Codemasters is known for some of the best rally games for a long time. The DiRT franchise actually started as Colin McRae Rally back in 1998 on PS1 and later evolved into DiRT which is now spread across two completely different game franchises. We have DiRT Rally which is a hardcore rally simulation series and then we have the numbered DiRT titles which include their latest release DiRT 5. Building on their years of expertise, DiRT 5 arrives as the biggest and the most diverse title in the franchise with vehicles, features, and game modes never seen in the franchise before. This is our review of DiRT 5 on PC in which we let ourselves lose in the new Playgrounds mode and also get down and dirty in mighty Formula Off-Road Titans.
DiRT 5 features a large roster of game modes that you can play. While the traditional rally stages are long gone, you will find plenty of other modes in the game that are much more suited to the overall arcade theme of the game. You will find events such as Stampede, Ice Breaker, Ultra Cross, Cross Raid, Pathfinder, and many others to play in the main Career Mode or in the Arcade Mode. You will spend some of the initial time in the Career Mode as you will need money and experience to unlock new liveries, stickers and purchase new vehicles in the game. Each class offers you some unlocked vehicles right from the start however to expand your garage, you will need to purchase new vehicles and they cost money. You earn money from completing races in the Career Mode. Apart from money, you also earn XP which increases your level which further unlocks new customization options for you.
Each game mode is unique in DiRT 5 and offers a completely different challenge for you to overcome. You have Stampede that features lapped races with heavy vehicles or you have the Pathfinder events where you have to drive large Rock Bouncers over some of the toughest offroad terrains that the game offers. You can also take part in Gymkhana events or the traditional offroad Rally Raid events in a multitude of offroad machines. One of the main highlights of the new DiRT 5 is the new Playgrounds mode which essentially allows you to create custom levels or play custom levels by the community all over the world. I have spent quite a decent amount of my time playing different levels in the Playgrounds mode and I can easily say that I had more fun in this mode than any other mode in the game. The mode really allows you to run wild with your creativity when it comes to creating custom levels.
Another great aspect of the game is the sound design. The car audio and overall sound effects are amazing and Codemasters really went out with the soundtrack of the game. The transitions between different music tracks are extremely fluid and streamlined that there is hardly ever a screen where you are not listening to the game’s fantastic music. During races, the music goes to the background so that you can hear the engine sounds and other ambiance sounds more clearly however as you pass bystanders and other smaller hangout spots on the side of the tracks, you will feel the music get louder for a brief moment as you pass them. The upbeat and lively soundtrack sits extremely well with the overall colored theme of the game and plays an integral role in the overall DiRT 5 experience. Listening to the commentary by Donut Media is also a treat in the game.
Coming to the gameplay of DiRT 5, you must know that this is strictly an ARCADE RALLY GAME. This is not a simulation. Just like Forza has two separate branches for its arcade and simulation titles, Codemasters now has DiRT Rally for simulation and the normal DiRT games for a more arcade rally experience. This makes DiRT 5 the most fun arcade rally titles that I have played in a very long time. Right from the very first stage of the game, it is evident that Codemasters has made the game accessible and easier so that a large number of players can enjoy the game without spending too much time learning the perfect racing lines or braking points. The game is excellent pick-and-play with a controller and even a keyboard however it is really fun with a controller. Even with the arcade gameplay features, driving in DiRT 5 does not feel cheap at all. This also means that if you own expensive racing rigs, they are not much use here because of the game’s arcade gameplay. I will highly recommend playing DiRT 5 with a regular controller.
Each vehicle in DiRT 5 feels unique. Lighter vehicles are nimble and much easier to turn around and race with however the much meatier Rally Raid or Formula Off-Road vehicles or the behemoth Rock Bouncers are like tanks and require more skill to drive around tight corners and smaller tracks. Driving around mud and other terrains affects how your vehicles react to your inputs so you have to consider these elements into account while playing the game. These are not too intense to make the game too difficult, but there is a notable difference in every vehicle’s handling and performance based on their drivetrains and the terrain you are driving on offering a really good driving experience. However, the game’s AI could do with some tweaking as currently, they drive around like blind robots set on a path. They do not respond to your presence and even when you stop in their paths, they simply crash into you instead of finding a way around you. This robotic AI behavior causes the races to feel extremely artificial in certain cases.
While overall driving and sliding around cars and vehicles are quite fun, jumping mechanics sometimes feel weird. For example, driving around a 2-ton Rock Crawler feels meaty on the straight roads however while on rocks and jumps, it will bounce around like a nimble rally hatchback which really puts you off in some cases. Similarly driving over bumps sometimes throws off your car into weird angles resulting in crashes and spinning out. This was not the case while jumping off bigger ramps and steep areas however this was more common while going over small mud mounds or big rocks. The car would just bounce off them weirdly at an angle which felt pretty weird because overall, DiRT 5’s gameplay and control mechanics are pretty decent. A little bit of tweaking could make this problem go away as well thus making gameplay even better.
Sticking to the whole arcade rally theme, there is no terminal damage in the game as well. The damage is only visual and it does not affect the car’s performance as well. I forgot how many times my cars dropped down from massive heights while playing random levels in the Playgrounds mode, only to be spawned back on the track without any hassle. Every time I crashed at high speeds, I was back in a second minus some body-panels but everything else is fully functioning condition. With no terminal damage, it means that the game could become a destruction derby really quickly because neither you nor the AI is really looking after your car. There are plenty of crashes and rubbing during races, especially at the corners. You can try to race as cleanly as you would like however a time would come when one of the AI drivers would sideswipe you or shunt you from behind so clean racing is not really a thing in DiRT 5.
Coming to the Technical aspect of the game, under the hood, DiRT 5 is not so stable at this point however Codemasters is releasing patches for the game regularly for these issues. Although we did not encounter random crashes during our review, the review build simply did not run for us for some time despite switching different GPUs into our test bench. For reference, our test bench was running AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, 32 GB DDR4 3200MHz Ram, Auros X570 mobo with a Cougar 750W Gold Plus PSU. The game was installed in a Teamgroup T-Force NVMe so the loading speeds were pretty fast. For our GPU, we switched between three AMD GPUs including an R9 290, RX 570, and RX 5700 XT. The review build failed to run on all three GPUs for us and we had to wait for a patch before we were able to run the game for this review. Framerates were pretty stable for us while running the game on RX 5700 XT however on the lower-end GPUs, there were many dips even on medium settings. At this point, the game requires a little bit under the hood tweaking to offer more stable framerates for a diverse range of GPUs since not everyone is using a flagship GPU.
However, despite the fact that DiRT 5 is currently in the need of some tweaks and fixes when it comes to performance on PCs, I will be keeping this aspect out of the review since it is getting fixed with every patch so it won’t be long before the game is in a stable position. Performance issues have been bickering PC games in recent releases and DiRT 5 is no different however overall, Codemasters has done a brilliant job on the game. At this point, not many decent arcade rally games are present in the market. With their simulation franchise going strong with DiRT Rally 2.0, the developer has made a statement in the Arcade rally genre as well with the new DiRT 5. It is excellent for players of every age who just want to have a fun time with their favorite rally machines and do not care too much about simulation and hardcore rally action.
Final Verdict:
DiRT 5 shines in all aspects apart from its technical performance at this point. There is nothing short here. It is the best arcade rally game currently available in the market and Codemasters has done a splendid job with the title. No matter which element you pick in the game, whether it is the star-studded Career Mode of the game or the new Playground mode that offers a brand-new way to experience the franchise, the list of vehicles in the game or the level design of the game, everything is top-notch and blended together perfectly. For me, DiRT 5 is a splendid return of the franchise to its roots and greatly reminded me of its earlier titles such as DiRT 2 and DiRT 3. The game feels alive on every screen and it just wants you to let loose in whatever way you want with its multitude of game modes. The cherry on the top is the splendid Photo Mode which offers you to take some really amazing pictures. If you are worried about the game’s stability at this point, you can wait for a little until Codemasters can patch up the last few remaining bugs in the game and then jump aboard the fun. If you are a fan of racing games, the DiRT franchise, or simply want a fun racing game with hours and hours of content in the game, DiRT 5 has arrived for you and it must be on your playlist for this year.
Final Score: 9.0/10
