Monster Jam Showdown is an arcade off-road racer built around recognizable monster trucks, races, stunt events and unlocks. Its range of modes and multiplayer give fans plenty to do, but one independent PS5 review found the airborne handling and event variety inconsistent. Whether it is worth buying depends on how much you want arcade-style truck action—and which platform and edition you plan to play.
What is Monster Jam Showdown?
Developed by Milestone, Monster Jam Showdown released on August 29, 2024, for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. It is an off-road arcade racer rather than a simulation-focused driving game. The official Monster Jam game page describes a non-linear Showdown Tour, racing and freestyle events, and progression through truck and livery unlocks.
The publisher lists 40 trucks in the base game, with 26 more available through free or premium DLC, plus more than 140 liveries. Those are publisher-reported content counts, not an independently audited tally. The official description calls the controls an “accessible dual-steering racing experience”; treat that as marketing language, not a reviewer’s verdict on how the game handles.
What do you do in the game?
The core loop mixes off-road racing with stunts and freestyle competition. Official descriptions list several event types, so there is more to the career than simply repeating conventional circuit races:
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#1 Best Overall
- AN IMMEDIATE OFF-ROAD ARCADE GAME - Perfect for Monster Jam fans and a must play for arcade racing gamers: Monster Jam Showdown is ready to bring you a vast and easy-to-access offroad racing challenge!
- SHOW OFF YOUR FREESTYLE SKILLS - Performing amazing tricks in the Freestyle competitions is at the essence of every Monster Jam event around the world.
- MASTER THE MOST ICONIC MONSTER JAM TRUCKS - The excitement of real-life Monster Jam events comes to the video game world, thanks to the franchise's most recognizable icons: the trucks! Grave Digger, Toro Loco, Megalodon, Maximum Destruction and many others...
- RACE BIG ACROSS 3 DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS - Get ready to let all your favorite trucks roar outside the stadiums, driving through the most spectacular untamed environments!
- FIND YOUR FAVOURITE GAME MODE - Start your career in a non-linear journey through a variety of racing and freestyle game modes in all three biomes, beat the competition and become the champion of the Showdown Tour!
- Racing: circuits, Figure 8 tracks and Horde races.
- Stunts and freestyle: Best Trick and Extreme Freestyle events.
- Other challenges: Treasure Hunt and Survival.
Completing events advances the Showdown Tour and earns unlocks, including trucks and liveries. The roster and customization provide a clear collecting hook, while the event mix aims to shift the focus between racing and performing tricks.
What do reviews say about the handling and variety?
Meristation’s review, published October 12, 2024, covers the PS5 version. It praises the substantial truck roster and multiplayer, and says the handling offers some challenge. Its main reservations are inconsistent airborne physics, collision behavior, repetition across events and limited variety. Those are that publication’s assessments of the PS5 game; they should not be mistaken for a consensus across platforms or for a review of every version.
Rank #2
- AUTHENTIC MONSTER TRUCK EXPERIENCE: Drive and perform stunts with 20 of your favorite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks from Bone Shaker and Tiger Shark to Race Ace, Big Foot, and beyond, with each authentically modeled after the iconic trucks. Experience the thrill of controlling these real-world behemoths in a game that’s built for fans and newcomers alike.
- EXHILARATING STUNT ACTION: Pull off spectacular tricks and discover each truck’s unique signature stunt move based on its personality, such as Rhinomite, who will bash through anything with his mighty front horn, so don’t get on his bad side! Plus, master jaw-dropping flips, spins, and jumps to wow the crowd and rack up the highest scores in the arena.
- INTENSE BATTLE ARENAS: Battle it out in electrifying arenas that include fan-favorites such as Stunt Zone By Night and the fearsome Skelesaurus's Lair. Each arena offers a unique challenge and atmosphere, from neon-lit madness to apocalyptic showdowns where vibrant graphics and explosive effects ensure an unforgettable monster truck experience.
- BOSS FIGHTS AND ARCADE CHALLENGES: Face off against formidable bosses like the towering Crushzilla. Test your skills in a variety of modes including Career, Stunt, Destruction, and Boss Mode, each offering a uniquely fresh and intense gameplay experience.
- HEAD-TO-HEAD MULTIPLAYER: Challenge your friends in competitive local multiplayer matches. See who can perform the best stunts, smash the most obstacles, and score the highest points in competitive head-to-head battles.
The central trade-off is straightforward: the game has a recognizable subject, a broad menu of event types and progression to work through, but the cited review found that the driving and event structure did not always sustain that variety. Players drawn to monster-truck spectacle and arcade racing may be more comfortable with those limitations than players looking for consistently convincing vehicle physics or a deep range of distinct challenges.
Does Monster Jam Showdown have multiplayer or split-screen?
Support depends on the platform, so check the listing for the version you intend to buy rather than assuming every edition offers identical options.
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- Enter the stadium and take part of one of the biggest competitions across 34 sports: from swimming, soccer, extreme bike, weightlifting, trampoline and much more!
- Defend your own country and visit the World: United States, Australia, Japan, France…
- Train yourself alone or compete with your friends!
- An enhanced version of “30 Sport Games in 1”, with revamped design, new games and more customisation!
- Xbox: Microsoft’s listing describes local multiplayer for two players and online multiplayer for two to eight.
- Steam: The PC listing specifies single-player, online PvP, shared/split-screen PvP, shared/split-screen play and cross-platform multiplayer.
- Nintendo Switch: Nintendo’s listing reports its own supported player counts; consult that platform’s product page for the relevant configuration.
The Xbox figures above come from the Microsoft Store listing checked October 8, 2026. Store descriptions establish listed support, but do not by themselves establish how well multiplayer performs in practice.
What is included in the Big Air Edition?
On Steam, the Big Air Edition bundles the game with the season pass. Nintendo describes its Switch Big Air bundle the same way: the full game plus season pass. Storefronts also list free and paid add-ons, including truck packs and the Aloha Expansion. Exact DLC contents, edition availability and prices can vary by platform, region and date; check the relevant store page before purchasing. A temporary Steam discount is not a reliable guide to the game’s regular price.
Rank #4
- Members of the Fifth Fleet, prepare for the ultimate tabletop monster hunting experience. In a world teeming with massive monsters, every battle is a boss battle!
- In this cooperative arena combat board game for 1-4 players set in an open world, it’s not you who dictates the flow of battle, but the monster you hunt — and each one is wildly different.
- Tasked with protecting the Astera basecamp, you must track down and slay the fearsome creatures roaming the New World. Use the loot collected from your fallen foes to craft powerful new equipment, so you can take on bigger and badder beasts!
- The more monsters you slay, the better the weapons you can craft, the bigger the monsters you can hunt.
- With this core set, explore the arid Wildspire Waste and the monsters within — hard-headed Barroth, poisonous Pukei-Pukei, lurking Jyuratodus, horned Diablos, and menacing Black Diablos*. Hunt these dangerous creatures with the Insect Glaive, Charge Blade, Heavy Bowgun, or Switch Axe, crafting upgrades and honing your hunting skills with every hard-won piece of monster loot.
If you only want to try the core racing and freestyle modes, compare the base game with the bundle rather than assuming the season pass is required. If collecting additional trucks is part of the appeal, review the current add-on list for your platform to see what the pass includes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How positive are player reviews?
Steam showed 71% positive from 213 user reviews on October 8, 2026, with an all-time “Mostly Positive” label. This is a Steam user-review snapshot from that date—not a critic score, a rating across all consoles or a permanent measure of opinion. Storefront ratings can change as more players post reviews.
Best Value
- Monster Jam Memory Game Set - Educational Toy Bundle with Truck Card Matching Game Plus Stickers, More | Monster Jam Learning Toy for Boys, Kids.
- This Monster Jam activity set includes Monster Jam memory match game cards. Flip the cards over to reveal matches of your favorite Monster Jam trucks.
- Sure to delight Monster Jam fans, boys and girls alike, this Monster Jam matching card game will pair perfectly with any and all Monster Jam merchandise.
- This Monster Jam matching game is great to use as Monster Jam educational toys, a Monster Jam activity set, Monster Jam toys, and so much more.
- Officially licensed Monster Jam toys and games for kids and toddlers. Set also includes stickers and a Rex-Man door hanger.
Is Monster Jam Showdown worth buying?
It is a plausible pick for players who want arcade off-road racing, Monster Jam trucks, freestyle events, unlockable content and multiplayer. The cited PS5 review’s concerns about airtime, collisions and repetition matter most if you expect polished physics or a consistently varied career. The evidence available here does not establish performance parity across platforms, so choose based on the exact platform listing and features rather than assuming the versions behave identically.
Before buying, decide whether the base game’s events and unlocks are enough, confirm multiplayer support for your platform, and compare the current bundle and DLC contents in that platform’s storefront. That makes the choice less about a single universal score and more about whether its arcade focus matches what you want to play.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
