If you’re itching to drive (in the digital world) and own either a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, we’ve got good news: there are free sim racers to be had.
As more and more people find themselves at home during the ongoing coronavirus situation, gaming is one of the more popular pastime. This being an automotive website, we feel pretty confident assuming you enjoy throwing down in racing games. And if racing games are good, free racing games are better, right?
There’s just one catch: whether you’re on PlayStation or Xbox, you’ll need to be a paying subscriber to either of their premium online services. That’s PlayStation Plus on the Sony side, and Xbox Live Gold for Microsoft.
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In the blue corner is DiRT Rally 2.0. The newer of the two titles, this challenging sim launched on both PS4, XB1 and PC February 2019. As the name implies, it’s all about the most challenging motorsport out there. (Yeah I went there.)
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Out of the box, DR2.0 offers 50 cars from the rally history books, ranging from classic Alpines to the modern R5-class, purpose-built machines. A handful of surprises pepper the garage, including GT4-class track racers. As if navigating between the jagged rocks of Argentina at triple-digit speeds wasn’t difficult enough, you can try it in a Camaro.
Rallycross is also available in the game, pitting a small group of cars around a tight, twisting circuit. A year’s worth of add-ons are available as paid DLC.
Fair warning: DiRT Rally 2.0 is tough. This is a sim, and while there are driving aids, the best help is simply time invested. Listen to your co-driver!
DiRT Rally 2.0 will be free to PS Plus subscribers for four weeks, starting April 7.
Rallycross is also available in the green corner, with 2017’s Project CARS 2. This sim adds in all the on-track goodness too, with dozens of the world’s most famous circuits and some challenging fantasy options. What’s even more impressive is that everywhere from Algarve to Zhuhai is available in four seasons. Want to drive a wintry Nürburgring? Do it.
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At launch it boasted over 170 cars, with McLaren, Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini all present and accounted for. There’s a smattering of road cars, but the bulk of the lineup is race-bred machinery. Diversity is PCARS2’s strength, with classic and modern Indy cars, iconic prototypes, and the newest GT3 and GTE models. There’s even karting.
This too is a serious sim. While it’s possible to play and even have fun with the regular Xbox controller, a wheel-and-pedal set elevates the experience. If you know your toe settings from your camber, you can even dive into the tuning menu and tinker with the finer aspects of the cars. There’s an engineer for those that would rather not though: he’ll ask you questions and fiddle with the car based on your answers.
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Like DiRT, Project CARS 2 enjoyed multiple DLC releases for its first year on the market. There’s a Season Pass to collect all of them; four major packs arrived, with themes like Porsche, Ferrari, and Le Mans.
PCARS2 is available on XB1, PS4 and PC. If you want it gratis, you’ve got from April 1–30 to snap it up on Xbox.