6.5 /10 17

Dakar Desert Rally stands as the most ambitious off-road rally simulation attempt to capture the authentic Dakar Rally experience, featuring officially licensed content from the 2020-2022 championships. Developed by Saber Porto, this title delivers massive open-world environments spanning Saudi Arabia and the American West, with over 30 stages recreating the grueling navigation challenges that define rally raid racing. This review examines the game’s three distinct difficulty modes, performance across platforms, extensive vehicle roster including motorcycles, cars, trucks, quads and SSVs, and how post-launch updates have refined the experience. Players seeking authentic navigation-based rally gameplay will discover a unique challenge, while those expecting pure arcade thrills may find the simulation elements demanding.

How to Play Dakar Desert Rally

Dakar Desert Rally centers on navigation-based off-road racing across vast desert and wilderness environments, requiring players to follow roadbook instructions while managing vehicle condition and terrain challenges across 30+ minute stages.

1. Controls – Standard racing controls with steering wheel support, plus co-driver navigation callouts requiring attention to roadbook markers and waypoints across unmarked terrain
2. Progression – Three career modes unlock sequentially: Sport (arcade-style mass starts), Professional (navigation introduction), and Simulation (unlocks at level 25 with authentic speed-limited stages)
3. Combat/Mechanics – Focus on terrain mastery rather than opponent combat, with realistic vehicle physics demanding careful throttle control across sand dunes, mud, snow, and rocky surfaces
4. Tips – Start with Sport mode to learn handling, practice roadbook navigation in Professional before tackling Simulation, and select appropriate vehicle class for each terrain type

Who Should Play Dakar Desert Rally

This title targets rally simulation enthusiasts seeking navigation challenges and authentic off-road racing, though arcade fans can enjoy Sport mode’s more accessible experience with mass-start chaos.

• Rally Simulation Fans – Navigation purists who appreciate roadbook-based racing and authentic Dakar Rally stage recreation will find unmatched depth in Simulation mode
• Off-Road Enthusiasts – Players who enjoy mastering diverse terrain types from sand dunes to snow-covered mountains with multiple vehicle classes including trucks and motorcycles
• Open World Explorers – Gamers seeking vast explorable environments with hidden collectibles across Saudi Arabia and American West-inspired landscapes spanning hundreds of square kilometers
• Skip if – You prefer consistent 60fps performance on consoles, dislike navigation-based gameplay requiring roadbook interpretation, or seek polished bug-free experiences at launch

Dakar Desert Rally Platform Performance

Performance varies significantly across platforms, with PC offering the best experience at 4K 60fps+ while PlayStation 5 suffers from unstable performance mode and Xbox Series X limited to 30fps.

Dakar Desert Rally System Requirements

PC version requires 50GB storage with modest minimum specs supporting GTX 960 graphics cards, while recommended specifications target 16GB RAM and GTX 1070 equivalent for optimal 4K performance.

Similar Games to Dakar Desert Rally

Rally simulation fans seeking navigation-based off-road experiences can explore several alternatives ranging from pure rally to hybrid racing titles with terrain mastery mechanics and open-world exploration.

• EA Sports WRC – Official World Rally Championship title with shorter tarmac and gravel stages, more traditional rally structure versus Dakar’s marathon navigation challenges
• Dirt Rally 2.0 – Codemasters’ hardcore rally simulator emphasizing stage memorization and precise driving, lacking Dakar’s open-world exploration and navigation elements
• SnowRunner – Extreme terrain simulation focusing on truck logistics and mud physics rather than racing, sharing Dakar’s emphasis on terrain mastery and vehicle selection
• MX vs ATV Legends – Off-road motorcycle and ATV racing with terrain deformation and open environments, offering more arcade-friendly handling than Dakar’s simulation approach

Dakar Desert Rally vs Competitors

Comparing Dakar Desert Rally against mainstream rally titles reveals its unique position as the only major navigation-focused rally raid simulator, trading polish and accessibility for authentic long-distance racing.

Dakar Desert Rally Story and World

Dakar Desert Rally eschews traditional narrative for authentic recreation of the real-world Dakar Rally championship across two massive open-world maps. The Saudi Arabia environment spans hundreds of square kilometers recreating the 2020-2022 race routes with diverse biomes including towering sand dunes reaching building-sized proportions, rocky mountain passes, dense forest sections, and treacherous water crossings. The USA Tour expansion adds 256 square kilometers inspired by American landmarks including the Grand Canyon, Nevada desert, and Yellowstone National Park with pine forests creating striking visual contrast to Arabian sands. Dynamic weather systems and full day-night cycles transform each environment, with sandstorms reducing visibility, rain creating mud hazards, and snow demanding completely different driving approaches. The world-building prioritizes scale and environmental challenge over storytelling, positioning nature itself as the primary antagonist through realistic terrain physics and navigation complexity.

Dakar Desert Rally Multiplayer and Online

Online functionality supports up to four simultaneous players competing in custom events across both official stages and player-created routes, though split-screen local multiplayer remains absent from the feature set.

• Online Custom Play – 4 player competitive races with AI opponents filling remaining slots, customizable weather and time-of-day settings for host-controlled variety
• Rally Raids – Cooperative and competitive multi-stage events following professional Dakar format with cumulative timing across 30+ minute marathon stages
• Free Roam Exploration – Multiplayer exploration mode allowing friends to traverse open worlds together while hunting for 140+ hidden treasures and collectibles
• Cross-Play – Limited to PC platforms only, supporting Steam and Epic Games Store players in shared sessions via crossplay code system

Dakar Desert Rally DLC and Expansions

Post-launch support delivered three major content drops through the Season Pass, culminating in the USA Tour expansion that doubled available terrain with American-themed environments and 32 additional stages.

• SnowRunner Trucks Pack – 5 heavy-duty trucks from SnowRunner franchise plus 9 weather-intensive events testing mud and snow navigation, priced at $9.99 standalone
• USA Tour Expansion – 256 sq km American West map featuring Grand Canyon and Yellowstone-inspired locations, 32 new stages across Sport and Professional modes, $9.99
• Season Pass – Bundled access to all DLC plus two day-one vehicle unlocks (DAF Truck Turbo-Twin, Peugeot 405 Turbo 16) at discounted rate versus individual purchases
• Free Updates – Replay system, improved steering wheel support, additional career events, and Saudi Arabia Extended Map for simulation players added post-launch at no cost

Dakar Desert Rally Community and Support

Developer Saber Porto maintained active post-launch engagement through version 2.1 update cycle, addressing technical issues and adding community-requested features including replay functionality and custom roadbook sharing capabilities.

• Official Forums – Saber Interactive support portal at support.saber.games provides troubleshooting resources, patch notes, and FAQ documentation for technical assistance
• Reddit/Discord – Dedicated r/DakartheGame subreddit community shares custom roadbooks, racing tips, and performance optimization strategies for various hardware configurations
• Mod Support – No official modding tools or Steam Workshop integration, limiting community content creation to custom roadbook events within game’s built-in editor
• Updates – Major updates concluded with version 2.1 and USA Tour DLC in January 2024, representing final planned content expansion per developer roadmap statements