Are you a driving phenom who has mastered the track? Looking for a new test of your racing abilities? Why not add a bit more suspension, throw on some extra-grippy tyres and take your vehicle off-road. These five great games will show you the way.

In MMX Hill Dash 2 there’s only one way to go: forward. There will be no steering – this mud-slinging, sand-spraying drag race puts the accelerator and brake under your thumbs and tasks you with getting to the top of the obstacle-strewn hill.

Whether driving a beach buggy or a monster truck, the race – and your controls – are finely balanced as you try to keep all four wheels on the ground and navigate your way across everything from collapsing bridges to exploding crates. As if making it to the finish line wasn’t tricky enough, in each race you are up against a real-world rival too.

Leaving roads behind doesn’t restrict you to muddy tracks and dirt paths. In Trials Frontier you’ll take your rickety motorbike across everything from rocky outcrops and precarious wooden contraptions to snowy hillsides and underground caverns. And you’ll crash on them all.

To make it to the end of each level you’ll need to find the perfect harmony of balance and timing. Hit the accelerator a fraction of a second too late and you won’t make it up that incline. A fraction too early and you’ll loop out. A relaxing ride in the country this isn’t.

Any game with “asphalt” in the title might seem out of place here, but Asphalt Xtreme is in pursuit of something more natural. Something more down to earth – literally.

Pairing crisp, realistic graphics with all-out arcade action, it’s the perfectly balanced off-road racer. And with the track just a suggestion of where you should go you’ll soon be on the hunt for shortcuts. Who wants to jump through a waterfall?

There are more than 50 vehicles to unlock, spanning everything from rally cars to trucks.

“Four left, 80. Blind crest. Hairpin right, don’t cut.”

Missed the “don’t cut” part of your co-driver’s notes and ended up in a ditch, again? You’re not alone. Yes, it might cost you a few seconds but the race isn’t lost. In Rush Rally 3 there are multiple stages to each race, so put that mistake behind you and get going.

Focus is key to success here. Racing across snow, gravel, tarmac and dirt you’ll need to be at one with your car to react to the changing grip levels as you fling it in for a tight left turn. Put your practice to the test in weekly competitions against real-world foes.

It’s time to slow things down. Way down. In MudRunner Mobile you’re not racing to a finish line or jumping across hillsides. Instead, you’re behind the wheel of a tractor, digger or dozer, navigating your way at a steady pace to your latest collection point or delivery spot.

A game for anyone who once looked wistfully at a piece of heavy machinery, there are jobs to do and realistic controls to make you feel like you’re really doing them. With 15 open worlds to explore and 16 oversize vehicles to drive, realism is at the core of this oddly engaging simulator.