Free Roam is now available within Dakar Desert Rally

When Dakar Desert Rally launched in October 2022, we were blown away by its dynamic weather, large environment, but less than enamoured by expected features being pushed to post-release add-ons.

The Extended Map arrived as free DLC in October on PC, then in November for consoles. A roadmap for the title was released last year, which stated that being able to create your own routes and being to freely explore the 20,000km² environment we set to arrive before the end of 2022.

But, they didn’t.

As of today, however, 19th January 2023, you can now use the Free Roam mode to see the vast expanses of Saudi Arabia at your leisure and even find collectables thanks to Treasure Hunting. There are 127 treasures to find in total, and the distance between each is vast.

In our brief playtest, there were nine to find in the Red Sea area, although we’re not sure at the time of publication if collecting them all earns a prize. If it all sounds a bit familiar, have you ever completed a Treasure Hunt in Forza Horizon 5?

This comes with the latest game update, free for everyone on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.

As a way of an apology for the delay, all players who install the update will receive 100,000 Experience Points and 10,000 Dakar Points. The XP will increase your level, with levels unlocking events and the Simulation Mode. DP is used to repair vehicles and buy new cars, trucks, bikes, SXSs and quads.

Auto-saving at waypoints has been removed, and the current save game management challenges – present since launch in one form or another – are said to be resolved.

Those with Thrustmaster steering wheels can now receive force feedback on PC.

The Road Book editor, photo mode and further steering wheel support are due at a later date. The full changelog is below.

Dakar Desert Rally 1.6 update changelog

New Features

• Free Roam allows players to experience the full off-road experience across Saudi Arabia.
• Treasure Hunting is now available in Free Roam Mode. You can find hidden treasures throughout the desert as you explore Saudi Arabia.
• Reposition has been added to Simulation Mode.
• All pilots 100,000 Experience Points and 10,000 Dakar Points

General

• Fixed Save Game Management issues.
• Removed waypoint auto-saves.
• Fixed when some events on the Saudi Arabia Extended Map are not appearing in Professional and Simulation Modes for Epic Games Store.
• Fixed Warehouse Management issues.

Steering Wheels

• Fixed Logitech steering wheel crash on Xbox consoles.
• Fixed Thrustmaster wheels having no Force Feedback on the PC.
• Fixed title crashing when connecting Steering Wheels.
• Fixed G29 key bindings (reverse) Bug fixing Crashes.

Source: Saber Support