V-Rally 4

V-Rally 4 features a lot of exhilarating moments that make it one of the most engaging racers I've ever played. A decent selection of disciplines and beautiful graphics make this a good pick-up for any casual off-road racing fan.

61%Game Brain Score

graphics, gameplay

stability, music

67% User Score Based on 471 reviews

Critic Score 55%Based on 19 reviews

Platforms

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About

V-Rally 4 is a single player and multiplayer racing game. It was developed by KT Racing and was released on September 25, 2018. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"V-Rally 4" is a racing game that takes players off-road across diverse environments, from dirt tracks to mountainous terrain. The game features a variety of vehicles to choose from, each with their own unique handling and customization options. With both single-player and multiplayer modes, players can compete in various race events to become the ultimate V-Rally champion.

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67%

Audience ScoreBased on 471 reviews

graphics72 positive mentions

stability54 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and beautifully designed environments, making the rally stages visually appealing.
The variety of gameplay modes, including Rally, Rallycross, Hillclimb, Buggy, and Extreme-Khana, offers a diverse racing experience.
The handling is enjoyable and provides a fun arcade-like experience, making it accessible for casual players.

The AI is inconsistent, often leading to frustrating races where the player can either dominate or struggle significantly against opponents.
The career mode progression is poorly designed, with events appearing randomly and making it difficult to plan for championships.
The physics can feel unrealistic, with cars often sliding excessively and not responding as expected to player inputs.

graphics
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
40%
5%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning visuals, vibrant environments, and well-designed car models, particularly on higher settings. However, some users note that the graphics can feel dated compared to other titles, with occasional performance issues and graphical glitches. Overall, while the game offers decent to good graphics, it may not meet the expectations of those seeking cutting-edge visuals.
- “The graphics are beautiful and it's optimized so well, I rarely ever dip below 100 fps on the highest settings, and I'm only running a 2060s!”
- “Graphics and effects are actually quite stunning and masterful in regards to lighting, reflection, trail degradation, car damage, optimization.”
- “The visuals in this game are awesome, very colorful (check out Japan and Malaysia rally tracks) and the rally tracks are brilliantly designed.”
- “The graphics were years behind the time; the career mode was shallow.”
- “The physics of the game aren't that bad, but the graphics remind me of a 2015 mobile game even on max settings 1080p and runs with 100ish fps on a GTX 1660 Ti.”
- “At max graphics, the game still looks like a Nintendo Switch port, so -3 points for that.”
gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
76%
5%
The gameplay of the game is a blend of arcade and simulation elements, appealing to fans of the V-Rally series with its pick-up-and-play style and engaging mechanics. While the graphics and sound design are praised, many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, with some criticizing the driving mechanics and overall experience as frustrating. The career mode introduces a management aspect, allowing players to hire and manage a team, but this feature is seen as underdeveloped, leading to a mixed reception regarding the game's overall enjoyment.
- “It's a simcade made for playing with a gamepad, it looks and sounds very good, and it really still has the satisfying V-Rally gameplay that some people love and even prefer over realistic rally simulations.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it’s definitely more on the arcade side and mixed with simulation elements.”
- “V-Rally 4 is incredibly true to its roots in terms of gameplay, and whether that appeals to you or not is almost entirely dependent on your expectations going in.”
- “All of this artificially stretches gameplay to 10, 20, even 30 hours, which is pure sadism and masochism.”
- “You can really spend an hour on it, not getting any pleasure from gameplay, because races are repetitive and, most importantly, boring.”
- “It's as if the developers didn't have the time or budget to figure out a proper, fleshed-out career mode and just ran numbers through an algorithm that could guarantee x amount of gameplay hours before all the cars/upgrades/etc. could be unlocked.”
stability
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing crashes and significant bugs, particularly during races. While many enjoy the variety of racing disciplines, issues such as control lock-ups and graphical glitches detract from the overall experience. Despite these problems, some users report that certain modes, like rallycross and buggy racing, are more stable and enjoyable than others.
- “So why even bother trying to win if the fastest, easiest way to make it to the end of the game is just abusing these 'glitches'?”
- “Worst rally game I've ever played. It doesn't recognize the Driving Force GT wheel properly; it won't recognize the accelerator and brake as two separate pedals. It only detects one pedal, making the accelerator and brake act as one. No force feedback, and you have to use a Microsoft controller instead of a wheel and pedals to play this game, which takes away the simulator feel. The game sometimes freezes on the title screen, and the sandy and snowy levels are a nightmare as the road blends into the scenery, making it nearly impossible to stay on track.”
- “The rallycross and buggy AIs have issues navigating tracks for the most part, as they tend to overshoot corners and hit obstacles that are right in front of them without making any effort to avoid them.”
music
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
58%
24%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players criticizing the limited selection and repetitive nature of the soundtrack, particularly a single, annoying track that plays in the menus. While some users appreciated the option to mute the vocals, the overall consensus is that the music lacks variety and quality, detracting from the gaming experience. Despite the game's fun gameplay, the soundtrack is often described as a significant drawback.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes to this music long enough to realize that I was going to be okay.”
- “The game also features a good variety of music tracks that change based on the situation.”
- “One thing I really liked is that you can enable instrumental music from the settings.”
- “My absolute biggest issue though is the music, or the lack thereof.”
- “Whoever was responsible for the soundtrack should never be allowed near sound design again in their life.”
- “The only thing that got me so angry was the menu music; every time it starts up, it's the same annoying tune. They needed to include more tracks and let it randomly pick tracks rather than the same horrible tune.”
optimization
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
59%
24%
Overall, the game's optimization is inconsistent, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as frame rate drops, stuttering, and crashes, particularly during intense moments or when accessing online features. While some users have experienced good performance on high-end systems, others have struggled even on capable hardware, leading to a general consensus that the game is poorly optimized. Visuals are praised, but the technical bugs and performance inconsistencies detract from the overall experience, making it advisable to purchase only on sale.
- “Graphics and effects are actually quite stunning and masterful in regards to lighting, reflection, trail degradation, car damage, optimization.”
- “Graphics settings are rather good and so is the optimization, managed to get over 100 fps with mostly everything set to high/very high on my poor GTX 970.”
- “Visuals are stunning and I'm quite impressed at the optimization level, so far have not had any performance issues whatsoever.”
- “However, the performance is not good... the game suffers from a lot of crashes, including crashing every time the online menu is brought up and just around events.”
- “This game has major performance issues, which seems to be the case with most, if not all, of this developer's games.”
- “The game seems like it would be fun; however, it is optimized poorly and tends to stutter more often than not. I cannot recommend purchasing at this time.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
55%
28%
The reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding the story aspect of the game. While some users appreciate the thematic elements of perseverance and personal growth, many criticize the game for lacking a substantial narrative, with some describing the campaign as nearly non-existent and disappointing. Overall, the story is seen as either minimal or absent, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The car parts unlocking system is a whole story on its own.”
- “Moral of the story, you never know what life holds in store for you, and if I would have given up when all the odds were stacked against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “Epic story.”
- “☑️ This game has no story.”
- “It's exactly what you'd expect from a modern entry to the series, but it's seriously let down by a stunning lack of content. The campaign/story mode is basically non-existent, and there's only a handful of tracks.”
- “Sad story of a game that could have offered lots of great playing hours; instead, it offered only disappointment and anger.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
92%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a significant downside, particularly in the career mode, which is described as tedious and repetitive due to the need to grind for money and cars. While the gameplay becomes enjoyable after overcoming the grind, many reviewers express frustration with the lack of clear goals and the randomness of events, which can make progress feel unnecessarily prolonged. Despite these issues, some players still appreciate the fun and excitement the game offers once they navigate through the initial grind.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
- “In summary, an already tediously designed career mode is made even worse by a lack of foresight on the developers for what would happen if the game happened to crash mid-event.”
- “Great arcade rally game ruined by a terribly designed career mode; the events available to you are randomized, so you have to keep grinding to get lucky with the RNG to get into the championship. Hopefully, V-Rally 5 improves the campaign greatly.”
- “This makes the career mode feel quite grindy as you have no clear goal of how many wins you need and no guarantee you will be able to do those races next week.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
V-Rally 4 offers a decent level of replayability due to its diverse terrains, conditions, and car options; however, players may find that familiarity with the tracks diminishes the experience after a few hours, as the game recycles the same courses. Overall, while some users appreciate the variety, others feel it lacks long-term replay value.
- “Replay value: V-Rally 4 has good replay value, with a variety of different terrains, conditions, and cars to race on.”
- “☑️ Infinitely replayable”
- “ Infinitely replayable”
- “Unfortunately, after just 3 hours, I knew every single track and every single dangerous place. This attention to detail doesn’t bring much in terms of replayability, as the game simply keeps recycling the same tracks over and over again.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, particularly during rallies and hill climbs, where players find the gameplay amusing despite some initial stress. While the variety of tracks and cars enhances the comedic experience, players note that patience is required to fully enjoy the humor, especially in more balanced competitions. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with challenge, making it an entertaining experience.
- “The game is very funny and challenging, which is good as long as you are a bit patient.”
- “Competitions are more balanced, and in general, it gets really funny.”
- “Rallies are the most funny, with the biggest variety of tracks and cars.”
- “Stressful driving, not funny at all.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users noting a lack of in-game advertising beyond thrustmaster branding, which detracts from the overall experience. While the game embraces its arcade roots, it seems to rely heavily on its name rather than offering substantial value, contrasting with other racing titles that have fallen into exploitative monetization practices.
- “There was no advertising for them in-game.”
- “The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel intrusive.”
- “I appreciate that I can enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money.”
- “I'm assuming they were hoping the name alone was enough to sell some copies because the whole thing screams cash grab.”
- “Make no mistake, this is an arcade racing game far from other more hardcore rally games. Although I feel like it suits just fine considering the original 'V-Rally' games were also on the arcade side, they never pretended to be something else. It's kind of cool to see they moved the franchise forward while some other racing franchises have stagnated or become victims of loot boxes and cash grabs.”
- “Although there is a lot of Thrustmaster advertisement along the stages, the game experience with my Thrustmaster equipment is really disappointing.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is largely negative, with players expressing frustration over poor physics, lack of proper wheel support, and numerous bugs that detract from the driving experience. Many feel that the game fails to deliver a satisfying simulation, leading to disappointment and a sense of unfinished quality. Overall, the emotional impact is characterized by dissatisfaction and a longing for better alternatives in the rally genre.