V-Rally is a racing simulation game where players drive rally cars through a series of stages or tracks.[2] The game places a strong emphasis on replicating the behavior physics of real cars and generally requires more practice than arcade-style racers.[2] Aspects such as the weather conditions, the road surfaces, and the drive wheel configurations have a significant impact on the car handling.[2] Weather conditions include rain and snow, while road surfaces range from asphalt to gravel or dirt.[3] Races can take place at night or during the day.[2] The game features both Kit Cars and World Rally Cars for players to choose from. Kit Cars are two-wheel drive and include cars such as the Peugeot 306 Maxi or Renault Maxi Megane, while World Rally Cars are four-wheel drive and include cars such as the Subaru Impreza WRC or Mitsubishi Lancer WRC.[4] Before starting a race, players have the option to tweak their car setup with tighter suspensions, quicker gear ratios, understeer or oversteer sensitivity, and choice of manual or automatic transmission.[5][6]
The game features three gameplay modes: Arcade, Championship, and Time Trial.[3] In Arcade, players race against opponents controlled by the game's artificial intelligence in three series of stages. Each series must be completed in a linear fashion and its stages have multiple checkpoints that must be reached in a specified time. Players start with three credits and, if they lose a stage or fail to reach a checkpoint, they will lose one credit. If players run out of credits, the game will be over. Players can get additional credits by winning individual stages.[5] Championship is similar to Arcade, but stages have no checkpoints and players are awarded points based on the rank they finish courses. The game offers more than 40 stages spread over eight different locations,[6] ranging from European countries like England, Spain or Sweden, to island countries such as Indonesia and New Zealand.[2] Time Trial allows players to race on any stage and record the fastest lap time.[5] All three modes support one or two players. If two players compete against each other, a split screen feature is used.[7]