Dirt 5 Review

Dirt 5 has had a somewhat rocky road to release. Facing multiple delays and a change in the developer, some fans might have become worried. After all, these are the types of events that can be a good warning sign of trouble in a game’s production.

Fortunately, that is not the case with this title. While Dirt 5 might be a little rough around the edges, it certainly manages to hit the mark effectively. Even with a few missed opportunities in terms of the story, it is a fun and capable arcade racer.

Story

Unlike previous Dirt games, this new entry has a proper story mode. It isn’t just a singleplayer campaign either but an actual narrative that unfolds over time. Essentially, the player takes on the role of an up-and-coming racer battling against an established rival. Codemasters has even added some established names to play roles in the plot. This includes both Nolan North and Troy Baker, who play your opponent and mentor respectively. In between races, the pair will talk to you and provide some context to the events.

Unfortunately, the actual plot in Dirt 5 is not all that great. It kind of just exists to provide some extra motivation. There are no real cutscenes and it’s perfectly possible to blast through all the races without paying any attention. Even the addition of a podcast series to accompany the action isn’t all that important. Codemasters made a big deal of the story before the release of the game. But in all honesty, it is a throwaway element that the vast majority of players will simply not care about.

If you disregard the narrative in the campaign, the career mode largely progresses as you might expect. Players get stamps for finishing well in races and also for completing bonus challenges. Once a race is finished, you can move onto the next event in that branch. Occasionally, you’ll need to have collected a set number of stamps to move forward but it’s never much of an issue. Despite the lack of story, the career mode is actually worth playing through just for the events.