Electronic Arts (EA) has made a shocking decision regarding two popular rally games from Codemasters. Server services for DiRT 4 and DiRT Rally on the PS4 platform are being permanently shut down much sooner than expected. This sudden announcement has caused considerable surprise and outrage among gamers.
Why are the server services for DiRT 4 and DiRT Rally suddenly shutting down?
Publisher Electronic Arts made this quiet announcement on November 7, 2025, bringing the server shutdown forward to the following day, November 8, 2025. This short notice period left players with little time to fully experience their online experience. Furthermore, this shutdown doesn’t just affect two games. Codemasters also includes Dirt Showdown, Dirt 3, Grid Autosport, and Grid 2, all of which were previously announced to shut down in March 2026.
The initial shutdown date for four of these six games was March 16, 2026. However, for an unknown reason, EA has moved the server shutdown forward to Saturday, November 8th. This crucial information was revealed by PSNProfiles, a post shared by an EA employee on the World Rally Championship’s official Discord channel.
Furthermore, users who own the PS4 versions of these games will be able to continue playing single-player modes on PS5 thanks to backward compatibility. Therefore, even if the servers are down, access to the career modes will be available. In fact, many players already have some of these games in their libraries, as they were previously included as monthly PS Plus games. However, they will no longer be able to participate in online races.
Codemasters’ Future Uncertain
EA’s continued pruning of Codemasters’ back catalog raises questions about the studio’s future. The developer is reportedly no longer working on WRC, and numerous employees have been laid off or transferred to other EA IPs. This paints an uncertain picture for the future of Codemasters’ rally series.
So, what are your thoughts on EA’s sudden decision to shut down the DiRT 4 and DiRT Rally servers? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
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