This week, Nacon and KT Racing made two big announcements for World Rally Championship 9. Yesterday, the team released its first free content update, the WRC 9 Blind Jumps Update. This morning, it announced that WRC 9 would be coming to the PlayStation 5 as a next-gen launch title. Let’s take a closer look at WRC 9’s busy week.
The Blind Jumps Update
Pre-launch, KT Racing announced it would be releasing free content updates for WRC 9 throughout the game’s lifespan. The first update dropped yesterday, and it adds six new stages, a new driver, and a photo mode. The six special stages take place in Finland as part of the Neste Rally Finland. The new Finland stages give this update its title–each of the new WRC 9 stages is full of blind jumps.
The Blind Jumps update adds real life New Zealand driver, Hayden Paddon, and his co-driver, John Kennard, to the game. Once again, I’m appreciative of racing games’ willingness to add new drivers for no cost. Yesterday’s update brings photo mode to WRC 9 as well. Photo modes are becoming a staple of any game with gorgeous sights, so this is a welcome addition. Let players celebrate your hard work with their own creativity! It’s win-win.
A second free update is coming soon™, and will include Co-driver Mode.
Next-Gen WRC 9 Will Launch Alongside the PlayStation 5
KT Racing announced that the next-gen version of WRC 9 will be a launch title for the PlayStation 5 on November 12 in the United States. The upgraded WRC 9 will run at 4k, 60 FPS. The PS5 version will utilize the DualSense controller’s haptic features to provide realistic driving sensations. The press releases promises that you’ll be able to “feel the difference between asphalt, gravel, and snow.” I haven’t gotten my hands on a DualSense yet, but based on what I’ve seen, they could deliver on this promise pretty easily.
The press release confirms that players who already own WRC 9 on the PlayStation 4 will receive a free upgrade to PS5 when the game launches in November. This matches with a previous announcement this summer that the game would be part of Microsoft’s Smart Delivery program. Now, current-gen owners on either console will be able to upgrade once each next-gen console launches next month.
You can take a closer look at PlayStation 5 gameplay by watching the trailer below.
You can buy WRC 9 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (via the Epic Games Store) right now. The PlayStation 5 version will launch with the console on November 12. The Xbox Series S/X and Nintendo Switch versions will launch at a later date.
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