Dirt & Dust Board Game

Every Stage Is a Gamble — and That's the Point

The engine is tuned. The tires are chosen. You're staring down a mountain pass stage with a hand full of cards and a set of dice that could make or break your race. Push hard and maybe you gain precious ground — or maybe your suspension gives out on a hairpin and you're eating gravel. That knife-edge tension, repeated across every stage of a rally, is exactly what Dirt & Dust is built on.

What It Is

From Czech publisher Albi and designer Petr Čáslava — co-designer of the acclaimed Kutná Hora — Dirt & Dust is a strategic rally racing game for one to four players. You each take the wheel as a unique pilot, managing your car, your crew, and your nerve across a series of stages that shift dramatically in character: coastal roads, tight city circuits, forest trails, mountain passes, and night-racing conditions all demand different things from your machine and your decision-making.

The core of the game is a satisfying push-and-pull between speed and survival. Your action deck drives your choices each stage, but it's how you assign dice to those cards — and how you've prepared your vehicle beforehand — that determines whether you cross the finish line first or limp in with a wrecked differential and a bruised ego. Upgrading tires, suspension, and support crew before each stage isn't busywork; it's the preparation that makes the risk-taking feel earned. The artwork, by Jakub Politzer (known for Lost Ruins of Arnak and SETI), gives the game a vivid, kinetic visual identity that keeps the rally atmosphere alive on the table.

Who It's For

Dirt & Dust is rated for ages 14 and up and plays one to four players, with the solo mode offering a genuine challenge for players who want to chase their personal best. Plan for 90 minutes or more — this is a medium-to-heavy game that rewards players who enjoy thinking several steps ahead, managing competing priorities, and making meaningful decisions under pressure. It's best suited to game nights where the group wants something with real depth: fans of strategic games who haven't yet found a racing title that scratches that itch, or hobbyists already drawn to the designer's previous work.

What's in the Box

The component package is substantial and purposeful. The 238-card deck gives the game its strategic backbone, while multiple dice types — player dice, damage dice, and a special prestige die — add texture to every decision. Wooden tokens, dedicated player boards, individual car boards, and a large gameboard depicting the full rally stage sequence round out the production. The stage variety built into the main board means no two races feel quite the same, and the component set is built to accommodate the full player count without compromise.

Specifications