Forgotten Classic PlayStation Rally Game Comes To The PS5

Ever heard of Rally Cross? Sony’s forgotten attempt to take on Sega Rally Championship is making a return to its latest console
Forgotten Classic PlayStation Rally Game Comes To The PS5

Clear your mind for a second, and think of a racing game you’d find on the original PlayStation. Surely first for most people will be Gran Turismo, the best-selling game, racing or otherwise, on the console. Others may think of arcade classic Ridge Racer Type 4, maybe even Mario Kart-rival Crash Team Racing or cult favourite Colin McRae Rally. What you won’t think of is Rally Cross - yet Sony has brought it back.

Released back in 1997, Rally Cross was developed by Sony Interactive Studios America. It was an in-house attempt to take on Sega Rally Championship, which had been a huge success on the Sega Saturn.

Despite cartoony looks, Rally Cross was praised for realistic handling
Despite cartoony looks, Rally Cross was praised for realistic handling

Rather than using Castrol-liveried Toyota Celicas and Martini-clad Lancia Deltas to lure the masses in, Rally Cross had to make do with unlicenced cars for its off-road racer. You could take these loosely based takes on contemporary rally cars on a variety of circuits covering various different types of surfaces, as you’d expect from any good rally game.

At the time of its release, Rally Cross was met with a generally favourable reception. An archive of GameRankings.com - now Metacritic - has the game with an 85.4 per cent rating based on 10 reviews. IGN gave the title a 7/10, while GameSpot awarded it a 7.7/10.

Rally Cross relied on fictional cars for its lineup
Rally Cross relied on fictional cars for its lineup

Reviews at the time praised the game’s variety of courses, more realistic handling than Sega Rally Championship and inclusion of a four-player split-screen mode. However, it wasn’t without drawbacks - with a reviewer for Next Generation critiquing a steep learning curve and the ease at which cars flipped over.

There was a sequel too, released in 1998, though the series was never to return.

That was until now, sort of. Rally Cross is available on PlayStation 5 in its original state and playable for no extra cost with a PS Plus Premium subscription. Everyone else will be able to download the title for £7.99/€9.99/$9.99.

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