Need for Speed Payback

 PC
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
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  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Mar 2, 2018
    79
    In an effort to make players shell out for microtransactions, developers ramped up the difficulty, which led to a surprisingly enjoyable result – it’s the first time we get a relatively difficult NFS in recent years. [Issue#226, p.44]
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  2. Gamersky
    Jan 21, 2018
    75
    NFS: Payback is full of defects, such as the boring story, highly repetitive missions, useless open world design, and annoying microtransactions. However, it is not terrible enough to get a fail score. This game contains exaggerated and cool controls, exhilarating car chasing, and fascinating background music. If you also enjoy the passionate scenes of the Fast & Furious movie series just like I do, I think you will love this game anyway.
  3. GameStar
    Nov 10, 2017
    70
    Payback has the ingredients to be an entertaining arcade racer, but poor game design choices and lame gameplay prevent that.
  5. PC Games
    Nov 10, 2017
    66
    Oh dear, that went pretty wrong! After all, the last Need for Speed had some problems (we just say: filmed cutscenes), it was a competently done and above all entertaining racing game.
  6. Merlin'in Kazanı (Turkey)
    Nov 15, 2017
    55
    Need For Speed: Payback was one of the most anticipated racing games of 2017. We thought it would bring back our beloved franchise to its feet again. But with luck-based modification and a lack of online free roam, it clearly didn't.
  7. PC Gamer
    Nov 16, 2017
    53
    Enjoyable arcade handling packaged within a game that gets monotonous long before it rewards your time investment.
  8. Games.cz
    Jan 21, 2018
    40
    The new game from the Need for Speed series does not respect your time at all. You should pay it back the same and don´t lose any moment with it. Unprepared and unbalanced free to play mechanics with a strong gambling part destroy otherwise quite usable and somewhat entertaining, though not very interesting arcade.
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  1. Ars Technica
    Nov 11, 2017
    Need for Speed: Payback is a fruitless, grind-y, hard-to-control drive through a terrible story. Skip it.

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
4.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 623 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 156 out of 623
  2. Mixed: 114 out of 623
  3. Negative: 353 out of 623
  1. alexzhivil
    Nov 11, 2017
    0
    Don't support microtransactions - do not buy this game.
    The big companies are milking you and they will keep doing it as long as you keep    Don't support microtransactions - do not buy this game.
    The big companies are milking you and they will keep doing it as long as you keep supporting it !    … Full Review »
  2. Delcien
    Nov 11, 2017
    10
    A very good NFS arcade racing game, I think its being review bombed due to the speedcarda nd in game purchases - Which is a businessA very good NFS arcade racing game, I think its being review bombed due to the speedcarda nd in game purchases - Which is a business desicision I HATE.. but.. the Gameplay itself is so much fun!! I nearly didnt get it fdue to bad scores on Ign and gamespot but I am so glad I did. If you loved open world games like burnout paradise you will love this.! Miles better than 2015 nfs. So much to do in such a big world.… Full Review »
  3. Talbis
    Nov 10, 2017
    4
    Holy **** this is bad...

    So no driving wheel in a driving game. Great. Just great. You upgrade your cars with... cards. CARDS!? WTF!? This    Holy **** this is bad...

    So no driving wheel in a driving game. Great. Just great. You upgrade your cars with... cards. CARDS!? WTF!? This isn't Hearthstone, this is Need For Speed('s corpse). Rubberbanding - terrible, just nonsensical to the point of getting ridiculous. Every cool action, every ump, every stunt the game takes control away from you and does by itself hence killing any satisfaction of fun. Or a seamless gameplay feeling. No cockpit view. The Crew had a cockpit view and this crap... okay, calm down. So you can't leave the road for a second as the game, instead of allowing you to correct yourself just restarts you back on the road in a manner of seconds. Every race seems the same. The story is boring and filled with cliches. Bad acting, as always in Need For Speed. Can't destroy any cars. No damage model. Everything is checkpoint race. Even running from cops. You can lose the cops but if you omit checkpoints, oh boy, you are busted.

    It's a boring grind filled with cutscenes and checkpoints with a terrible story and awful acting.    … Full Review »
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