DiRT 4 vs Project CARS
DiRT 4 is an open-world racing game from Codemasters (2017) while Project CARS is an open-world racing game from Slightly Mad Studios (2015).
What each one is
Steam files DiRT 4 under Open-World and Racing. In contrast, it files Project CARS under Open-World and Racing.
DiRT 4 is all about embracing fear. It’s about the thrill, exhilaration and adrenaline that is absolutely vital to off-road racing. It’s about loving the feeling of pushing flat out next to a sheer cliff drop, going for the gap that’s too small and seeing how much air you can get. Be Fearless.
THE ULTIMATE DRIVER JOURNEY delivers the soul of motor racing in the world’s most beautiful, authentic, and technically-advanced racing game.
At a glance
| DiRT 4 | Project CARS | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.2/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (80%, 16,257) | Mostly Positive (79%, 14,438) |
| Critic aggregate | 78/100 | 83/100 |
| Price | Not listed | Not listed |
| Install size | 50 GB | 25 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | playable |
| Released | 2017 | 2015 |
| Developer | Codemasters | Slightly Mad Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
DiRT 4 vs Project CARS, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
DiRT 4Open-world racing gameProject CARSOpen-world racing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
DiRT 4Racing, Automobile Sim, SimulationProject CARSRacing, Simulation, Automobile SimThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
DiRT 4Score 7.2 · 80% on Steam · 78 criticProject CARSScore 7.2 · 79% on Steam · 83 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
DiRT 416,257 reviews · 50 GBProject CARS14,438 reviews · 25 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
DiRT 4Not listedProject CARSNot listedRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
DiRT 4 ✓VerifiedProject CARSPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
DiRT 4 takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDiRT 4 and Project CARS on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- Better on a Steam Deck: DiRT 4 (verified)
- Lighter on storage: Project CARS (25 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
RacingAutomobile SimSimulationMultiplayerDrivingSportsRealisticSingleplayer
Where they differ
OffroadOnline Co-OpDifficultGreat SoundtrackAdventure
PhysicsFirst-PersonThird PersonTrackIRIndie
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, DiRT 4 is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Project CARS is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| DiRT 4 | Project CARS | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | AMD HD5570 | — |
| Minimum CPU | AMD FX Series | — |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | — |
| Install size | 50 GB | 25 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: DiRT 4 · Project CARS.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for DiRT 4 and 1 for Project CARS. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are DiRT 4 and Project CARS in scope?
DiRT 4 has drawn 16,257 Steam reviews and installs in 50 GB. Project CARS has drawn 14,438 Steam reviews and installs in 25 GB.
Is DiRT 4 or Project CARS better?
By the GamingPickz Score, DiRT 4 rates higher (7.2 to 7.2). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, DiRT 4 or Project CARS?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.