2022 was a stacked year that featured indie darlings (Immortality), blockbusters (God of War Ragnarok), and smaller, surprise hits (Marvel Snap), so it shouldn't be a shock that a game or two slipped under your radar. But the biggest blink-and-you-miss-it release might be late November's Need for Speed Unbound, the latest entry in EA’s long-running street racing series. With Criterion Games (of Burnout fame) at the helm, Unbound had the potential to be one of the best racing games of the year—or a return to series form after a few missteps. But while aesthetically pleasing and featuring cross-platform play with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the $69.99 PC game lacks satisfactory car handling and a thriving, in-game world.
Underground Royalty
Need for Speed Unbound is as loud and braggadocious as previous series entries, but its new art style gives the game a unique flourish. The character models feature a cel-shaded, anime-esque look, while the realistic cars are adorned with eye-catching effects during big drifts and air time. The game looks great, both standing still and in motion, though I couldn't help but wish that the flashy visuals found their way into the rest of the game, if only to help it stand out from the racing pack.
You're set loose in Lakeshore City, a fictionalized Chicago where you're free to casually drive around, accept challenges, and stop at meet-ups to race for cash. Think Burnout Paradise, but with far fewer crashes. You operate on a day-and-night cycle that changes every time you enter a hideout. The city itself is somewhat empty though. Pedestrians and cars line the streets and sidewalks, but they do little to make the city feel alive.
Need for Speed Unbound has a story mode that gives you a reason for racing. You and your friend, Yaz, work at an old mechanic shop owned by former street racer Rydell. After a dispute with Rydell, Yaz double-crosses the mechanic and steals the high-profile cars that Rydell was working on. Two years later, you find yourself back in the underground racing scene to compete in The Grand, a race run by your former friend, Yaz. Most of the story happens over phone calls while driving, so it's never too long before you’re out racing again. Although the dialogue is delivered well, it’s full of Gen-Z, too-cool-for-school sound bites.
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Racing isn’t as simple as just showing up at a designated location, though that's how you initiate the contests. Need for Speed Unbound has free races, but the stakes are raised once you race for in-game cash. You can make progress if you don’t score first place, but you’ll want to make a decent rank if only to break even. Of course, street racing isn’t complete with a good police chase.
Police chases have a Heat meter rank; the higher the Heat, the more aggressive the police. You gain Heat by racing multiple times in one night, while evading Five-O (or in some cases, ramming through them). Heat is reset every time you bank your cash at one of your hideouts. The cop chases are thrilling, but the racing itself isn’t that fun.
Under the Hood
I’ve spent many hours playing arcade racers like Crusin’ Blast and super-realistic racers like Gran Turismo 7, so I’ve dabbled in the racing genre's respective deep ends. However, I could not find the right balance in Need for Speed Unbound. The car’s physics felt off, and I grew frustrated during the game's early hours. Even after some time and upgrades, nothing felt like it was genuinely improving my car. Races are a chore, especially when you factor in the overly aggressive driver AI that easily took the lead from me because of a bad drift.
At least the music helps with some of the tedium, with a diverse soundtrack that features indie pop and trap songs from artists like A$AP Rocky, Charli XCX, Diplo, and PlayBoy Carti. They blend well with the game's aesthetic and add a charm that had me nostalgic for EA Sports BIG, Electronic Arts' arcade-style extreme sports label that ceased operations back in 2008.
But while the soundtrack and visuals won me over in the opening hours of the game, the frustration started to settle in. The animated flourishes are nice, but they clash with the realistic cityscape in a way that bothered me. On top of that, visceral car crashes don't cause much visible damage. Please EA, the children yearn for Burnout’s over-the-top stunt crashing.
In a nice touch, Need for Speed Unbound has PC/PlayStation/Xbox crossplay that focuses on racing and upgrading your car. However, it lacks a few features; you can only engage in cop chases. In addition, online and local progression are treated as two separate affairs. That's hard to stomach considering the cost of the extensive customization options (there are more than 10,000 options, including rims and wraps). At least you use in-game cash, not real-world money.
Can Your PC Run Need for Speed Unbound?
To get Need for Speed Unbound up and running on your gaming rig, EA recommends a PC housing at least an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i5-8660 CPU, AMD Radeon RX570 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, 8GB of RAM, 50GB of HDD space, and the Windows 10 operating system. The recommended settings are higher, as you'll need at least an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel i7-8700 CPU, AMD RX5700 or Nvidia GeForce 2070 GPU, and 16GB of RAM.
My testbed, which contains an Intel Core i7-10700K CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, pushed the game at a smooth 60 frames per second at 1440p resolution, both in and out of races. The game looks great, too. Raindrops realistically plop against droptops, and the colorful effects pop against the realistic backdrops. The game isn’t too varied in its environmental offerings, but it’s not drab, either. Car destruction was kept to a minimum, unfortunately.
Need for Speed Unbound supports game controllers, steering wheels, Steam Achievements, and Steam Cloud. There isn’t official Steam Deck support (perhaps due to the game requiring Origin credentials), but there is a workaround if you insist on playing it on the go.
Why You Should Game on a PC
The Streets Are Calling
At the end of the day, it's good to see a new Need for Speed. Unbound feels like a bit of a time capsule, reminiscent of classic games in the NFS catalog, as well as retro games with similar aesthetics. Still, it misses the exit when it comes to its actual driving, and many of its other contenders, be it sim or arcade racing, leave it in the dust. It’s not by any stretch a bad game, and given the genre's slim pickings, it’s a notable title. It’s just one that you might want to wait out for a price cut. Hot Wheels Unleashed and Hotshot Racing are better suited for arcade game purists, while Forza Horizon 5 is our top pick if you're looking for a hybrid of arcade and sim action.
For more PC game reviews and previews, check out PCMag's Steam Curator page. And for in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag's Pop-Off YouTube channel.
Need for Speed Unbound is a beautiful street racing game that features a cool soundtrack and welcome cross-platform play, but frustrating car physics and CPU drivers sully the experience.
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