Have you got what it takes to become a DiRT Rally legend, and win from a prize pool of $10,000? Version 1.8 will put that to the test with the introduction of the official DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series.

DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series: Beginning from September 10

The DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series begin on September 10, and continue throughout the end of 2019 in the search for the world’s strongest Rally and Rallycross players. In partnership with Motorsport Network, the series will see players compete on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam in a number of online challenges, with the live final being held at the Autosport International show in January 2020. For more information about the competition and Motorsport Network, our press release can be found here.

For the next 3 months, in-game Qualifiers will take place in DiRT Rally 2.0, with separate categories for both Rally and Rallycross. On December 7th and 8th, the Quarter and Semi-Finals will be broadcasted live across DiRT and Motorsport Network channels, showcasing the game’s strongest players in their element. Throughout the Qualifiers players can play on their preferred home setup, however the live finals will be a wheel-only competition.

Qualifiers can be found in-game by navigating to the World Series tab on the main menu, and updates throughout the season will be available here and on Motorsport Network channels. Here are the list of World Series Qualifiers for both rally and Rallycross categories. The fastest player in each Qualifier on each platform will earn a spot in the Quarter-Finals, with invites passing-down if a player has already Qualified.

DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Qualifiers: Rally

10th September – Poland – Kopina – H2 FWD

17th September – Argentina – Las Juntas – Group B 4WD

24th September – New Zealand – Te Awanga Forward – R5

8th October – Spain – Comienzo en Bellriu – Rally GT

15th October – USA – North Fork Pass – Group A

22nd October – Australia – Mount Kaye Pass – Group B 4WD

5th November – Poland – Czarny Las – H3 RWD

12th November – New Zealand – Waimarama Point Reverse – R2

19th November – Spain – Decenso por carrertera – R5

DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Qualifiers: Rallycross

10th September – Hell, Norway – RX1600

17th September – Trois-Rivières, Canada – RX2

24th September – Lohéac Bretagne, France – RX Supercars

8th October – Montalegre, Portugal – RX Supercars

15th October – Silverstone, England – RX2

22nd October – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain – RX1600

5th November – Mettet, Belgium – RX2

12th November – Holjes, Sweden – RX1600

19th November – Hell, Norway – RX Supercars

Best of luck to everybody competing in this competition, and may the best drivers win. In addition, there’s a participation prize for all who take part…

BMW M2 Competition: Free to all DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Competitors

Every player who competes in a DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Qualifier will be rewarded with an new car, the BMW M2 Competition.

Described by BMW as the ultimate sports car, the BMW M2 Competition battles in the Rally GT Class in DiRT Rally 2.0. As with all M cars, the M2 has racing DNA factored into every aspect of its design, and is sure to provide a special driving experience in-game.

After you set a valid time in a DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Qualifier you will be rewarded with an exclusive version the BMW M2 Competition for use in My Team, where you can perform upgrades, compete in Daily Challenges and more. This special version of the BMW M2 Competition also provides you with free car repairs. Taking part in the World Series Qualifiers is currently the only way to obtain this car for use in My Team.

The car is also available for all players in Freeplay, Custom Event, Clubs, Multiplayer and Time Trial.

BMW M2 Competition

Max Power: 400 bhp

Max Weight: 1200 kg

Engine: 2979 cc, Turbocharged, 6 Cylinders

Transmission: 6 Speed – Manual Sequential

DirtFish: Now available in Freeplay

Back in Version 1.7 we added the DirtFish Rally School as a free Location in Test Drive. Version 1.8 adds support for DirtFish to be used in Freeplay, with its own dedicated UI location. As we’ve seen already it’s a great place to familiarise yourself with the various cars in DiRT Rally 2.0, and we’re delighted to make it more accessible to players with this update.

Club Fixes and VR Updates

Version 1.8 also sees improvements to VR and the resolution of popular issues relating to Clubs.

The VR updates were already revealed in a recent DiRT Roadbook and are in the Patch Notes below. As a reminder, we are currently investigating the possibility of adding Oculus SDK support to the Steam version of the game, however this will take some time. We’ll share more in the future once things progress.

As for Clubs, a number of fixes come in version 1.8, all related to each other in some way. In short, the “tuning bug”, where Tuning Setups reset to default between Stages, is set to be resolved in this update. Work into this bug has also resulted in potential fixes for car damage, tyre punctures and dirt accumulation being reset between Stages as well.

Patch Notes: Version 1.8 of DiRT Rally 2.0

Version 1.8 of DiRT Rally 2.0 is expected to go live around 10.00 BST on Tuesday, September 3. If you are playing at the time you will have to close the application and potentially restart your console/launcher to download the update. RaceNet will also be taken down for a short while to facilitate the update.

VR:

Added option allowing players to choose whether to launch the game in 2D Mode or VR Mode.

Added support for separate graphics presets between 2D Mode and VR Mode.

Added support for “-novr” launch command.

Added ability to bind “Reset View” to a preferred button/key.

Resolved issue where game would crash if no VR headset was plugged in.

Improved readability of UI text in VR Mode.

Esports:

Added support for DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Qualifiers.

Content:

New car: BMW M2 Competition

Added files for Greece Rally in preparation of DLC release on September 10.

Added files for the Seat Ibiza Kit Car in preparation of DLC release on September 24.

Added files for the Peugeot 306 Maxi in preparation of DLC release on September 24.

AI:

Adjusted performance of AI drivers across multiple routes and car classes, to provide a more balanced difficulty curve.

(Update, September 3): This applies game-wide, and not just to My Team as previously mentioned)

Clubs:

Resolved issue where tuning setups were being reset to default between Stages in Club Championships.

Resolved issue where damage was resetting between Stages in Club Championships.

Resolved issue where tyre punctures were automatically being repaired between Club Stages regardless of spare tyre availability.

Resolved issue where cars were automatically being cleaned after every Stage in Club Championships.

Rallycross:

Resolved issue where too many cars would spawn on the starting grid.

Resolved issue where AI drivers would skip Joker Laps if a player restarted a race or got disqualified.

Resolved issue where players could avoid taking a Penalty Joker lap after receiving a penalty.

Cars:

Resolved issue where rear left tyre of the Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2 was too narrow in comparison to rear right tyre.

Multiplayer:

Resolved issue where the host of a Humans Only Custom Event would fall through the game world.

Resolved issue where end of race countdown timer would not appear for players yet to complete a race.

Resolved issue where players could gain access to DLC cars ahead of official release date.

Resolved issue where players could not choose a DLC car if they were in a lobby with a host with Season Content access.

(Note: If a Lobby Host owns Season content, all players in the Lobby are given permission to use that DLC content regardless of entitlement status.)

Locations:

DirtFish added to Freeplay.

New Zealand Rally – Corrected brightness setting for better visibility in darker areas.

Mettet, Belgium – Resolved issue where start lights were not working.

UI/UX:

Updated Freeplay main menu tab to include DirtFish.

Added World Series tab to main menu.

Added Uruguayan flag as a selectable option for driver profiles.

Achievements/Trophies:

“Adaptable” – Further improvements after Version 1.7 to make Achievement trigger properly.

“Watch the Delta” – Adjusted triggers to assist users who weren’t able to unlock Achievement initially.

“Living the Dream” – Adjusted triggers to assist users who weren’t able to unlock Achievement initially.

Hardware:

Resolved issue where rev lights on Fanatec CSL Elite Wheel Base were displaying in the wrong direction.

Miscellaneous:

General stability improvements and minor bug fixes throughout title.

Additional comments on popular community issues:

We are currently investigating the possibility of supporting Oculus VR headsets natively, via Oculus SDK on Steam.

We are currently investigating the ways of supporting post-launch content from other platforms on Oculus, and do not have a release date to announce at this time.

The issues of audio cutting out mid-Stage are expected to be resolved in a future update.

The ability to spectate in Multiplayer Lobbies is in development and could potentially appear in Version 1.9.

The ability to use a “Dashboard” camera angle (similar to the one seen in DiRT Rally) is expected to be added in a future update, most likely Version 1.9.

Version 1.9 is in development and is expected to release around October 1.