The best rally game for years just arrived onto Steam Early Access

Remember that rally game we mentioned lately? The one that’s got laser-scanned stages, built in-game by actually going out and capturing every inch of a 10+km route and then converting it to to Unreal Engine 5 assets? Well that game is Assetto Corsa Rally, and it’s out now on Steam Early Access.

It doesn’t matter how many times we – or anyone else – warns you about how realistic and challenging it is compared to other rally games, you’re going to absolutely mince your vehicle the first time you drive it. Unlike us, at least you’ll have the luxury of experiencing that without the developers watching your rampant incompetence over your shoulder.

But quite quickly, things start to click. Your brain begins adjusting to the fact it isn’t playing Dirt Rally, starts listening extra intently to the pace notes, and sending signals to your braking foot that, hey, you know what? Maybe let’s take this next hairpin a bit steady.

This Early Access release day represents the very start of AC Rally’s journey, not the end of it. What’s on offer right now is likely to expand massively over the coming months, but at present the Early Access version grants you a nice foundation of cars and rally stages, and a handful of game modes.

In the garage, there’s a suite of machinery that spans multiple eras, from agricultural examples like the 1972 Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior Gr.2 and 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Abarth Rally 16V Gr.4, through to technology-laden hatchbacks like Hyundai’s 2021 i20N Rally2 and a 2020 Peugeot 208 Rally4. Group B is represented, naturally, in this case with the 1984 Lancia Rally 037 EVO 2, while a 2001 Citroen Xsara WRC covers the more recent, turn-of-the-millennium golden era.

Two locations feature in this build: Alsace in the French mountains, and Wales’ perennially wet and mossy Hafren roads. Each locale has two stages: Munster and Saverne at Alsace. And Hafren North and South for the latter.

With this artist’s easel of loose surface goodness, you can take to free practice events, a full rally weekend, a single rally stage, time attacks with online leaderboards, and Assetto Corsa Rally events, also with leaderboards.

Just remember – and we can’t stress this enough – you will crash. Just give it a stage or two.