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The Need for Speed franchise has been a staple of the racing genre, with most of titles featuring illegal street racing. Many of the games feature arcade racing mechanics and police chases with various types of cars, ranging from mundane to exotic. The series has become a cornerstone of the racing genre by offering thrilling races and in-depth vehicular customizations.
Since its debut, NFS has managed to make a name for itself by innovating on the formula the early titles established. Electronic Arts also continues to support and grow the franchise to the massive heights where it is today. While there are many popular racing titles today, NFS remains one of the primary names.
The popularity of the series has made it a household name for any racing gamer, as well as allowing the franchise to release many, many titles. Today’s post aims to rank all of them from worst to best.
Ranking all the Need for Speed games on PC
20) Need for Speed: Pro Street
Developed and published by Electronic Arts, this was the first installment to focus on organized street racing rather than illegal street version. Gameplay took a more realistic approach to handling, vehicular damage, and other things that were more akin to simulation racers like Gran Turismo. It was harshly criticized for lacking gameplay variety and excitement.
19) Need for Speed: Payback
As one of the more recent titles of the franchise, it failed to capture much attention due to its repetitive gameplay and loot box mechanics. It was developed by Ghost Games and published by Electronic Arts in 2017 and featured three playable protagonists: Tyler Morgan, Mac McAllister, and Jessica Miller.
18) Need for Speed: The Run
Released back in 2011 as the 18th installment of the franchise, the title followed Jack Rourke as he raced across the United States to escape the mob. Most fans and critics were not pleased by the lack of car customization, as well as the length of the game and lack of innovation compared to other entries in the series.
17) Need for Speed: Undercover
Developed and published by Electronic Arts, Undercover manages to be incredibly tedious, filled with bugs and technical issues. However, the game still has the amazing customizations and intense racing mechanics that are expected of the series, and still manages to be some fans’ favorite.
16) Need for Speed: Carbon
The game features a variety of race types including drift racing, checkpoint racing, and canyon duels. The game also has an extensive customization system that allows players to go in-depth on their tuning and vehicle performance. Even with all of this, it failed to bring innovation to the series and couldn’t capture fans attention for long.
15) Need for Speed: Heat
Developed by Ghost Games and published by Electronic Arts in 2019, Heat received generally positive reviews, with people praising its car customization, graphics, and police pursuits. The title had a day-and-night system where players participated in legal and illegal street races during the day and police pursuits at night.
14) Need for Speed (2015)
As the 22nd installment in the franchise, it featured an open-world environment in the fictional city of Ventura Bay. Different race types include drift racing, time attack, sprint racing, and more taking place on public roads. While some praised the game’s graphics and car customizations, and more, others criticized it for its numerous technical issues and bugs.
13) Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed
Like its predecessor, ranked a bit higher on this list, Shift 2 Unleashed takes a more realistic and simulation-based approach to racing. However, having a more professional gameplay rather than an illegal one didn’t help it rise above the others. Many fans complained of the difficulty spikes and technical issues present throughout the title.
12) Need for Speed: Rivals
Rivals was a joint effort between Ghost Games and Criterion while it was published by Electronic Arts. It was one of the first to implement the AllDrive feature, which allowed players to seamlessly enter and exit out of multiplayer. People praised it for its graphics, open world, and innovative AllDrive mechanics, while others criticized its lack of gameplay variety and inconsistent difficulty.
11) Need for Speed: Shift
With a higher rating of approval than its successor, Shift comes in at 11th position in the game. It was developed by Slightly Mad Studios and released in 2009 and featured various types of races in real-world tracks. The title received mostly positive reviews, but some didn’t like the lack of content that it had to offer.
10) Need for Speed: High Stakes
The fourth mainline installment in the series, High Stakes, or Road Challenge as it is known in Europe, was praised for its variety in race and car customizations. It came out in 1999 and was developed by Electronic Arts Canada. The game remains a fan favorite and a classic in the racing genre.
9) Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012)
As per the reimagining of the original Most Wanted released in 2005, the second version set out on the right foot. It has intense illegal racing paired with interesting graphical race intros, and exploration allows players to find new vehicles. Autolog allows them to auto matchup with someone of their own skill level and race against them.
8) Need for Speed: Underground
Underground was an instant cult classic for many. It features everything an arcade-style illegal racing simulator should have. Race types include Drag Racing, Drift Racing, and Sprint Racing. It received heaps of praise for its car customizations and race types, while many still criticized it for focusing on style over substance.
7) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
Criterion Games allows players to take on the role of either the racer trying to evade the cops or acting as the police to bust down the racer. Its car customization options as well as racing mechanics were on par with the expectations from the series. It received generally favorable reviews and managed to become one of the best games in the series.
6) Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed
NFS Porsche Unleashed is one of the most unique entries on the list as it solely focuses on the Porsche brand of cars. The title managed to replicate the handling and feel of every car quite well. It was widely praised for its accuracy and depiction of the brand. Many lists put this game at the top and it is the highest rated NFS title on Metacritic.
5) Need for Speed II
As the second mainline entry in the series, the game managed to improve upon every aspect of the original. It is still considered one of the best in the series and is a perfect package for the NFS experience. At the launch, it was criticized for its lack of realism and tendency to focus on an arcade-like style. These aspects went on to solidify the series' identity.
4) Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
Released in 1998, Hot Pursuit massively improved on the graphics and added more race varieties. Despite the criticism waved at the previous title, Electronic Arts doubled down on these mechanics and solidified NFS’ identity. It was highly regarded and loved for its thrilling and high-intensity races.
3) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
The successor to the hit title released in 2010 allows racers to take on the role of both racer and police. Players can try and escape the police as racers or try and catch the racers as the police. It has mostly positive reviews and is well loved by the community. The game has also made massive improvements to the systems and graphics of Hot Pursuit I.
2) Need for Speed: Underground 2
Underground took all the arcady-ness of the series and amplified it to a higher level while delivering on the gameplay variety. As the eighth main installment of the series, it allowed players to freely roam the open world to look for hidden races and events. It garnered a lot of positive reviews from fans and critics alike, which led to it becoming one of the most beloved games in the series.
1) Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
One of the highest rated games in the series, Most Wanted can be crowned as the best because it continues to have a massive number of players playing it even now. They love the story and the open world of Rockfort. The customization system of the game remains one of the best, with some of the best car selections in the series. The title is widely loved for all of its aspects.
The NFS series has produced some of the best and most memorable racing games in the world. From the high-speed races of Hot Pursuit to the immersive open worlds of Underground and Most Wanted, there is something for every type of player.
