Dirt 5

Dirt 5 was among the titles that accompanied the launch of Xbox Series X|S, and it shifted away from its more simulation-leaning predecessors toward colorful arcade racing. Instead of narrow rally stages, it offers wide circuits in icy Scandinavia, snow-covered New York streets, or Chinese canyons where packs of cars rub shoulders side by side. The handling model is forgiving, slides hold for a long time, and contact with rivals is part of the fun. The career mode is split into series spanning disciplines from rallycross through buggies to big trucks, accompanied by a narrated radio show that comments on the player's progress between races.

Technically it was one of the first showcases of what the new generation could do: on Series X you can choose a mode targeting 120 frames per second, which for arcade off-road driving means noticeably more readable car responses. Changeable weather and time of day are not just window dressing — mud gradually gets churned up, tire tracks appear in snow, and night stages lit only by headlights are among the game's strongest moments. The soundtrack leans on loud modern electronic music and rock, so the music underscores the pace rather than merely accompanying it.

Contemporary reception was mildly positive: reviewers praised the visuals, the smoothness, and the Playgrounds mode, in which players build their own stunt arenas and share them with others, while criticism targeted the shallower handling model and a less inventive career structure. In the history of the Dirt brand this is more of a detour than a continuation of the line built on faithful rally racing. Today it works as an undemanding racing title to reach for when you want a quick dose of driving without having to memorize the track by heart. On Series X|S it still looks good, and the smoothness in high-frame-rate mode is one of the things helping it age more slowly than one might expect. It will especially appeal to anyone wanting to race in pairs on one screen, since split-screen multiplayer on consoles has gradually become rarer.