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DIRT 5

Dirt 5 is a breath of fresh air into the franchise. Bringing in new and relevant influencers from car culture into the game, and having a blast behind the wheel, it’s a game for any gear head.
DIRT 5 Game Cover
62%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
optimization, story
49% User Score Based on 3,066 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 49 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCXbox Game PassPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
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DIRT 5 Game Cover

About

DIRT 5 is a single player and multiplayer casual racing game. It was developed by Codemasters and was released on November 5, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

Dirt 5 is a racing game that takes you off-road with a variety of cars and tracks. Experience dynamic weather conditions and a Career mode with a star-studded voice cast. Compete in split-screen, online multiplayer, and playgrounds, where you can create and share your own tracks.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
DIRT 5 screenshot
+23
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49%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,066 reviews
graphics333 positive mentions
optimization87 negative mentions
  • Visually stunning with vibrant graphics and dynamic weather effects.
  • Fun arcade-style racing experience, great for casual play and multiplayer.
  • Diverse car roster and unique event types, including Playground mode for custom tracks.
  • Lacks traditional rally modes and feels more like an arcade game than a true Dirt title.
  • AI behavior is inconsistent, often leading to frustrating races with rubber-banding.
  • Heavy reliance on microtransactions for additional content, which detracts from the overall experience.
  • graphics
    744 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in Dirt 5 receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the vibrant visuals, dynamic weather effects, and overall aesthetic appeal, particularly at higher settings. However, some users criticize the game's optimization, noting issues like texture pop-in, blurriness, and inconsistent quality that detract from the experience. While the game showcases impressive graphical fidelity, it often falls short of expectations for a title released in 2020, leading to a perception of dated visuals in comparison to other racing games.

    • “The graphics are amazing.”
    • “The visuals look amazing and the performance is rock-solid.”
    • “The graphics are impressive, particularly the lighting effects.”
    • “For a game released in 2020, the graphics are shockingly underwhelming.”
    • “The graphics are bad, bland, and boring, and the worst HDR I have ever seen. Above all, it's very demanding on your GPU, and I don't see why given it doesn't look that good.”
    • “The graphics look blurry and very low resolution because of this forced always-on method of anti-aliasing.”
  • gameplay
    326 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Dirt 5 has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its shift towards an arcade-style experience that lacks the depth and realism of previous titles in the series. While some appreciate the vibrant graphics and fun, accessible mechanics, others criticize the repetitive tracks, simplistic driving physics, and uninspired AI, leading to a gameplay experience that feels shallow and less engaging compared to earlier entries like Dirt 2 and 3. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable for casual players but disappointing for those seeking a more authentic rally racing experience.

    • “Brilliant graphics and driving mechanics, very much enjoyable. The overall racing experience is simply outstanding, you can customize liveries and all other epic aspects of the vehicles you own and even play with randoms online competitively or just chill in the playground maps and get creative!”
    • “The gameplay is quick and fun. Dirt 5 is bringing the casual gameplay that is far easier to play than Dirt Rally and even its predecessor, Dirt 4.”
    • “Gameplay itself is quite fun, with interesting tracks and changing weather conditions that affect the track and steering.”
    • “If you're thinking of getting this for the traditional theming and gameplay of classic dirt games, look elsewhere.”
    • “The gameplay feels like something an indie studio would drop for $10, not a AAA publisher.”
    • “The precision driving, diverse terrains, and intense rally stages that defined the series have been replaced with over-the-top tracks, generic gameplay, and a lack of substance.”
  • music
    313 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in *Dirt 5* has received mixed reviews, with some praising its energetic and diverse soundtrack featuring well-known artists, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking variety. Many players appreciate the integration of music into the racing experience, enhancing the overall atmosphere, but some found the selection to be generic or not fitting for the game's tone. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it may not resonate with all players, leading some to prefer muting it in favor of their own playlists.

    • “It has the best soundtrack and sound design in the entire series!”
    • “The soundtrack is excellent, giving the races some much-needed energy.”
    • “The music is good, so I'll give it that, I guess.”
    • “The soundtrack is horrible though.”
    • “The music gets repetitive fast.”
    • “The music is just so off and misplaced I've turned it down.”
  • optimization
    252 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues such as stuttering and low frame rates, even on high-end hardware. While some users report improvements after patches, others still find the game poorly optimized, particularly in terms of graphics and overall performance. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the visuals are impressive, the optimization needs considerable work to enhance the gaming experience.

    • “The visuals look amazing and the performance is rock-solid.”
    • “Codemasters did a fantastic job with optimization.”
    • “This is an absurdly stunningly gorgeous game, and more importantly, it's surprisingly well optimized.”
    • “Horrible optimization, stuttering, and graphics.”
    • “Optimization-wise, it's completely a disaster.”
    • “The performance is horrible, many players are having crashes, stuttering etc.”
  • story
    156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its lack of depth and cohesion. While some appreciate the podcast-style narration and character interactions, most agree that the narrative feels superficial and serves primarily as a backdrop for racing rather than a compelling storyline. Overall, the career mode is criticized for being repetitive and lacking meaningful progression, leaving players wanting a more engaging story experience.

    • “In a slew of car racing games that feel borderline sterile, this game has personality, atmosphere, and I unironically enjoyed the story.”
    • “The hosts were fun, all characters were interesting, and the 'story' they were narrating really hooked me.”
    • “The story, as well intentioned as it is, is not great either and it kind of gets in the way at times, though the way those story elements are presented through podcasts does give it a little bit of texture to the game as a whole.”
    • “Career mode has something resembling a story, but it's more an excuse to justify its 100+ races than much else.”
    • “The problem is, once you cross the finish line all feelings of a cohesive story or festival environment are lost to a bland map of events that you'll quickly find repeating themselves, with the only semblance of story being voiceovers between races.”
    • “The story is basically nonexistent.”
  • stability
    53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game has received significant criticism, with many users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various graphical glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some players have noted improvements following updates, the game is still considered buggy and poorly optimized, leading to a mixed reception regarding its stability. Overall, the game's performance issues overshadow its positive aspects, making it a frustrating experience for many players.

    • “Game runs great for me despite my system not being stupidly powerful.”
    • “Still needs an upgrade on my end, but the game still runs great on high settings for me.”
    • “Bug free, and crash free.”
    • “The game is in a bad state with random crashes in the main menu and graphical glitches where you need to end the race, because you cannot see anything.”
    • “Additionally, however, the game kept crashing every 5 minutes, and graphics settings were buggy (playing on RTX 3090 + AMD 5800X).”
    • “Thumbs down due to the abysmal launch issues and constant crashes; otherwise, a pretty decent game when it works. To summarize, a very buggy game that I should have steered well clear of.”
  • humor
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it genuinely funny and entertaining, particularly in the context of racing and character interactions. However, others criticize the humor as cringy, childish, and overly reliant on banter that detracts from the gameplay experience. Overall, while some aspects of the humor are appreciated, many players feel it falls flat or becomes annoying.

    • “Great fun, try it! You won't stop laughing.”
    • “The jokes and banter between James and Nolan are funny at times.”
    • “There is also an in-game radio where you can hear some funny talks between the legendary Troy Baker and Nolan North; you can listen to their squabbles for hours.”
    • “I’m not sure if they made the lines or not, but wow it was extremely childish and not funny at all.”
    • “Donut Media is extremely cringy and unfunny.”
    • “In fact, the entire career mode is built around their 'podcast', which is neither funny nor interesting.”
  • monetization
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model in this game has been widely criticized for its heavy reliance on microtransactions and intrusive advertising, which detracts from the overall experience. Players express frustration over paywalled content, misleading DLC promotions, and constant in-game ads, leading many to view it as a cash grab rather than a well-rounded title. Despite some positive gameplay elements, the aggressive monetization strategy has significantly harmed the game's reputation.

    • “The graphics are great but it's simply not worth it as a single-player experience and the amount of microtransactions that they throw at your face is just ridiculous.”
    • “Good gameplay, amazing graphics but way too many microtransactions.”
    • “To Codemasters' credit, Dirt 5's product description isn't a lie (minus the dishonest DLC monetization): the base game is indeed fun and 'amplified', consistently bringing exciting wheel-to-wheel racing moments in vibrant, well-realized settings.”
    • “Every car is paywalled behind awful monetization.”
    • “The graphics are great but it's simply not worth it as a singleplayer experience and the amount of microtransactions that they throw at your face is just ridiculous.”
    • “Greedy monetization model that locks some cars, sponsors, etc. The only way to unlock is to pay £30 for the pass.”
  • atmosphere
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its vibrant and immersive qualities, enhanced by dynamic weather effects, engaging sound design, and a festival-like vibe that evokes nostalgia for earlier titles in the series. While some players appreciate the colorful visuals and energetic soundtracks, others criticize the lack of depth in gameplay and environments. Overall, the game successfully captures a lively atmosphere that keeps players returning for more, despite some inconsistencies in execution.

    • “Finally, a new car racing game that cares about atmosphere!”
    • “The dynamic weather is hugely atmospheric; the entire thing appears to be taking place during some sort of apocalyptic weather event. You might begin a three-lap race basking in the thermonuclear glow of a Norwegian sunset, only to be plunged, minutes later, into a spectacular thunder-snow blizzard.”
    • “The environments and weather settings are well made and really do add to the atmosphere of each race, even if it is a bit weird at times.”
    • “It has neither proper racing environments, atmosphere, mood nor depth or variety in gameplay and vehicles.”
    • “It's very flashy and pretty to look at but underneath the colourful atmosphere and glitzy veneer is one of the most frustratingly shallow games I've ever played.”
    • “I think the festival atmosphere the game is going for is overdone but if you enjoy that sort of thing this game really does look great.”
  • grinding
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, often requiring significant time investment to progress, particularly in career modes with repetitive races. While some appreciate the challenge, many express frustration with the necessity of grinding for rewards that feel irrelevant or unengaging. Overall, the grinding is seen as a detractor from the enjoyment of the game, with some players likening it to a chore rather than a fun experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “A lot of grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Unfortunately, it's an integral part of the narration and progression system and also a tad bit grindy.”
    • “Have been grinding the same track, same car type of races for the same amount of time... overall it's boring and a very weak addition to the pool of racing games that is available now.”
    • “Many of them are tedious and just not that fun.”
  • replayability
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is primarily driven by its Playground mode, which allows players to create and explore user-generated tracks, offering significant replay value for those who enjoy community content. However, once players master the core mechanics, the overall replay value may diminish, especially compared to other titles in the genre. While the game provides enjoyable off-road racing experiences and diverse environments, it may not sustain long-term engagement for all players.

    • “Playground is by far my favorite mode; you get to create and drive around player-made tracks, which gives a lot of replay value. However, in my eyes, that isn't enough to carry the game out of lack of content.”
    • “Though, like I said, the tracks are amazing, and with a track editor, you technically should have quite a lot of hours of replayability.”
    • “But gameplay is good and environments are diverse; also, playground mode adds lots of replayability into the end game.”
    • “The replay value isn’t likely going to be there, but maybe worth an occasional visit to see what crazy tracks the community puts together with the development tools.”
    • “Though like I said, the tracks are amazing and with a track editor you technically should have quite a lot of hours of replayability.”
    • “If you want to be doing some extra rallying on top of what you already have because you've burnt through the replayability of it all and/or you don't want to worry too much about co-driver calls and hardcore physics simulation.”
  • emotional
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional responses to the game are largely negative, with players expressing frustration over its lackluster story and gameplay mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. While some mention a "wholesome ending," the overwhelming sentiment is disappointment, particularly regarding car balance and AI behavior, leading to feelings of obsolescence and dissatisfaction.

    • “Wholesome ending.”
    • “You will have a far more wholesome experience.”
    • “It really made me feel as if my rig's already obsolete.”
    • “The career mode has a very boring story overall; you rise through the ranks and make your way up through the tiers, which you can't even tell the difference between in terms of actual gameplay.”
    • “The emotional depth of the characters is lacking, making it hard to connect with their struggles and triumphs.”
    • “I expected a more engaging narrative, but the emotional moments felt forced and unconvincing.”
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75%Critics’ scoreBased on 49 critic reviews
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9h Median play time
12h Average play time
4-15h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 28 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

DIRT 5 is a casual racing game.

DIRT 5 is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 12 hours playing DIRT 5.

DIRT 5 was released on November 5, 2020.

DIRT 5 was developed by Codemasters.

DIRT 5 has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its optimization.

DIRT 5 is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include DiRT 4, Project CARS 3, V-Rally 4, Grid 2, The Crew Motorfest and others.