DiRT 3

Warnings

For Games for Windows - LIVE on Windows 8 or later, install the latest Games for Windows - LIVE software.

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Colin McRae Rally
Colin McRae Rally	1998
Colin McRae Rally 2.0	2000
Colin McRae Rally 3	2003
Colin McRae Rally 04	2004
Colin McRae Rally 2005	2004
Colin McRae: DiRT	2007
Colin McRae: DiRT 2	2009
DiRT 3	2011
DiRT Showdown	2012
Colin McRae Rally (2014)	2014
DiRT Rally	2015
DiRT 4	2017
DiRT Rally 2.0	2019

Key points

The game features full keyboard support but an Xbox 360 Controller is recommended.

Owners of GFWL version on Steam get Complete Edition for free as a separate library entry.

Benchmark included.

General information

Colin McRae Rally and DiRT Wiki

Steam Community Discussions (Complete Edition)

Steam Community Discussions

Availability[edit]

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SecuROM PA and SecuROM 8 DRM.

All non-Steam Windows versions require Games for Windows - LIVE DRM.^{[Note 1]} SecuROM activation limit unknown. A revoke tool is available.

Retail product keys activate on Steam.^[1]

Mac App Store version does not support online multiplayer.^[2]

Essential improvements[edit]

Skip intro videos[edit]

Replace files^[3]

Download this archive.
Extract it to the installation folder and replace the existing files.

Install Rapture3D for 3-dimensional sound (on headphones)[edit]

Unlike Colin McRae: DiRT 2, Rapture3D is not included by default.

Instructions

Download Rapture3D "Game" Edition from Blue Ripple Sound.
Install it and launch the speaker layout configuration tool at the end.
Select a Layout according to your setup (Headphone Stero (Compat.) for 3D sound on headphones).
If necessary, go to Decoder and change the Method according to your ears.
Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open hardware_settings_config.xml.
Find <audio mixing="software" />
Change software to rapture3D, and save the file.

Notes

If you have a custom HRTF file for OpenAL Soft, it might be better to use .zip\bin\Win32\soft_oal.dll from that tool and rename it to <path-to-game>\OpenAL32.dll because Rapture3D Game has only six predefined HRFT methods and will not allow raw ".mhr" files. However, entering a multiplayer lobby will crash the game.

Game data[edit]

Configuration file(s) location[edit]

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\DiRT3\hardwaresettings\
macOS (OS X)
Linux (Proton)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/44320/pfx/^{[Note 2]}

Some other non user-specific configuration files are stored with the game data. See the Field of view (FOV) section for more information.

Save game data location[edit]

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\DiRT3\savegame\
macOS (OS X)
Steam	<Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/321040/
Linux (Proton)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/44320/pfx/^{[Note 2]}

Saves are not compatible between the Steam and Games for Windows - LIVE versions.

Steam saved game data location appears to be a placeholder and remains empty; look for files in the My Games folder

Replay data is stored in %PROGRAMDATA%\Codemasters\DiRT3\.

Save game cloud syncing[edit]

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud		Complete Edition only.

Video settings[edit]

Graphics settings.

General settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed		Toggle with `Alt`+`↵ Enter`. Window is fully resizable.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		Use Borderless Gaming.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		2x-8x MSAA, 8x-16x CSAA, and 8x QCSAA.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS

Field of view (FOV)[edit]

Dirt3FovChange user interface.

The parameters concerning the field of view as well as the point of view of each of the in-game cameras are stored in a binary file named cameras.xml. There is one such file for each car in the game. They are located with other car-related data in the subfolders of: <path-to-game>\cars\models. These files can be batch edited using Dirt3FovChange although DLC cars may prove problematic as their data is reportedly stored in a different location. Conveniently, a backup of the binary files will be made in text format before attempting to modify them. This allows a quick restore of the most recent state.

This method is reliable and stable: modifications can be made on-the-fly, while in a race.

Using Dirt3FovChange

Download Dirt3FovChange.
Extract the files from the archive into a common folder.
Launch Dirt3FovChange.exe. Although an essential part of the process, binXml.exe won't require user input.
Set the desired values and click the start button.
Launch the game. Test the settings in a race. Exit the race.
Alt+Tab ↹ to Dirt3FovChange. Restore the original settings. This will not erase the values you previously entered in the GUI. Tweak said values.
In DiRT3, start a new race to check your changes.
Repeat until the desired effect is attained.

Notes

Backing up the files that are about to be modified is never a bad idea.

In some cases, you may have to manually point Dirt3FovChange to the DiRT 3 installation folder.

It is advisable to restore the original files inbetween modifications. This way, the default settings will always be accessible.

Vertical FOV: a larger number will translate into a wider field of view.
Adjust FOV for: selects the in-game camera or cameras you want to edit.
Head Offset: affects the position of the head-cam (cockpit view). A modification of 0.1 will yield a noticeable change. It is to be noted that the point of view can be placed outside of the car.
- X: affects the lateral position. A positive value will move the point of view to the left.
- Y: affects the vertical position. A positive value will move the point of view upward.
- Z: affects the front/back position. A positive value will move the point of view closer to the dashboard.
Head Tilt Change: affects the vertical angle of the camera. Compared to the position values, the tilt value works on a different scale: a modification of 1 will yield a barely noticeable change.
- A positive value will tilt the camera up.

Result

Default FOV, default head position.
Custom FOV of 65, default head position.

Input settings[edit]

Input settings.

Controller settings.

Driving wheel settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Combined with controller rebinding.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		XInput and DirectInput.
Full controller support		False for DirectInput. Buttons have to be rebound in settings and controller can only be used in game, not in menus.
Controller remapping		Fully remappable. Combined with keyboard rebinding.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

DualShock 4 controllers
DualShock button prompts
Light bar support
Connection modes	unknown

Tracked motion controllers

Generic/other controllers
Button prompts

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback		XInput only.
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Steam Input
Steam Input API support
Hook input (legacy mode)
Official controller preset(s)
Steam Controller button prompts
Cursor detection		Mouse cursor is always on the screen.

Audio settings[edit]

Audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Speech, Music, Effects and Engine.
Surround sound		Support for 5.1 and 7.1.^[4]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Spanish

Network[edit]

The Games for Windows - LIVE version requires a Microsoft account for online play (optional for offline play).

The Mac App Store version does not support online multiplayer.^[2]

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	2	Split-screen.
LAN play	8
Online play	8

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

VR support[edit]

3D modes	Native	GG3D
Native 3D
Nvidia 3D Vision
TriDef 3D
vorpX		G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.
Devices	Native	Notes
TrackIR

Issues fixed[edit]

Black/Green screen after selecting QCSAA[edit]

This can happen on Maxwell-based GPUs such as GTX 750 Ti, GTX 900 and GTX 10 series

Force MSAA^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open hardware_settings_config.xml.
Change 8xqcsaa to 8xmsaa

Low game performance[edit]

Set QHD or 4K resolution with DSR/VSR enabled^{[citation needed]}

VSR is supported if your native resolution is FHD or QHD. Dirt 3 may achieve noticeable FPS boost then. Game is generally not very demanding.

Other information[edit]

API[edit]

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9, 11

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work* on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.*

Force DirectX 9[edit]

Change line in config file^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open hardware_settings_config.xml.
Find <directx forcedx9="false" />
Change false to true, and save the file.

Middleware[edit]

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	OpenAL	Rapture3D can be installed and used optionally.
Cutscenes	Bink Video
Multiplayer	Games for Windows - LIVE, Steamworks

Disable the narration[edit]

Instructions^[5]

Go to <path-to-game>\audio\speech\en\
Delete or rename en_generic.nfs

System requirements[edit]

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP, Vista, 7, 8
Processor (CPU)	AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz	AMD Phenom II Intel Core i7
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	3 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	15 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon HD 2000 Nvidia GeForce 8000 Series 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series 1 GB of VRAM DirectX 11 compatible
Sound (audio device)	DirectX Compatible

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.9.5	10.10.2
Processor (CPU)	Intel 2.0 GHz	Intel 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	4 GB	8 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	14 GB
Video card (GPU)	AMD Radeon HD 4670 Nvidia GeForce GT 120 Intel HD 4000 256 MB of VRAM	AMD Radeon HD 6970 Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Intel Iris Pro 1 GB of VRAM

The game is optimised for AMD/ATI graphics cards.

Notes

↑ Games for Windows - LIVE DRM features: SSA activation, supports local profiles.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/44320/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (44320) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

[1] Games for Windows - LIVE DRM features: SSA activation, supports local profiles.

[Proton_path_note-5] 2.0 ^2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/44320/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (44320) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

[2] DiRT 3 Complete Edition Available Now [Free upgrade for existing DiRT 3 owners] :: DiRT 3 Complete Edition General Discussions

[Mac_App_Store-3] 2.0 ^2.1 Released! DiRT™ 3® Complete Edition pulls its best stunt yet. | Feral News

[4] Skip Intro Dirt 3 | SkipGameIntro

[6] DiRT3 | Blue Ripple Sound

[7] Steam Community :: Guide :: How to disable the unskippable voiceovers - last accessed on 2016-11-05

[Note 1]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[Note 2]

[4]

[5]

Developers

	Codemasters
macOS (OS X)	Feral Interactive
Publishers
	Codemasters
OS X	Feral Interactive
Engines
	EGO 2.0
Release dates
Windows	May 24, 2011
macOS (OS X)	January 29, 2015