I'd recommend Dirt Rally to people that like a challenge, and maybe specifically people that have a racing wheel or driving sim rig. The feel of speed and immersion in this game is great, and that's what it has going for it. Dirt Rally 2 is a money pit, but supposedly it fares a little better as a simulator in 2021. The original Dirt Rally fails as a sim, but stands out as a uniquely difficult driving game.

Diving deeper, the biggest constraints of this game lies in its physics. Some corners were cut, and players will be punished for playing this as a realistic sim OR as an arcade style driver. Why? Physics logic in Dirt Rally changes with every traction surface (or in mid air!). And imagine if you were driving in real life, and the determining factor of you taking a turn on a road or flying sideways off of it was directly tied to what gear you were in... You'd be effectively changing realities every time you shifted! And that's exactly the logic of Dirt Rally! And in-game, suspension handling (or maybe gravity?) is also affected somehow by gearing. Your car will seemingly make less contact with the ground in 4th gear than 3rd across bumps and over rises. Crashes and curb checks will also be more disastrous in higher gears.

Another issue is the handling across different surfaces. Flats of medium gravel can be more perilous than an icy downhill section. Rolling resistance either isn't in this game, or just doesn't make any sense. Concepts like mud or dirt resisting a tire as it pushes across it sideways don't seem to exist either. Traction mostly comes down to what gear you are in, and what surface you are on. There seems to be multiple thresholds for loss of control, but they are extremely sudden when you find them. Regaining control after making an error in Dirt Rally is a skill that only comes with a ton of time in the game because it's completely unintuitive. Sometimes, inexplicably, the best thing to do after loss of traction or some other error is to hit the handbrake to recover.

Rear/front weight balance is really important in car handling, and it in many cars it's the premier feature to enjoy and abuse. -Weight balance in Dirt Rally is either wrong or ignored. Most cars just feel like they have the weight of cardboard and are stabilized by shifting and acceleration.

A 600BHP RWD car can't spin the tires from a standstill above 2nd gear on ice or gravel in Dirt Rally. You're constantly punished for trying to utilize higher gears to gain an advantage in anything other than increasing speed after hitting the top of the last gear- even downhill. Again, shifting up usually lowers traction- and at low RPMs or speed just lugs the engine.

We can try to sus out the logic of the physics in Dirt Rally, but I've already wasted enough time here for everyone.

Buy Dirt Rally 2.0 on sale. I think most of the tracks Rally are in 2.0. Skip this game. That's what I'm gonna do

I'd recommend Dirt Rally to people that like a challenge, and maybe specifically people that have a racing wheel or driving sim rig. The feel of speed and immersion in this game is great, and that's what it has going for it. Dirt Rally 2 is a money pit, but supposedly it fares a little better as a simulator in 2021. The original Dirt Rally fails as a sim, but stands out as a uniquely difficult driving game. Diving deeper, the biggest constraints of this game lies in its physics. Some corners were cut, and players will be punished for playing this as a realistic sim OR as an arcade style driver. Why? Physics logic in Dirt Rally changes with every traction surface (or in mid air!). And imagine if you were driving in real life, and the determining factor of you taking a turn on a road or flying sideways off of it was directly tied to what gear you were in... You'd be effectively changing realities every time you shifted! And that's exactly the logic of Dirt Rally! And in-game, suspension handling (or maybe gravity?) is also affected somehow by gearing. Your car will seemingly make less contact with the ground in 4th gear than 3rd across bumps and over rises. Crashes and curb checks will also be more disastrous in higher gears. Another issue is the handling across different surfaces. Flats of medium gravel can be more perilous than an icy downhill section. Rolling resistance either isn't in this game, or just doesn't make any sense. Concepts like mud or dirt resisting a tire as it pushes across it sideways don't seem to exist either. Traction mostly comes down to what gear you are in, and what surface you are on. There seems to be multiple thresholds for loss of control, but they are extremely sudden when you find them. Regaining control after making an error in Dirt Rally is a skill that only comes with a ton of time in the game because it's completely unintuitive. Sometimes, inexplicably, the best thing to do after loss of traction or some other error is to hit the handbrake to recover. Rear/front weight balance is really important in car handling, and it in many cars it's the premier feature to enjoy and abuse. -Weight balance in Dirt Rally is either wrong or ignored. Most cars just feel like they have the weight of cardboard and are stabilized by shifting and acceleration. A 600BHP RWD car can't spin the tires from a standstill above 2nd gear on ice or gravel in Dirt Rally. You're constantly punished for trying to utilize higher gears to gain an advantage in anything other than increasing speed after hitting the top of the last gear- even downhill. Again, shifting up usually lowers traction- and at low RPMs or speed just lugs the engine. We can try to sus out the logic of the physics in Dirt Rally, but I've already wasted enough time here for everyone. Buy Dirt Rally 2.0 on sale. I think most of the tracks Rally are in 2.0. Skip this game. That's what I'm gonna do