Some are as simple as transforming day to night or vice versa, while others add a rainstorm or snow flurries.

Unless you specifically turn it off, every outdoor track has a dynamic weather system. The arcade-style handling means that tracks are wider by design to handle the multitude of cars in each race, but the game's off-road theme means that there's some flexibility for track design. While you may have some assists like auto-braking, they're hidden deep in the options, so you don't accidentally turn them on, and you don't have the option to display a driving line to tell you where to go or when it's a good idea to brake. Collisions with scenery don't result in an absolute dead stop unless you've wedged yourself into a boulder, and collisions with other cars don't ruin your momentum. Accelerating doesn't require you to constantly fine-tune your steering to stay in a straight line, and taking a turn doesn't mean you'll have a greater chance of fishtailing and falling the wrong way by the end. It only takes one race in Dirt 5 to see the arcade racing influence, especially since the game no longer has an option to switch to a simulation mode. It wasn't until Dirt Rally that the series finally had a clean split to take on the traditional rally racing that purists craved, while the main series has completed its journey into more arcade territory with Dirt 5.

Dirt Showdown was meant to be the more arcade-style entry in the series, but the main series never strayed far from its arcade trappings. It may have started off as a traditional simulation, much like its predecessor the Colin McRae Rally series, but it didn't take long to add modern elements that made it more party-like. It also happens to be a series that has had a constant evolution of identity. As a racing game series, Dirt has provided solid racing action with each new entry.

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