Dirt & Dust (2025)

The reviewers find that Dirt & Dust offers a refreshing take on the racing genre by combining standard speed mechanics with strategic rally team management, resource balancing, and calculated risk-taking.

“We’d recommend Dirt & Dust to anyone who likes puzzly games, deck builders and racing games even tho' it isn’t, but it is, but it isn’t...”

The reviewer presents a positive first look at Dirt & Dust from GenCon 2025, highlighting its clever blend of deck-building, asymmetric pilot abilities, and tactical dice placement that simulates a tense rally-racing management puzzle.

The reviewer presents a thorough tutorial and playthrough of Dirt & Dust, showcasing its racing and deck-building mechanics with a generally positive presentation of the gameplay experience.

“While I don't know if I love Dirt and Dust, I do really like it and I think it's great. I would happily recommend it to anyone who loves motorsports. And obviously that recommendation is very inane, but I'd also say I'd give this a shot if you're somebody who, like me, is just eternally interested in odd game design.”(17:57)

“Overall Dirt & Dust is a very awesome racing game, separate from all other racing games out there.”

“I don't think this one *replaces* Heat or Downforce for me, but honestly, it doesn't resemble those games at all (much like they don't resemble each other) and will easily find a place on my shelf to solo.”

“It is a cool theme for a deck building game. And if you like rally racing, there was a lot of love, I think, put into this game.”(17:42)

In Dirt & Dust, players are rally drivers racing through dynamic stages at breakneck speeds. Every turn and acceleration is a thrilling test of skill and finesse, pushing both the car and the driver to their limits.

“I love the deck building. I love the tableau. I hate the "ah crap, I am just not smart enough for this" long-term strategy planning style of things. And that is probably the other downside of this because of these lap cards being relatively so similar.”(23:04)

“I'm not even saying it's a good or bad game. I think it's going to depend greatly on The Eye of the Beholder, but for me as a racing fan and a deck building fan and a solo mode fan, none of that worked for me really at all.”(42:40)