DIRT 5
Engaging game breaks its rally racing mold for tracks.
Kids say
Based on 4 reviews
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DIRT 5
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that DIRT 5 is an off-road racing game for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs. The game pits players against human or computer controlled opponents. The game has no objectionable content included in its gameplay, and even when the cars crash, the driver's never shown being hurt or killed. But the game is full of corporate logos and mentions of car companies, especially during races, where the tracks have numerous banner ads for products like Beats, AMD, Firestone, or GM. During online races, communication between competitors isn't monitored.
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What’s It About?
While DIRT 5, like most racing games, doesn't have a story, it doesn't have a regular career mode, either. Instead, your career is directed by a bunch of guys who tell you what to expect, and encourage you to keep going. Though unlike previous installments of this series, this conversation takes place between races. Players aren't receiving navigation through every turn like your co-pilot did in earlier games. As for the actual races, while most have you racing multiple laps on tracks made of mud, dirt, snow, ice, gravel, and (on occasion) pavement, you also run some point-to-point events as well as times when you have to show off by doing car tricks.
Is It Any Good?
While longtime fans of this series will be annoyed that this sequel deviates from its well-established path, other race fans will enjoy it more than previous installments. In DIRT 5, you race real cars on tracks that are made of dirt, mud, sand, gravel, snow, and even, occasionally, pavement. The problem for long-time fans is that while DiRT 4 and its predecessors were rally racing games, and had you racing against the clock in point-to-point races on narrow tracks, this has you going head-to-head against other drivers, usually in multi-lap races.
While people looking for a rally racing game will be deeply disappointed, fans of more straight-forward racing games will have a lot to enjoy. While this has the same options as so many games (including DiRT 4) when it comes to adjusting the brakes, steering, and traction, here these tweaks make the racing action feel even more like an arcade game than before. Also, while most of the tracks do go in a circle, and are wider to accommodate your competition, they're full of curves that really put your mastery of the controls to the test, no matter how they're set up. Some even have you racing up and down the sides of mountains, and when they are going from point A to point B, it's often during multiple times of day or with changing weather conditions. Which is why fans of this series may curse the day Dirt 5 was released, but other racing game fans will remember it well.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about advertising. Like in real racing, the tracks DIRT 5 are covered with ads, but does this have an influence on you? Do you think seeing an ad fly by as you drive does anything?
In Dirt 5, you drive faster than you ever should on a real road, and sometimes you crash, but has playing this game shown you why you need to wear a seat belt and obey the rules of the road? Would it make you want to go slower in a car the next time you entered a vehicle?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Release date: November 10, 2020
- Genre: Racing
- Topics: Cars and Trucks
- ESRB rating: E for No Descriptions
- Last updated: October 5, 2021
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