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WATCH: Richard Burns Rally – the full story

Here’s how Richard Burns Rally came to be, became sim rally’s bellwether, failed and, ultimately, succeeded.

Watch Richard Burns Rally the full story

It’s just over 20 years since Richard Burns Rally graced the PC gaming world.

Venerated as a prime rally simulator on release, we take a look at why it’s still considered by many as the best rally title available today.

From its beginnings as the passion project of a little-known Swedish studio to its demise thanks to some spectacular mismanagement and the Gizmondo handheld console, we examine the sim’s past, present and future with help from those who have kept it relevant through modding, including WorkerBee and the Rallysimfans team (there’s also a little bit of crime thrown in for good measure too. And no, we don’t mean Danni Minogue’s musical career).

With overhauled graphics, sounds and physics, RBR remains just as important to sim racing now as it ever has, with real-world rally drivers even using it as a practice tool, including WRC2 frontrunners Nikolay Gryazin and Teemu Suninen.

It’s a fitting tribute to the late, great Richard Burns, whose direct input helped steer the game onto the gravel stage of greatness.

Watch our in-depth retrospective on YouTube or embedded above.