The game features a variety of off-road events located in many different places all around the world, such as Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America, all of which bring the player an assortment of challenging real-world environments.

In September 2011, there were reports that a network security problem on the website of an AMD promo had resulted in the loss of 3 million Dirt 3 keys to the public for use via the Steam platform that have then been posted in various places around the internet.

New features include a "Hardcore mode" which limits players to the cockpit view (known as "head cam") with no driver assists, the appearance of rain and snow, and the ability to upload replay clips directly to YouTube.

[31] Official Xbox Magazine gave the game a score of 8.5/10, hailing its impressive car design and smooth handling, while criticising the lack of dynamism in the surfaces and poor social features.

[32] Destructoid heavily lauded the game's graphics, detail, vehicle types, music, sound, tracks, and online multiplayer, while expressing minor annoyances with the long load times and announcers.

"[34] GameSpot similarly praised new event types, accessible difficulty options, presentation, handling, vehicle variety, and both local and online multiplayer, while also noting the limited Youtube functionality.