Dirt 5 announced for current and next-gen consoles, release date set for October 2020

(Image credit: Codemasters)

Dirt 5 is due to launch in October 2020, Codemasters has announced today, and it's headed to Xbox Series X as well as current-gen systems.

Revealed during the Inside Xbox stream, this is a follow-up to Dirt Rally 2.0 and is being worked on by a separate team.  However, it'll continue the series' tradition of approachable racing action across a variety of formats and, in an unexpected twist, it's also going to have a story mode starring Nolan North and Troy Baker as your personal career mentors and in-game podcast hosts. 

Dirt 5's career mode will let players choose from events all over the world and in a variety of classes: regions from New York City to remote Greece await as you take on events in customizable rally calls, buggies, unlimited trucks, and rock bouncers. You'll also be able to play on your own, online, or in up to four player split-screen multiplayer.

"As a studio, we are big fans of Dirt 2 and 3. This game is our homage: a bigger, amplified Dirt off-road experience in a setting that is alive, challenging and fun," Dirt 5 development director Robert Karp said in a press release. "Whether you want to compete against the AI on some of the world’s most challenging environments or play a four-player split-screen game with your friends, Dirt 5 has you covered."

Simulationist fans also have more Dirt Rally to look forward to further in the future, as Codemasters confirmed in a recent tease that it has "big plans" to take the Dirt Rally series "to even greater heights", though it won't have more to share about that for a while.

Dirt 5 is set to arrive in October of this year and it'll be available on Xbox Series X, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, and PC. It'll also utilise Xbox Smart Delivery, so whatever Xbox copy you buy, it'll run best on the machine you use it on. 

Find something to play while you wait with our guide to the best racing games or check out what else is coming to next-gen with our look at the upcoming Xbox Series X games.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.