Gravel (v2019.01.17 & ALL DLC)

Mud, dust, broken pavement, and wide-open wilderness replace tidy racetracks in this high-energy off-road racer from Milestone. Gravel frames its events as a televised motorsport spectacle, sending drivers from snowy forests and desert canyons to stadium circuits built for jumps, collisions, and dramatic slides. The tone is deliberately loud and accessible rather than sim-heavy: powerful trucks, rally machines, and buggies tear across terrain where the fastest line often looks like controlled chaos. Every course is designed to sell speed and spectacle, with changing surfaces and big scenery making even a short race feel eventful.

Racing revolves around keeping momentum while taming vehicles that constantly fight for grip. Players brake late, pitch cars sideways through loose corners, launch over crests, and choose when to cut across open sections instead of blindly following the obvious route. Career events sit under the fictional Gravel Channel banner and unlock a varied set of challenges, while the four main disciplines change the feel of competition: Cross Country favors broad natural environments, Wild Rush pushes rough point-to-point action, Stadium packs jumps and turns into enclosed arenas, and Speed Cross offers a more traditional circuit format. Difficulty options and driving assists let newcomers focus on the arcade thrill, while clean driving and smart surface management still matter at higher settings; online races also add a competitive alternative to solo progression.

What separates Gravel from more serious rally titles is its willingness to treat off-road racing as a global action show rather than a technical simulation. Unreal Engine-powered environments give its locations a striking, sunlit look, especially when dirt sprays behind a car at speed or a race bursts from forest trails into open terrain. Vehicle handling has enough weight to make every slide satisfying without demanding the precision of DiRT Rally, placing it closer to the pick-up-and-play spirit of MotorStorm-style arcade racers. It suits players who want diverse tracks, oversized vehicles, and immediate off-road excitement, while simulation purists may find its forgiving, spectacle-first approach too loose.