I honestly went into this thinking it was going to be another budget-tier cash grab. You know the ones. They slap Grave Digger on the box, give you some stiff physics, and call it a day. But Monster Jam Showdown on the PS5 is actually... good? It’s weirdly polished. Milestone, the developers behind those Hot Wheels Unleashed games and the MotoGP series, clearly brought that same obsessive energy to these five-ton metal beasts.
The first thing you notice when you fire it up on the PS5 isn't even the trucks. It’s the mud. It looks disgusting in the best way possible. It cakes onto the chassis, gets caught in the tire treads, and flies off in chunks that actually stay on the track.
The DualSense Difference in Monster Jam Showdown PS5
If you're playing this on any other platform, you're missing the point. The PS5 version leverages the DualSense controller in a way that actually matters for gameplay. When you’re revving that 1,500-horsepower engine, the haptic feedback doesn't just buzz; it thrums. It feels like you’re holding a literal combustion engine in your palms.
The adaptive triggers are the real star here.
They provide different levels of resistance based on your traction. If you’re bogged down in deep Alaskan snow, the throttle feels heavy and sluggish. If you’re catching air off a ramp in a stadium in Florida, the tension vanishes instantly. It’s tactile. It’s subtle. It makes the act of driving a monster truck feel as chaotic as it looks on TV.
Most people assume these games are just for kids. They aren't. While there are plenty of driving assists to keep a seven-year-old from hitting a wall every five seconds, turning those off reveals a physics engine that is surprisingly punishing. These trucks are top-heavy. They want to flip. They want to bounce. If you take a corner too wide and clip a berm at 70 mph, you aren't just going to slide; you’re going to barrel roll through the air like a discarded soda can.
Real Trucks, Real Physics, Real Chaos
Milestone didn't skimp on the roster. You’ve got the icons, obviously. Grave Digger, Max-D, and El Toro Loco are all there, looking terrifyingly detailed in 4K. But the game also dives into the deeper lore of the sport. You’ve got Megalodon, Blue Thunder, and even some of the newer designs that have been touring the real-world circuit recently.
There are 66 trucks in total if you count the DLC and unlockables.
Each one behaves slightly differently, though I’ll be honest, the differences are more about "feel" than "stats." A heavier truck feels more planted during the freestyle events but struggles to get that snappiness you need for a quick backflip. Speaking of backflips, the trick system is actually intuitive. You use the right analog stick to flick the truck around in mid-air. It feels less like a racing game and more like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater but with 12,000-pound vehicles.
The Environments Aren't Just Stadiums
One of the biggest complaints about previous Monster Jam titles was that they felt claustrophobic. You were stuck in a dirt oval inside a stadium. Over and over. Monster Jam Showdown PS5 fixes this by heading into the wild.
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- Death Valley: High-speed desert racing where the heat haze actually messes with your long-distance vision.
- Colorado: Tight, winding mountain paths where one wrong move sends you off a cliff.
- Alaska: Ice. Lots of ice. Drifting a monster truck on a frozen lake is peak gaming.
These "off-road" races change the dynamic. It’s not just about crushing cars; it’s about finding the fastest line through a forest while your steering is fighting you every inch of the way. The PS5 handles the high-speed chaos without dropping a single frame, which is impressive given the amount of debris flying around.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Career Mode
The Showdown Tour is the meat of the experience. It’s non-linear, which is a blessing. You don't have to grind through events you hate to get to the ones you love. If you’re a freestyle specialist, you can focus on the stunt arenas. If you just want to go fast, you can stick to the circuit races.
However, the AI can be a bit of a jerk.
On higher difficulties, the computer-controlled drivers are aggressive. They will ram you. They will take the inside line and shove you into a concrete barrier. It’s frustrating, sure, but it also feels authentic to the sport. Monster Jam isn't exactly a "gentleman’s sport." It’s loud, it’s dirty, and people get bumped.
The progression system is tied to "Fans." The more spectacular your finishes, the more fans you get, which unlocks more events and trucks. It's a simple loop, but it works. You aren't bogged down in menus or "RPG-lite" mechanics that don't belong in a game about crushing things. You drive, you win, you get a bigger truck. Simple.
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Technical Performance: 4K vs. 60FPS
On the PS5, you have the standard choice between fidelity and performance. Honestly? Go with performance. While the 4K fidelity mode looks like a Pixar movie, the 60FPS performance mode is essential for timing your jumps and landings. When you’re trying to stick a perfect moonie (that's when you balance the truck on the front two wheels, for the uninitiated), you need that frame data to be instant.
The loading times are virtually non-existent. The SSD earns its keep here. You can go from the main menu to the dirt in about eight seconds. For a game that encourages quick "bite-sized" play sessions, this is a massive win. You can jump in, do a three-minute freestyle run, and jump out.
Customization and the "Livery" Problem
If there’s one area where the game feels a bit thin, it’s deep customization. You can’t really "build" your own truck from scratch in the way some gearheads might want. You’re mostly limited to the official designs.
That said, the official designs are flawless. The way the paint chips off during a race or the fiberglass body panels shatter and fly off after a hard landing is some of the best damage modeling I’ve seen this generation. By the end of a ten-minute session, your pristine Grave Digger will look like it’s been through a literal warzone. Just the roll cage and an engine held together by prayers.
Is It Worth It?
If you have a PS5 and even a passing interest in motorsports, yes. It’s the best Monster Jam game ever made. Period. It eclipses Steel Titans in every conceivable way—graphics, handling, and sheer fun factor. It’s not a simulator like iRacing, but it’s also not a total arcade joke. It sits in that sweet spot where anyone can pick it up, but it takes actual skill to master the physics.
Stop thinking of it as a "kids' game." It’s a technical showcase for what the PS5 can do with physics and haptics when a developer actually puts in the effort.
Next Steps for Players:
- Disable Steering Help: Go into the settings immediately and turn off the "Aerial Recovery" and "Automatic Flip" options. It makes the game harder, but it also gives you total control over your stunts.
- Master the Rear-Steer: Unlike regular cars, monster trucks have independent rear-wheel steering. In the game, this is usually mapped to the right stick or handled automatically. Learning to manually counter-steer with the rear wheels is the only way to win the high-level drift events in Alaska.
- Focus on the "Big Three": Unlock Grave Digger, Max-D, and El Toro Loco early in the Showdown Tour. They are the most balanced trucks for the mid-game difficulty spike.
- Check the Online Leaderboards: The ghosts on the leaderboards show you the optimal lines for the racing circuits. Watch how the top players handle the jumps; often, clearing a jump isn't as fast as "scrubbing" it to keep your tires on the ground.