Dakar Desert Rally

Dakar Desert Rally has a fabulous sense of scale and is capable of some great, unique racing, but it's undercut dramatically by frustrating handling, uneven performance, and some progression-killing bugs.

Desert Dakar Rally is an exceptional racing game that transports you into a hellish race. Since its release, the developers have been actively working to improve it, striving to meet players’ expectations. It’s a unique endeavor, one of a kind, but it keeps hitting walls that not even a truck could get through. The negligible impact on track design, occasional glitches, and overly sensitive controls don’t help at all—and unfortunately, these are the fundamentals of racing games. It doesn’t matter that the soundtrack is great and the weather affects visibility. Navigating the road map or even using the navigator is top-notch and I really enjoy it, but it just isn’t enough. What’s great, though, is that the game has come a long way since its release and has its own player base, and it definitely deserves your attention and time—even if it takes a lot of it.

The Dakar Desert Rally has much potential and won't let you down with its graphics or progression system. However, its driving model is below average, and the title fails to handle the arcade style properly it partly attempts. With flaws in the most critical aspect of a racing game, it isn't easy to recommend.

Dakar Desert Rally is finally betrayed by the greatness of the project that has been attempted by the people of the game.

Although not perfect, Dakar Desert Rally manages to capture the essence of the races it portrays.

Dakar Desert Rally, has good foundations but is unfortunately imperfect on many points.

There’s a lot to like about this game. The sense of scale and visuals is amazing. However, the core aspects of the game, such as handling and getting access to the main rally, are frustrating. Saber Interactive has done a good job on the macro level of the game. With upcoming pledged updates, I’m hoping they enhance the micro aspects which are badly needed.

Dakar Desert Rally is one of the most accessible rally racing titles on the market. Combine that with gorgeous locations and thrilling driving, and you have a game with something to offer all racing enthusiasts, regardless of their niche.

The vast open world is truly breathtaking and doubling down on the Dakar experience with great orienteering is a welcomed challenge.

Despite some performance issues and minor bugs, Dakar Desert Rally delivers bags of fun. The stunning environments, wild weather and plucky opponents paired with the excellently realised sense of speed make for some truly epic racing. Danger lurks around every corner.