Top Gear Rally is a racing game where players must drive cars on tracks that combine both road and off-road surfaces.[1] Tracks are relatively open and may include hidden shortcuts,[2] and each of them can be played in sunny, nocturnal, foggy, rainy, or snowy conditions.[3][4] Before starting a race, players can custom paint their car, select different tire grips, adjust the suspension stiffness and steering sensitivity, and choose either a manual or automatic transmission.[5] The acceleration, top speed, drivetrain, and engine placement of each car are different.[5] These factors, along with the road and weather conditions, affect the handling of each car significantly.[3] For example, the engine placement often determines how a car lands after a jump, while four-wheel drive cars have more grip on gravel tracks.[5] Although cars can be damaged, their performance is not affected.[6]
The game comprises four gameplay modes: Championship, Arcade, Time Attack, and Practice.[4] In Championship mode, a single player must complete six seasons of two to four races in different weather conditions,[4] with each race requiring the player to overtake 19 opponents controlled by the game's artificial intelligence.[7] Points are awarded based on the rank the player finishes a race. If the required quantity is not met, the player will not be able to progress to the next season.[3] As the player progresses through the Championship mode, new cars and tracks are unlocked.[7] A total of nine cars and four tracks are included in the game, in addition to two bonus cars and a hidden track that can be unlocked by completing the game and finishing first in every race during the last season of the Championship mode.[5] A mirror variant for each track can also be unlocked, which reverses curves left-to-right and right-to-left.[7]
The Arcade, Time Attack, and Practice modes are single-race challenges on tracks that have been unlocked in the game's Championship mode.[5] Arcade involves the player racing against an opponent while reaching designated checkpoints under a time limit, whereas Time Attack requires the player to race against a ghost car that represents their best time.[3] In Practice mode, the player can freely drive a car on a track without opponents or time restrictions. Both the Arcade and Practice modes support up to two players.[7] A horizontal split-screen display is used if two players compete against each other.[7] The game features three driving perspectives for the player to choose from. These include an exterior and interior view with or without a rearview mirror.[5] The game is compatible with both the Rumble Pak and Controller Pak.[7] The latter is used to save custom paint jobs and the player's progress through the Championship mode.
