Dirt 5

Dirt 5 isn't particularly deep, but it's fast, frantic, extremely handsome, and buoyed by a superb stunt track editor.

Dirt 5 adopts the arcade sensibilities of the series' past, but its frenetic action is dampened somewhat by an uninspired handling model.

A new studio in charge sees Dirt retain some of its old swagger in a fun, frequently beautiful but occasionally hollow arcade racer.

Arcade offroad racing of the like we've played four times previously.

With a fun choose-your-path career mode and community-driven custom courses, Dirt 5 provides a thrilling and approachable off-road experience

I’m a big fan of Dirt 5. It’s not going to garner the praise of a Gran Turismo or a Forza, but it’s exactly the kind of game I was after. It’s fun, easy to get into, full of variety, looks pretty, and features cars that slide beautifully around corners. Dirt 5 is a feel-good game at feel-bad time, which is about the best time for it to exist.

If you're the type of person who plays racing games for hundreds of hours, Dirt 5 might let you down and I completely understand why. But for everyone else, it's a very accessible and personality-filled game that should keep you busy for a while.

If you've just got yourself a PS5, don't sleep on DIRT 5. It brings bombastic, arcadey racing to the console's launch lineup, giving you something totally different to play alongside the heavy hitters. Although the haptic feedback implementation is basic and one or two visual bugs remain, the core experience is seriously fun, and well worth checking out if you like driving sideways.

Dirt 5 is a departure from earlier entries in the series, as it goes full arcade racer. That’s to its credit though, as the actual racing is satisfying and exciting. This means that the vehicles and their customization options feel a bit shallow, which could disappoint some fans. Thanks to an incredible Playgrounds mode and some pretty next-gen visuals, Dirt 5 is a solid offering from Developer Codemasters.

Dirt 5 is the perfect racing game to launch the new generation of consoles: a thrilling arcade off-road racer that doesn't skimp on visual flair.