Dirt 5

About Dirt 5

Dirt 5 is an off-road racing game developed by Codemasters Cheshire that drops you into a mix of real-world and fictional tracks. Released on November 5, 2020, it’s available on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Stadia. The game leans into rally, truck, and GT racing with a focus on unpredictable terrain and physics. Career mode features Troy Baker and Nolan North as voice actors, guiding you through sponsorships and rival challenges. Play solo or join friends locally in split-screen for up to four players. The game touts a livery editor and online modes, but its core is about pushing cars to their limits across muddy hills, icy roads, and more. It’s not just a racer, it’s a chaotic, high-speed playground for fans of aggressive driving.

Gameplay

In Dirt 5, you wrestle control of rally beasts, trucks, and GT cars through terrain that shifts from slick ice to loose gravel. Each track throws in elevation changes, tight hairpins, and unpredictable surfaces. Controls are responsive but punishing, oversteer is common, and one misstep can send you into a ditch. Career mode strings together events with unlockable cars and tracks, while online and split-screen let you test skills against others. The livery editor lets you customize paint jobs, but the real fun is in mastering physics: weight transfer, drift angles, and timing jumps. Sessions often end with you replaying a tricky section for the 10th time. The split-screen mode is a highlight for local multiplayer, though it can strain older hardware.

What Players Think

Dirt 5 sits at 79 on Metacritic and 77.1 on IGDB, with 72 user ratings. Players average 23 hours of playtime, and 9% of users unlock achievements, 40 total, most tied to specific car or track milestones. The rarest, "That's the Spirit!", is unlocked by just 1.5% of players, likely for completing a grueling event under strict conditions. Community moods skew split: "adrenaline-fueled" for the physics and "frustrating at times" for track difficulty. Review snippets praise the split-screen and car roster but gripe about repetitive events. Completion rates for Career mode hover around 65%, with some players quitting due to repetitive objectives.

PlayPile's Take

Dirt 5 is a must for off-road racing fans who relish challenge. The split-screen mode and physics depth justify the price, especially for PC or next-gen consoles. With 40 achievements and a 9% average completion rate, it’s clear the game isn’t for everyone, those who dislike repetition or high difficulty might walk away. But for players who thrive in chaotic, physics-heavy races, Dirt 5 delivers. Prioritize the split-screen and livery editor for the best value. If you’re after casual racing or open-world exploration, look elsewhere.

Storyline

World-renowned voice talents Troy Baker and Nolan North head up the cast of DIRT 5’s story-driven Career mode. Earn sponsorships and unique rewards and take on a fierce rival in our biggest ever Career.