Launching initially with 17 classic and current cars and 36 challenging stages spread across three very different real world environments, the team will be adding regular free updates featuring more vehicles, locations and game modes as they build a new, exciting breed of focused and challenging off-road racing.

Every stage will test you differently, as you feel out grip across varying surfaces and adapt your style to a range of different weather types. As the car suffers attrition you’ll need to account for mechanical damage whilst your dedicated rally team tries to keep you competitive with time-limited repairs between stages. As stages string together, each rally becomes a marathon-like test of concentration and skill, as you trust in your co-driver and your own ability to react and adapt, in order to stay competitive and chase that ever-elusive perfect run.

It’s the ultimate test of a driver’s skill, and it’s the ultimate in high risk, high reward gameplay.

With DiRT Rally, the team wanted to take off-road racing to a new level of realism, so tore up its previous pace notes and completely rebuilt the physical simulation and driving models to truly capture the feeling of each individual car as it hurtles along a variety of surfaces in different conditions. The community will be DiRT Rally’s co-driver and their feedback will help shape the evolution of the experience. For players joining DiRT Rally in Early Access and the road ahead, the team want their feedback. They’ll be helping to test theories and providing vital data that will help to refine DiRT Rally.

From today, players will have access to the game’s first all-Tarmac rally at Baumholder, Germany, along with five classic rally-ready cars. This free update offers DiRT Rally players a completely different style of racing to test their skills to the limit and is the second in a series of free updates that will be regularly added during  DiRT Rally’s Steam Early Access phase.

As a full Tarmac rally, Germany feels completely different to the other stages currently available in DiRT Rally and requires a different mindset to Greece, Wales or Monte Carlo. Stages are wider but conquering them is about fast sprints and picking braking point into junctions, with tight turns and chicanes through bails testing players’ concentration and skill.

In addition, the Tarmac Terrors update introduces a selection of cars that were famous for their prowess on Tarmac. The Lancia 037 Evo 2 was the last rear wheel drive car to win an event at World Championship level and the F2 Kit Cars were some of the most iconic cars in the late ‘90s that were especially quick on Tarmac, often giving their four wheel drive counterparts a run for their money. Codemasters has also added a new setup for all cars so players can maximise the available grip.              

The full update content is as follows:

• 12 new rally stages set in Baumholder in Germany
• 5 new rally cars featuring new Group B RWD & Kit Car Classes
  • Opel Kadett GT/E 16v
  • Opel Manta 400
  • Lancia 037 Evo 2
  • Seat Ibiza Kitcar
  • Peugeot 306 Maxi
• Owners Club Online Events - A second DiRT Daily Event where players compete in their own car
• A second online Weekly Event 

From the outset players purchasing DiRT Rally on Steam Early Access will get access to the following:

• 17 CARS OVER 6 NEW AND CLASSIC CLASSES - Including BMW M3 Evo; Audi Quattro S1; Lancia Delta HF Integrale and Subaru Impreza
• DIVERSE LOCALES - 36 challenging stages set across Hafren, Wales; Monte Carlo, Monaco and Argolis, Greece
• TEAM MANAGEMENT – Hire up to four engineering staff to work on your car between stages
• RALLY ASYNC – Daily, weekly and month-long challenges against fellow players from around the world without the need to be online at the same time
• RALLY SEASONS – Compete in a succession of events with the aim of gaining promotion to the next rung on the driving ladder
• CUSTOM RALLY EVENTS – Take any car on any track and configure and compete in single or multi-stage events against the AI’s times
• UPGRADES – Unlock the full potential of your car with meaningful improvements to its handling and performance
• TUNING – Tweak your car set-up based on car, track and weather conditions to best suit your racing style
• PHYSICS-BASED ASSISTS – DiRT Rally allows players to experience cars in their purest form it also offers a selection of real world assists similar to those seen in race and road vehicles as traction control and ABS.
• DAMAGE & REPAIRS – Wear and tear is faithfully recreated with a comprehensive and realistic damage model. Damage can be repaired by hiring  Engineers to work in the team’s Service Area between stages but with a finite amount of time available.