DiRT

How to Play

The game with patch 1.22 has been tested on Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 10, works fine, the game supports widescreen. The game was using infamous StarForce DRM that can break your system. StarForce DRM was removed in patch 1.22, so make sure to install all patches before first launch of the game!

Check our Guide and Notes for more details

Install & play guide:

• Mount the disc image. You will need the utility for mounting disc image files, like WinCDEmu, UltraISO, Alcohol 52%/Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools Lite
• Install the game (if autorun doesn't work - simply launch the installation from Setup.exe inside the disc)
• When the installer will ask "Register the game" - press No, because online registration of the game doesn't work anymore. Also, skip installation of Funsta app at the end, it is not required for the game
• Also it is recommended to install DirectX from the disc (if you're using Windows 10 - enable DirectPlay, read this or this guide how to do it)
• After you installed the game - install all patches (European version is already patched to version 1.20, so you need to install only patches 1.21 and 1.22; repack includes all patches)
• (If you get the CRC error when you try to install patch 1.22 - go to game folder, delete DiRT.exe, then install patch 1.21 again, and then install patch 1.22, it should work)
• Open the directory with the game and find DiRT.exe. Right click on DiRT.exe - Properties - Compatibility - Set "Run this app in compatibility mode with Windows XP or Vista" and "Run as administrator"
• Launch the game and play. If the game doesn't work in compatibility mode with Windows XP - try to launch it in compatibility mode with other version of Windows (Win98, Windows ME, Win2000, etc.)

Notes:

• If the installation doesn't start - try to launch Setup.exe in compatibility mode with old version of Windows (98, 2000 or XP)
• The game was using infamous StarForce DRM protection that doesn't work on modern systems and can break your PC. StarForce DRM was removed in patch 1.22, so make sure to install all patches before first launch of the game!
• If you get the CRC error when you try to install patch 1.22 - go to game folder, delete DiRT.exe, then install patch 1.21 again, and then install patch 1.22, it should work
• It is recommended to install old versions of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for the correct work of the game
• Also it is recommended to install RAD Video Tools and K-Lite Codec Pack for the correct work of in-game videos; and OpenAL for the correct work of in-game audio
• The game works on DirectX 9, so if you're using Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or 11 - you need to enable DirectPlay: Go to Control Panel, and select 'Programs'. Select 'Turn Windows features on and off', click on 'Legacy Components' and check the box 'DirectPlay'. Select OK, once the installation is done, restart your computer
• The game supports widescreen 16:9 and 16:10 resolutions, up to 1920x1080 and 1920x1200. If you want to play in higher resolutions, like ultra-wide - you will need to edit game files; read this instruction
• If you have trouble when the game crashes after the race finishes loading: go to DiRT/system folder, open hardware_settings_restrictions.xml in text editor and system/workerMap8Core.xml with system/workerMap4Core.xml. Save the file and try to launch the game again, it should work
• Or you can try this method: go to DiRT/system folder, delete system/workerMap8Core.xml, then rename system/workerMap4Core.xml in system/workerMap8Core.xml (choose only one of methods, don't do both of them). Here's also video guide
• If you have lags on 4 Cores + 8 threads processors (like i7 4790k) - read this guide
• Also, you can download pack of ready fixes created by user Ben Rouge, it includes fix for multi-core processor + some config edits
• If you want to change FOV (Field of View) in game - read this guide
• If you want to disable bloom or HDR - follow the steps in this guide
• As alternative - you can install graphics mods (simple edits of game configs) that disable bloom and improve draw distance
• For users of Windows 64-bit systems: if the game doesn't work after you launched it - open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del by default) and check for processes DiRT.exe and rundll32.exe. Close DiRT.exe but don't touch rundll32.exe (it's a Windows app for running old apps from 32-bit operational systems, most old games running through rundll32.exe). Now try to launch the game again, it must work. Don't forget to close rundll32.exe process in Task Manager after finishing playing
• Don't forget to check PCGamingWiki if you have troubles, it's very useful!