What Critics Are Saying About Dirt 5

Dirt 5, the newest racing game in the Dirt series from Codemasters, was released this month for PC and consoles, including the Xbox Series X and PS5. Earlier games in the series were met with exceptionally high reviews. IGN gave Dirt 4 a rating of 9.2, stating that the game "sets a new standard in rally racing." In 2011, GameSpot called Dirt 3 a "superb" game with a 9 rating for both PS3 and PC versions. So how does the new Dirt 5 hold up to its successful predecessors? 

IGN's review praised the game's visuals and accessibility, however the main campaign fell short for reviewer Luke Reilly's taste. "My key criticism of the career mode is that the variety it appears to offer doesn't really stand up to scrutiny," Reilly wrote. "I've been playing Dirt 5 for a week and there are still event types I can't really tell the difference between." Still, Reilly gave the arcade-style racing game an 8 rating and called it "fast, frantic, and extremely handsome."

Brian Shea of Game Informer gave Dirt 5 a glowing review. He applauded the immersive gameplay, describing the various tracks and their textures, including muddy and icy surfaces which affect the vehicle's performance throughout. Unlike IGN's review, Shea preferred the game's career mode to other features like Gymkhana and Path Finder. Gymkhana offers racers the chance to rack up points by performing various stunts like jumps and drifts, while Path Finder is a timed, uphill climb with a nearly impossible-to-traverse terrain. "Unfortunately, most modes outside of the career don't give you enough incentive to stick around," Shea noted, also saying that he found these modes repetitive and unable to hold his interest.

Games Radar reviewer Richard Wakeling echoed Reilly's sentiments in regards to Dirt 5's main career mode, calling the campaign "hollow." He also criticised what he believed to be an overly simplified driving system. While the past Dirt games required a certain finesse, Wakeling claimed that the new system lacked depth. However, Wakeling was impressed with Dirt 5's "arcadey and upbeat" feel, and also enjoyed the game's weather system.

Although the reviewers' opinions varied on certain aspects of the game, all three praised Dirt 5's new Playground mode, which allows players to edit and try out their own stunt tracks, as well as courses made by other players online. Fans of arcade-style racing can check out Dirt 5 now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox X.