritic 84 critic • Player: "best racing experience ever" in VR • Frequently available for under $6 • Oculus Store pricing caveat (see below)

89% Steam Positive 36,075+ reviews • Very Positive
Metacritic 84 (critic) • Often <$6 on sale

Overview

DiRT Rally 2.0 was developed and published by Codemasters, released on February 26, 2019. It carries 89% positive reviews from over 36,000 Steam users and a Metacritic critic score of 84, making it one of the most consistently well-regarded rally simulators of the past decade. PEGI 3 / ESRB Everyone rated, it's accessible to all ages while offering genuine challenge.

The game's design philosophy is unforgiving: GodisaGeek's review opened with "When your very first rally is a night stage, you can't help but think that DiRT Rally 2.0 wants you to know that it isn't playing around." Despite this intensity, Codemasters built in a gentler onramp — the career mode starts players in a more sedate vehicle (a Lancia Fulvia) before progressing to the "fire-spitting" Mitsubishi Evo and beyond. The game features rally locations spanning multiple continents, each with dramatically different surface types, gradients, and weather patterns.

VR: "Best Racing Experience Ever" DiRT Rally 2.0's VR implementation generated some of the most enthusiastic player reactions of any title in this category. One Steam community thread, titled "Dirt Rally 2.0 VR = Best racing experience ever. Thank you, Codemasters," collected reactions like: "Yeah! It's best Rally and Best of all racing in VR!" and "At high res it's also the best looking VR game I've seen." Another player reported achieving 90fps at high settings with careful supersampling configuration. The sense of speed, the visceral feeling of gravel and mud kicking up, and the cockpit immersion in tight, twisting forest stages is exceptional.

Global Rally Locations

Argentina (gravel, mountain) Poland (forest, fast gravel) New Zealand (gravel, undulating) Spain (tarmac, hairpins) Sweden (snow, ice) Wales / Great Britain (mud, rain) Germany (tarmac, mixed) Australia (gravel, dust) Night stages (all locations) Colin McRae FLAT OUT Pack

The Game of the Year Edition includes the base game plus all post-launch content: every car, every location, and every Season released for DiRT Rally 2.0, including the Colin McRae FLAT OUT Pack — the definitive version of the title.

Important: VR Purchase Path

Steam Version vs Oculus Store Version — Buy on Steam DiRT Rally 2.0 has a confusing dual-release history for VR. The Steam version includes both 2D and VR modes and has historically sold at standard Steam pricing ($13.99-$19.99, frequently discounted to under $6). A separate "VR optimised" version was sold through the Oculus Store at a significantly higher price (around £44.99) and was VR-only with no 2D mode. Several Steam reviewers expressed frustration about this dual pricing structure. Recommendation: purchase the Steam version, which provides both VR and flatscreen modes at the standard (often heavily discounted) price, and works well with Quest headsets via Link or Virtual Desktop using SteamVR.

Curriculum Value

VR immersion

9.4

Geography (global rally locations)

9.0

Physics (surface / weather)

8.8

Value (on sale)

9.6

Beginner accessibility

6.8

Geography and Surface Physics DiRT Rally 2.0's location roster — Argentina, Poland, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Wales, Germany, Australia — offers genuine Geography curriculum connections: each location's terrain, climate, and surface type (gravel, tarmac, snow, mud) is modelled distinctly and affects driving physics differently. Combined with dynamic weather and time-of-day, this gives Physics students a tangible demonstration of how surface friction, gradient, and visibility interact. The varied climates also support discussions of regional geography and how environment shapes infrastructure and terrain.

Strengths and Limitations

Strengths

89% Steam positive • Metacritic 84 critic score
Players describe VR as "best racing experience ever"
Frequently available for $1.99-$5.99 on sale
Eight global rally locations with distinct surfaces and climates
Dynamic weather and night stages
PEGI 3 / ESRB Everyone — appropriate for all ages
GOTY Edition includes all DLC content
Strong Geography and Physics curriculum connections

Considerations

Steep difficulty — "no tutorial or proper introduction" (review)
Avoid the separate Oculus Store VR-only version — buy on Steam
PC only — SteamVR (no standalone Quest)
Metacritic user score (5.7) lower than critic score (84) — some user frustration historically
VR requires careful settings tuning for best performance

$13.99-$19.99

PC (Windows) • SteamVR • Often on sale <$6

Get on Steam →

Quick Facts

Developer / Publisher: Codemasters
Price: $13.99-$19.99 (often <$6 on sale)
Released: February 26, 2019
Platform: PC (Windows) • SteamVR
Steam: 89% positive • 36,000+ reviews
Metacritic: 84 (critic)
Age Rating: PEGI 3 / ESRB Everyone
Locations: 8 global rally regions
Recommended edition: GOTY Edition (all DLC)
VR purchase: Buy on Steam, not Oculus Store

Verdict

An outstanding rally simulator with a Metacritic 84 critic score and player VR reactions among the most enthusiastic in this entire category — "best racing experience ever." Eight global locations with genuinely distinct terrain, climate, and surface physics make this a strong Geography and Physics resource, and the GOTY Edition is frequently available for under $6 on Steam sales. The one purchasing pitfall: avoid the separate, expensive Oculus Store VR-only release and buy the Steam version, which includes both VR and flatscreen modes. With that one caveat addressed, this is exceptional value.

The XR School

The XR School

DiRT Rally 2.0

DiRT Rally 2.0