DiRT Rally is one of the most respected racing simulation games to be released in recent years outside of the Forza series, Codemasters is following it up with a sequel. Codemasters announced DiRT Rally 2.0 today for release five months from today on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

While the game launches on February 26, pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition will let you start playing the game on February 22, which is quite the busy day for gaming. DiRT Rally 2.0 Deluxe Edition will also come with the first two seasons of post-launch content, upgraded My Team starter cars, as well as some unrevealed in-game bonuses and high reward events. Those who pre-order the regular version of the game will be able to use the Porsche 911 RGT Rally Spec bonus vehicle.

As for the game itself, DiRT Rally 2.0 is poised to let players partake in the off-road simulation races they enjoyed from the first game across six new locations. Codemasters also confirmed that DiRT Rally 2.0 will include eight WorldRX circuits and cars from the 2018 Season at launch. Codemasters' Chief Games Designer Ross Gowing had the following to say about DiRT Rally 2.0:

"We are thrilled to finally be able to talk about DiRT Rally 2.0. Rally is incredibly important to Codemasters and the entire team is absolutely dedicated to creating the most authentic experience possible in a game.

Our passionate, knowledgeable community helped to make DiRT Rally a special title. We have been working with a selection of that community alongside a roster of real world rally drivers to ensure that we meet their high standards. We are not afraid to make a challenging game. Driving a rally car down a stage is not easy and we want players to experience that same adrenaline rush from driving on the edge."

This announcement comes after recent layoffs at a Codemasters subsidiary that was formally Evolution Studios, developers of Driveclub, after the failure of OnRush. That studio has since transitioned into a support role, so they are likely assisting with the development of DiRT Rally 2.0. 

You can check out the game's first trailer and screenshots below. DiRT Rally 2.0 will hit PC, PS4, and Xbox One on February 26, 2019.