Action · December 1, 2022

Need for Speed™ Unbound (2022)

Need for Speed™ Unbound (2022) scores 60% positive on Steam from 49.6k reviews, developed by Criterion Games.

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Need for Speed™ Unbound (2022) is a Action title from Criterion Games available on Windows. The title carries a 60% Steam positive rating across 49.6k reviews, 618 peak concurrent players, and 41 Steam achievements — making it a measurable reference point when comparing to peers in the Action category.

Compare Need for Speed™ Unbound Editions Need for Speed™ Unbound Ultimate Collection Unleash the ultimate Need for Speed Unbound experience in one package with the Ultimate Collection. The collection includes Need For Speed Unbound, instant access to all post-launch premium content, and the Vol. 9 Premium Speed Pass. Get access to 9 fully customizable cars, over 45 Customs, and 100+ additional cosmetics. INCLUDES: Keys to the Map Vol. 9 Premium Speed Pass** (upon release) Vol. 8 Premium Speed Pass Vol. 8 Dynamic Catch-Up Pack** (Including Premium Speed Pass Content, upon release) Vol. 7 Dynamic Catch-Up Pack (Including Premium Speed Pass Content) Vol. 6 Dynamic Catch-Up Pack (Including Premium Speed Pass Content) Vol. 5 Catch-Up Pack Vol. 5 Customs Pack Trick or Street Swag Pack Vol. 4 Catch-Up Pack Hip Hop Origin Swag Pack Vol. 4 Customs Pack Vol. 3 Catch-Up Pack Robojets Swag Pack Vol. 3 Customs Pack Need for Speed™ Unbound Palace Edition The London-based skate brand joins Lakeshore’s heated streets with a full tank of exclusive content only Palace Skateboards can deliver. Buy* Need for Speed™ Unbound Palace Edition and get: 4 stunningly intense, new Custom Cars ** including: Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series 2020 Volkswagen Golf GTI 1976 BMW M3 Evolution II E30 1988 Mercedes-AMG G 63 2017 Palace Driving Effects Stacked Palace Clothing Pack containing 20 items Palace Decals and ‘Palifornia’ License Plate Tri-Ferg Character Pose and Palace Banner Artwork About the Game Race against time, outsmart the cops, and take on weekly qualifiers to reach The Grand, Lakeshore’s ultimate street racing challenge. Pack your garage with precision-tuned custom rides, and light up the streets with your style, exclusive fits, and a vibrant global soundtrack that bumps in every corner of the world. Updates to the game come in the form of Volumes as the game builds towards becoming the Ultimate NFS Experience in one place for the first time. VOLUMES VOL. 9: LOCKDOWN — Ride or die with your crew. Break into Lockups using NFS’s first motorbike and claim the Hot rides inside, plus the arrival of the fully customizable Subaru Impreza WRX STI ’99 and Honda Integra Type R ’98 VOL. 8: Cops vs. Racers — Relive the original thrill of the chase with the return of Hot Pursuit mode, Pursuit Tech, and all-new Cop Progression, plus the arrival of the fully customizable Porsche 959 S ‘87 and Lotus Evija ‘23 VOL. 7: Drift & Drag — Discover new feels for classic skills, featuring the reintroduction of Drift and Drag modes and League progression, and the arrival of the fully customizable Ford Mustang Dark Horse ’24 and BMW M3 Competition Touring ’23 VOL. 6: Head to Head — Jump straight into the competition with a new dedicated PVP mode featuring weekly playlists, and crush your rivals with the introduction of 3 fully customizable Audi cars VOL. 5 — Show that you’ve reached the top of the scene VOL. 4 — Celebrate 75 years of Porsche VOL. 3 — Work together to crush intense stunt-based challenges VOL. 2 — Head back into the city as Lakeshore evolves

Release & Availability

Release date Dec 1, 2022
Developer Criterion Games
Publisher Electronic Arts
Base price $6.99 -90%
DLC / Add-ons 19 released
Platforms Windows
Estimated owners 1M–10M
External links Official site · Support

Release timeline

Need for Speed™ Unbound launched on Dec 1, 2022.

Studio and publishing

The title was developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts.

Platform support

Playable natively on Windows.

Packages & editions

  • Buy Need for Speed™ Unbound

Reception & Reviews

Steam community score

Steam users rate Need for Speed™ Unbound 60% positive across 49.6k reviews — categorised as Mixed.

29.8k positive · 19.8k negative

Critic consensus

Critic reception data on Metacritic is limited for this post-2021 title — Steam user reviews are the primary reception signal.

Curator & community recommendations

Steam curators and players have issued 44.4k recommendations for this title.

Peak concurrent players

Peak concurrent Steam players reached 618 — a measurement of how active the playerbase got at launch or during a surge.

Press quotes

“A breathtakingly fast open-world street racer” GamesRadar+ “a vibrant new art style and some exciting arcade racing” GameSpot “The best Need for Speed in a generation” Eurogamer

Gameplay Profile

Genres

  • Action
  • Racing

Community tag consensus

  • Racing · 236
  • Multiplayer · 147
  • Open World · 142
  • Action · 122
  • Driving · 122
  • Singleplayer · 114
  • Character Customization · 111
  • Combat Racing · 73
  • Controller · 69
  • Arcade · 63
  • Online Co-Op · 40
  • Casual · 35

Playtime profile

Community average playtime is 24 hours, with a median of 10 hours — a moderate (15–40 hours) commitment. Two-week average sits at 4 hours per active player.

Steam achievements

The title ships with 41 Steam achievements to unlock.

Languages supported

Interface / subtitles: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish – Spain, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese – Brazil, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese.

Full audio: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish – Spain, Japanese, Polish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Need for Speed™ Unbound released?

Need for Speed™ Unbound was released on Dec 1, 2022 by Criterion Games.

Is Need for Speed™ Unbound worth playing?

Based on 49.6k Steam reviews, Need for Speed™ Unbound holds a 60% positive rating (Mixed) — suggesting the game resonates with most players who try it.

What platforms does Need for Speed™ Unbound support?

Need for Speed™ Unbound runs natively on Windows.

How much does Need for Speed™ Unbound cost?

Base price on Steam is $6.99 (before seasonal discounts).