DAKAR 18 - Xbox One

The Dakar rally raid is to conventional rally driving what (to put it in gaming terms) what Red Dead Redemption is to Call of Juarez - a sprawling, epic endurance event that blows conventional rally driving out of the water in terms of scale. Drivers and their navigators take part in a multi-day event, navigating through the desert between waypoints using a roadbook rather than following prescribed routes. Forget modified road cars, you'll be driving custom-built off-road vehicles including motorcycles, cars, trucks, quads and SxS. You're going to need them to tackle terrain that makes regular rally driving look like a sedate ride around the supermarket on a mobility scooter.

Boasting an epic open world, DAKAR 18 brings versions of Bolivia, Peru and Argentina to your living room. Expect some impressive views spread across a whopping 20,000 square kilometres, with 14 stages and something in the ballpark of 30 hours of play time.

Expect major official Dakar manufacture teams, vehicles and pilots, as well as stops to get out of the vehicle to help with repairs for added authenticity.

With some fittingly-grueling multi-hour multiplayer events to boot, this is an ambitious game that looks to match the event itself in terms of scale and ambition. more