Best Off-Road Games for PS5 & PS4

Why it's here: The best off-road game on PlayStation, and the one to start with. Mud, meltwater and snow are the antagonist here, not scenery: you read the ground, pick which of 80-plus licensed rigs can survive a crossing, and winch yourself out when you guess wrong. Players call the physics and the four-player co-op the draw, and consistently flag wonky steering and DLC pricing. It rates 4.27 from over 29,500 PlayStation players. Buy this first if the struggle itself is the appeal.

Why it's here: The cheaper, purer way into the same idea, and the highest-rated game on this list at 4.33 from 16,000 PlayStation players. No contracts economy, no progression sprawl: 30-plus all-terrain vehicles, a map, a compass, a winch, and ten sandbox maps of Siberian and northern US mud that reacts to your weight. Players praise the physics and the co-op while flagging dated graphics and janky controls. It is a PS4 title, so PS5 owners play it through backward compatibility. Start here if SnowRunner's scale looks like too much.

Why it's here: The pick when off-road means speed rather than survival. You commit to blind corners on pace notes alone across gravel, snow and tarmac, with the stage surface degrading run to run so the fifth car through drives a different road than the first. Players single out the handling model and sound design and warn that the single-player career needs an online connection and that wheel setup is fiddly. It holds 4.0 from nearly 39,000 PlayStation players, the largest audience here. A PS4 game, played on PS5 through backward compatibility.

Why it's here: The newest serious off-roader, and the one where the mud has a purpose. Saber sends you into storm-wrecked regions to clear debris, lay sand over bog, rebuild bridges and then run convoys over what you built, with a fleet that spans scouts, cranes and pavers. Players enjoy the rebuilding loop and the four-player co-op, but reviews are genuinely split: crashes, rough controller and wheel support, and a sense that it shipped unfinished come up repeatedly. It rates 4.1 from over 5,100 PlayStation players. Worth it on PS5 if construction interests you as much as terrain.

Why it's here: The exploration branch of the MudRunner family, and the most divisive game here. Instead of hauling cargo you lead research expeditions, flying a recon drone over deserts and mountains, planting anchors up slopes and sounding water depth before committing, with a base camp to build and specialists to hire. Players who like it praise exactly that planning layer and the terrain work; the larger group finds the missions repetitive and the vehicle handling a step back from SnowRunner, and at 3.22 from around 2,000 PlayStation players it is the lowest-rated pick on this list. Take it only if the gadgets and the route-planning are what you want.

Why it's here: The two-wheel and quad entry, and the only game here where off-road means trail riding rather than hauling or stage racing. Bikes, ATVs and UTVs across large open environments, with a career mode where sponsor choices shape your rise and a 16-player online ceiling. Players report having a good time with it, praising the riding physics and the visuals, and the recurring complaints are a complex control scheme and aggressive DLC pricing. It rates 3.54 from 4,600 PlayStation players, on PS4 and PS5. Pick it up if you want handlebars rather than a steering wheel.

Why it's here: The current official rally game, and the PS5-native alternative to DiRT Rally 2.0. It carries the licensed WRC championship, a wide spread of real stages, a Builder mode for assembling your own car and adjustable assists that let you dial the difficulty down. Players who stick with it rate the driving highly, especially on a wheel. The complaints are consistent and worth knowing about: performance stutter, crashes, anti-cheat trouble and a thin career mode. It sits at 3.79 from 4,200 PlayStation players. Choose it over DiRT Rally 2.0 for current content, not for stability.

Why it's here: The arcade end of the off-road spectrum, and the one built for a sofa rather than a wheel. Ten global locations, rallycross and ice racing and gymkhana-style playgrounds, a loud licensed soundtrack, and split-screen for up to four locally, which nothing else here offers. Players split hard on it: the presentation and the track variety win people over, while the handling model, rubber-banding AI and a shallow career mode lose them. It rates 3.78 from 15,000 PlayStation players on PS4 and PS5. Get it for couch play, not for simulation.

Why it's here: The family pick, and the only monster truck game on PlayStation worth the shelf space. Thirty-eight licensed trucks, five open worlds to roam between stadium events, and two-player split-screen, all rated Everyone. Players report a good time, particularly with younger kids, and the honest caveat from those same reviews is that the physics are loose and the event structure repeats itself before long. It rates 4.04 from 1,200 PlayStation players, a small but happy audience. A PS4 title played on PS5 through backward compatibility. Buy it for someone who wants to jump things, not for a simulation.

Why it's here: The only rally-raid game on PlayStation, included because the question keeps getting asked and deserves a straight answer rather than silence. It recreates the Dakar itself: 30 stages of open desert across bikes, quads, cars and trucks, with real roadbook navigation you have to actually follow. The ambition is real and so is the scenery. So are the problems, and they dominate the reviews: crashes, poor optimisation and handling players find unsatisfying, which is why it carries no award here. It rates 3.84 from 1,360 PlayStation players and offers a PS Plus Premium trial. Try it on that trial before paying for it.