Common Sense Media Review
By Paul Semel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cross-country racer revs engines for serious gearheads.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
WRC 9
What's It About?
As with many racing games, WRC 9 doesn't have a story. Instead, it has a career mode in which you run a series of racing events. It also has one-off races, a season mode, online races, and a place to challenge your driving skills. Regardless of how you play, though, the game boasts authentic physics and steering, as well as other details that make it more of a simulation than many off-road racing games. It's also a rally racing game, which is why you drive point-to-point races against the clock on dirt roads, and do so with the aid of a helpful navigator, and not on your own and against other drivers on paved tracks.
Is It Any Good?
Like previous installments, this racing game brings the thrill and challenge of rally racing to your living room, without tracking in any dirt. As is always the case with this series, WRC 9 is a realistic and deep rally racing simulation. That's why you're not racing against other cars on closed tracks, but instead racing against the clock by driving on your own on curvy dirt tracks, and then comparing your times to other drivers when you're done. You also have a navigator who tells you when to turn, and how hard, which is why this is more about precision and skill -- and following orders -- than driving as fast as you can.
As for what this year's model has to offer, the developers have added three new events (in Kenya, New Zealand, and Japan) as well as 35 special stages. It even has the complete rally racing season as it was supposed to happen before the current pandemic shut many events down, as well as improved physics and more authentic engine sounds. Of course, if making a car's engine sound more realistic seems silly to you, you probably won't appreciate how realistic this gets when it comes to its handling. Even on the lowest difficulty setting, the realistic controls make this just for serious race fans. But while casual drivers should look elsewhere for their speed fix, serious drivers will once again enjoy kicking up the dirt with WRC 9.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about advertising. Like in real life, all of the cars in WRC 9 are covered with logos for car-related companies, but why do you think they do this? Do you remember any of their names? Does it make you interested in
In WRC 9, your driver always wears a helmet and other safety equipment, so does a professional taking such precautions say anything to you about driving safety?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Windows , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Nacon
- Release date : March 11, 2021
- Genre : Racing
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks )
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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