
The game takes place across four continents: Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. It features a roster of contemporary off-road events, taking players to diverse and challenging real-world environments. Along with the player, an RV travels from one event to another, and serves as "headquarters" for the player. The game includes many new race-events, including stadium events.

It was announced on 19 November 2008 and features Ken Block, Travis Pastrana, Tanner Foust, and Dave Mirra. This is the first game in the McRae series since McRae's death in 2007. Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (known as Dirt 2 in the Americas and stylised, DiRT 2) is a racing game released in September 2009, and is the sequel to Colin McRae: Dirt.
