Oh, this is an unexpected surprise: DiRT 4 is coming to the PlayStation 4 this coming June. The sequel – which aims to blend the hardcore simulation of last year's DiRT Rally with the more accessible aspects of the popular PlayStation 3 titles DiRT 2 and DiRT 3 – aims to push the idea of adrenaline that's core to off-road racing.

The game will boast a new feature called 'Your Stage', which will allow to design your own rally stages and then share them with friends and the rest of the game's community. The free-play joyride stuff which this author personally enjoyed will make a return, as will rallycross, truck, and buggy races. But it's obviously the rally stuff that will be the highlight here.

With a release due in a matter of months, we're sure that we'll be seeing a lot more of this game from Codemasters over the coming weeks – it must be almost finished at this point. Would you have preferred more DiRT Rally, or are you happy to see simcade racing make a comeback? Cut up the mud in the comments section below.

DiRT 4 Features Breakdown

This is what the press release has to reveal about DiRT 4:

  • OVER 50 OF THE MOST BREATH-TAKING OFF-ROAD CARS EVER BUILT – Including Ford Fiesta R5, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, Subaru WRX STI NR4 and Audi Sport quattro S1 E2
  • 5 INCREDIBLE RALLY LOCATIONS WITH MILLIONS OF ROUTES – Australia, Spain, Michigan, Sweden & Wales
  • THE OFFICIAL GAME OF THE FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – Race at Montalegre, Lohéac Bretagne, Hell, Holjes & Lydden Hill in a multitude of different series
  • LANDRUSH – Short-course dirt track racing in Pro Buggies, Pro-2 Trucks, Pro-4 Trucks and Crosskart vehicles in California, Nevada and Mexico
  • JOYRIDE – Laptime challenges, smash challenges, free-play area and send challenges to friends
  • DiRT ACADEMY – Taking place at the DirtFish Rally School in Washington, USA, learn the skills, techniques and practice to become the best!
  • CAREER MODE – create your driver, compete across the disciplines, gain sponsors and build your team with clear goals and rewards
  • COMPETITIVE GAMING – Daily, weekly and month-long challenges against fellow players from around the world
  • NEXT GENERATION OF RACENET – Live ladder, leagues and tournaments, cross-platform leaderboards, enhanced CREST telemetry system
  • TUNING – Tweak your set-up based on vehicle, track and weather conditions to best suit your racing style
  • DAMAGE & REPAIRS – Wear and tear is faithfully recreated with an improved 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.

[source blog.codemasters.com]