Need for Speed Unbound

 PC
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 278 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 112 out of 278
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 278
  3. Negative: 129 out of 278

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Mighoet
    Dec 3, 2022
    9
    I must start saying I've played all the other NFS games, and Unbound runs well, it is fast, the camara shake enhances the speed sensation, although is quite different from Heat, cleaner, I like it, Unbound is way more raw, direct, no fumbles, but the dialog is a bit cringe (zoomer like), I do not like many of the player models, and the clothes are subpar, driving is a-ok, works for me,I must start saying I've played all the other NFS games, and Unbound runs well, it is fast, the camara shake enhances the speed sensation, although is quite different from Heat, cleaner, I like it, Unbound is way more raw, direct, no fumbles, but the dialog is a bit cringe (zoomer like), I do not like many of the player models, and the clothes are subpar, driving is a-ok, works for me, challenging, but not impossible, control of the car is clearly tied to your ability to let go of the throttle, maneuvering feels nice, love the garage, love the city, the lighting, the car models look good.… Expand
  2. Xoazh
    Dec 3, 2022
    10
    Good underground style, didnt find any bug yet, feels like street racing, that's the way
  3. kristian9993
    Dec 4, 2022
    10
    I played it and it feels like a completely different game, it's not those dull NSF with terrible physics, it's something else. I like the effects here, but you usually don't notice them and get used to it in a couple of minutes of playing. As for me, this is the best nsf at the moment
  4. epicgamerbruh
    Dec 3, 2022
    10
    love it, i have had no bugs or issues at all, i hope this gets a lot more updates than nfs heat
  5. JudasWick
    Dec 4, 2022
    10
    Gooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
  6. lbruhManl
    Dec 4, 2022
    10
    much better handling than a decade nfs games before, and people who complaining bout epileptic FX u can select default effect that has only cartoon smoke other thing r turned off
  7. m1dnightokyo
    Dec 5, 2022
    10
    Unbound it's a nice game with a better arcade driving, best nfs of the decade
  8. YSJ
    Dec 4, 2022
    10
    Better than nfs heat in every way. I hope the follow-up support lasts for a long time.
  9. LiamHolmes
    Dec 3, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Finally, an all round decent need for speed game.

    We're in an age now where modern racing games *cough* forza horizon, give you everything as soon as you start the game, I mean jeez, a corvette as a starter car? There's no progression, no saving up.
    Thank the devs for not going that way with the new need for speed. You start off at the rock bottom (after the prologue) with the best you can get is a slow eclipse. Which makes you appreciate the cars that you're saving up for even more, you've earned them instead of it being won in a wheel spin.

    - Good things:
    Comparing it to heat, the game is drastically different, for starters the map in unbound is gorgeous! Very big, vibrant and the new addition of npc's make the world come to life. I have not been this impressed with a map since most wanted 05.

    Like many others, I was very sceptical of the 'anime' effects when I first saw the rumours. I can't even lie, as I massive need for speed fan like I am. I thought 'damn this is for real the death of need for speed' BUT NO!! THEY'RE SO GOOD!!! I LOVE THEM. It reminds me of nfs nitro, blur, and the promoting images for nfs shift. It gives the game as nostalgic vibe. Especially with the taillight trails. And, the different tyre smoke is cool too, its something different!

    The cops are DRASTICALLY better than Heat. I hated heat cops, they ever so slightly touch you and half of your heath is gone. It's the same if you smash into them, or if you're in their radar whether you are behind a wall or not, they will still find you. With unbound, they're not like that. You will still take damage, but no where near as the amount on heat. Which makes the chases ALOT more exciting.
    I also love how the helicopters are always scanning on heat 5! .

    If you're coming from heat, you will notice a huge difference in difficulty, even on easy mode. Gone are the days where you're 2 miles in front of 2nd. You make a mistake? You pay for it. Its challenging to reach 1st. Which I honestly love. Plus you only get so many restarts!

    Other things I like:

    - ADJUSTABLE TURBO/SUPERCHARGER SOUNDS!!! It's something I've always wanted. Now I have it. I can not fault this feature.
    - Customisation is fantastic too, with even more parts, body kits etc.
    - Upgrade system has been improved. No more risking your money for the 'good' performance parts!

    Iffy/bad bits

    - First of all. the dialogue is annoying and cringy. Still wayyyy better than heat and payback. They will talk when ever they want, whether you're in the garage about some nonsense which is annoying as at the time i was trying to shazam a song. The story is definitely clearer than heats to understand what's going on. But again it is so cringy.

    - Some car sounds are a little too quiet sometimes. Especially the subaru impreza. Now, nfs has always perfected its subaru boxer sounds. In most wanted 05/carbon/prostreet they were perfection. But in unbound it sounds weak. Even with exhaust tuning.
    - Physics.....I don't mind them. Nfs is an arcade. So expect arcade physics. They are dodgy at times but i assume an update will polish them out.
    - Also please let me take photos in portrait mode! I don't always want landscape.

    Summary:

    If you're worried about the game being abandoned. you shouldn't This nfs was made by criterion, look at their past nfs games. 2010 hot pursuit, most wanted 2012, rivals. They've all had a chunk of DLC'S and support.
    Criterion have honestly surprised me. This is by far the best nfs game made by them.    … Expand
  10. BLACKEYE1978
    Dec 6, 2022
    10
    Alright... im gonna be honest with you....criterion..... NAILED THIS GAME HOLy SMOKES THE SENSE OF SPEED IS KILLER IM ALSO SCARED TO USE THE BOOST BCZ THE CAMERA AND STUFF LOOKS SOO FAST!!!!!!!! EVEN AT 110 MPH, THE MAP IS SOO DETAILED AND THE WIREING OF THE ROADS IS JUST SOO GOOD!, take the negative reviews with a grain of salt, although the game might feel hard at first, but when u startAlright... im gonna be honest with you....criterion..... NAILED THIS GAME HOLy SMOKES THE SENSE OF SPEED IS KILLER IM ALSO SCARED TO USE THE BOOST BCZ THE CAMERA AND STUFF LOOKS SOO FAST!!!!!!!! EVEN AT 110 MPH, THE MAP IS SOO DETAILED AND THE WIREING OF THE ROADS IS JUST SOO GOOD!, take the negative reviews with a grain of salt, although the game might feel hard at first, but when u start racing it willl be fast. A must play/… Expand
  11. alphateammy
    Dec 4, 2022
    8
    Near perfect arcade racer, the track design is great, very creative routes and placement, except for certain checkpoints. The world is interesting, Beautiful game visuals to look at. The sounds are fantastic especially the RB26 sounds very accurate and better. The smoke effects are 50/50 great but not really distracting. Handling-wise, grip handling is back, and it's better then ever,Near perfect arcade racer, the track design is great, very creative routes and placement, except for certain checkpoints. The world is interesting, Beautiful game visuals to look at. The sounds are fantastic especially the RB26 sounds very accurate and better. The smoke effects are 50/50 great but not really distracting. Handling-wise, grip handling is back, and it's better then ever, while drift handling just doesn't feel right.

    Cops are decent and toned down even at Heat level 5, but they are still fun to race with. Spotting feature is interesting in concept. Bodykits and parts are mostly the same, but only 60% new. Photomode needs an update, for portrait size, and needs more options for color adjustments.    … Expand
  12. KTOXrez
    Dec 3, 2022
    9
    Have had zero crashes and bugs on PC apart from game soft locking twice during the 40 ish hours I've played. Nothing a quick restart didn't fix plus I didn't lose any money.
  13. Andrea_Nick
    Dec 4, 2022
    9
    This game brings me back to the "golden age" of Need for Speed (for me, the early-mid Blackbox era)

    It's a solid Need for Speed, handling feels good and you can tune it to your liking (Grip style, turn off Break to drift etc), the car selection is massive for a title like NFS, sadly no Toyota tho. It just feels great, the map has a hanfull of memorable spots, there is traffic on the    This game brings me back to the "golden age" of Need for Speed (for me, the early-mid Blackbox era)

    It's a solid Need for Speed, handling feels good and you can tune it to your liking (Grip style, turn off Break to drift etc), the car selection is massive for a title like NFS, sadly no Toyota tho.
    It just feels great, the map has a hanfull of memorable spots, there is traffic on the streets and even people walking around, it doesn't feel dead like HEAT and especially Payback did.

    Tuning is absolutly amazing and they did listen to our critique from the previous "new" titles. The cars are fun to drive around, the races are challenging and the story is cringe, just how I remember Most Wanted 2005.    … Expand
  14. FreemanLVA
    Dec 10, 2022
    10
    I just registered here, to leave my opinion. I'm so called veteran of the NFS series, my first game was "Porche unleashed". My opinion that this is the best NFS game ever made. Great adrenaline gameplay, street racing atmosphere, good AI, this game has many interesting mechanics (race management, heat control, rivals u t.d) This game is challenging, some races ends with your scream inI just registered here, to leave my opinion. I'm so called veteran of the NFS series, my first game was "Porche unleashed". My opinion that this is the best NFS game ever made. Great adrenaline gameplay, street racing atmosphere, good AI, this game has many interesting mechanics (race management, heat control, rivals u t.d) This game is challenging, some races ends with your scream in finish line. Every racing events brings you emotions. Cool idea with cellshading in game. It's looks original and looks like street art. Good combination of street racing,street art and hip-hop . Game looks fresh and original, great idea. Cool looking city, city looks more alive and has more interesting logistics than in Heat. Awesome job Criterion. P.S. I think all the comments about NFS Heat supremacy is "Ghost studios" workers comments =D Unbound is better in every way than Heat.… Expand
  15. Eragal
    Dec 5, 2022
    10
    Such an amazing game, really cool art style, a great return for Need for Speed!
  16. Calix
    Dec 9, 2022
    10
    played NFS series since NFS-3, back to the last century lol.
    This one, NFS Unbound, is the best in the last decade, personally.
    Intense gameplay experience, great graphics, +anime style.
    Great, it's just great.
  17. RoM4uK1994
    Dec 4, 2022
    9
    The game is really good, it captures the spirit of the old NFS. The game has a very cool tuning and visual style, the game is well optimized on PC, I advise everyone to play. 9/10
  18. Zaarakx
    Dec 5, 2022
    8
    I love NFS Unbound it’s really great and also a lot of fun, the effects on your car are a little bit annoying at first but after a few hours I have to say that I like them a lot. The music is Meh sometimes it’s good but sometimes it’s just really weird and bad.
    The reason I gave it an 8 is because of the multiplayer it is really bare bones and you can only race against other people no    I love NFS Unbound it’s really great and also a lot of fun, the effects on your car are a little bit annoying at first but after a few hours I have to say that I like them a lot. The music is Meh sometimes it’s good but sometimes it’s just really weird and bad.
    The reason I gave it an 8 is because of the multiplayer it is really bare bones and you can only race against other people no police no AI to race against and only 16 player lobby’s, right now it’s really hard to find 8 player races. I hope we will see some more content for online and some needed updated but besides that it’s a really good NFS    … Expand
  19. Celill
    Dec 6, 2022
    8
    Other then dialog section this game is pretty decent, fun and enjoyable graphics
  20. enbiyaemre
    Dec 4, 2022
    9
    I really don't understand people who rated zero points. This is a great "need for speed" game that I've been waiting for years. Although the game is simplified rather than realistic, it gives me great motivation to play the game.

    SPOILER: A friend of ours we race with in the game ripped off us and we are embarking on a racing adventure to take revenge on him. I was really happy with    I really don't understand people who rated zero points. This is a great "need for speed" game that I've been waiting for years. Although the game is simplified rather than realistic, it gives me great motivation to play the game.

    SPOILER: A friend of ours we race with in the game ripped off us and we are embarking on a racing adventure to take revenge on him.

    I was really happy with the details such as breaking the barriers on the road and not being able to play every race as much as we wanted, unlike in the old games. Although this game is very expensive right now, it's really worth playing, at least on GeForceNow, Xbox GamePass, or when it's on sale.    … Expand
  21. kjho
    Dec 4, 2022
    10
    its the best nfs in like the last 15 years, tbh i dont get why people hate it so much i like end like the anime style is fire its matching whit like the vibe of the game end have a good day
  22. SlupSlup
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    Незаслуженно мало ей ставят, друг дал погонять на акке, мне понравилось, те,кто порвались из-за мультиков прошу засунуть фотореалистичный хуй в глаза
  23. Redeyeee
    Dec 10, 2022
    8
    This isn't perfect but this is the first need for speed since Carbon & most wanted that I've truly enjoyed. It's feels like most wanted 2. The heat system is a little jank. Like I don't see why we should get heat after ever race even if police didn't see anyone racing. It can sometimes feel grindy but it actually makes you think about your next race. But let's talk about the style, IThis isn't perfect but this is the first need for speed since Carbon & most wanted that I've truly enjoyed. It's feels like most wanted 2. The heat system is a little jank. Like I don't see why we should get heat after ever race even if police didn't see anyone racing. It can sometimes feel grindy but it actually makes you think about your next race. But let's talk about the style, I honestly thought it looked trash watching gameplay and fully intended to turn it all off but it just feels right when your playing it actually make the game look amazing at night I find myself actually trying to drift now because that smoke mixed with thr blue and red lights hitting that perfect drift feel epic. Obviously 5his isn't a sim racer if you are looking for that then go somewhere else need for speed has never cared about being realistic. Welcome back NFS you wasn't missed but dam it's nice to see you back again… Expand
  24. Rezon311
    Dec 6, 2022
    9
    9/10 clumsy character drawing, otherwise this is clearly the best part in the last 10 years
  25. NecroSis42
    Dec 5, 2022
    8
    Almost all I have seen right now is telling me that NFS is back on the road!
    That feeling of hunt and be hunted, this awesome setting and creative car customization make Unbound better than any of the last decade. The atmo got improved a lot! But not everything is gold: the cars still feel like glued to the ground even though it is not that bad anymore like in NFS Heat. And also NOS ist    Almost all I have seen right now is telling me that NFS is back on the road!
    That feeling of hunt and be hunted, this awesome setting and creative car customization make Unbound better than any of the last decade. The atmo got improved a lot! But not everything is gold: the cars still feel like glued to the ground even though it is not that bad anymore like in NFS Heat. And also NOS ist still not feeling like in the very old Underground 2, MW or Carbon where my whole body felt pressed into the seat. i hope they treat downhill drifting not like in NFS Heat, where it was far too rarely seen. Need to play more, bye    … Expand
  26. Klazaep
    Dec 8, 2022
    10
    Great game and a must buy, rlly enjoying the game i rlly suggest you take a trial its awesome!
  27. Nicolas008
    Dec 11, 2022
    8
    good gameplay good story good customization of vehicles and customization of pardons something to improve is the brake to drift but besides that a 7.5
  28. SentryFastRacer
    Dec 7, 2022
    10
    I will tell next: This is the best Need for Speed game ever!!! Best graphics, Best physics, Best cars, tuning, street racing, open world and very smart cops!!!

    EA, please, make the new NFS game with open world, but on EGO engine...
  29. User214327
    Dec 6, 2022
    10
    Weeb car vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
  30. polYtoX
    Feb 21, 2023
    9
    So, after some month there happend a Review Bombing to Unbound -> :-( That's SAD.
    That said, I 've to say YES, this is NO FORZA-Killer, but the first NFS with good graphics, fun driving-modell, nice tuning options and NO Rubber banding since a while. For me personally NFS, was more or less dead since some years. I hate this rubber banding effect. Even though this is an arcade-racer, this    So, after some month there happend a Review Bombing to Unbound -> :-( That's SAD.
    That said, I 've to say YES, this is NO FORZA-Killer, but the first NFS with good graphics, fun driving-modell, nice tuning options and NO Rubber banding since a while. For me personally NFS, was more or less dead since some years. I hate this rubber banding effect. Even though this is an arcade-racer, this is for me a no-go. But Unbound -> I played the story through now. The price has already dropped, and the 20-30 bucks is worth it. The Multiplayer lacks a Lot of Options, but you always can make some quick races and that's also OK. Maybe, there comes an update, but who knows. Anyway, for me it's a 9/10, 'cause I played the last weeks every day -> and that what counts for me....to have fun !    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Most Discussed PC Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. PCMag
    Jan 11, 2023
    60
    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.
    Read full review
  2. Worth Playing
    Jan 3, 2023
    80
    Need for Speed Unbound is a solid comeback for the series, provided you can deal with some potential annoyances. The risk/reward system functions well in creating tension during all parts of a race, but the grind is an annoyance until you get better cars or parts for your initial ride. The presence of elements borrowed from other racing titles is done well enough, but the story can be a chore to sit through if you aren't already using this slang every day. Overall, Unbound is a solid racing title that should hopefully start bringing the series back to prominence.
    Read full review
  3. Edge Magazine
    Dec 29, 2022
    70
    Unbound is ultimately and encouraging statement of intent, demonstrating that Criterion is not afraid to tinker with established formula. [Issue#380, p.114]
See all critic reviews »