Need For Speed Games Release Dates, More than 25 years have passed since the Need for Speed franchise debuted, and many gamers may be wondering about the release order. All Need for Speed games from 1994 to 2022 are here in order.
Need for Speed has always been about intense races filled with an exhilarating rush to finish first. Ever since the Need for Speed release date emerged in the mid-90s, Need for Speed has quickly become one of the most popular racing game series became one.
More than 20 installments have been released to date, and NFS Unbound is the latest game to join the roster. With that in mind, we've listed all Need for Speed games in order of release, from first install to newest.
The Need For Speed (1994)
- Release date : December 2, 1994
- Developer : EA Canada (originally known as Pioneer Productions)
- Platforms : 3DO, MS-DOS, Windows, PlayStation, Saturn
The first NFS game was released in 1994 to provide a realistic car simulation to all racing game fans. It's a far cry from what the series currently offers, but it has certainly created a long-standing legacy.
Need For Speed II (1997)
- Release date : March 31, 1997
- Developer : EA Canada (PS), EA Seattle (PC)
- Platforms : PC, Playstation
Need For Speed 2 is the second game in the series and is slightly different from the previous one. It featured some of the rarest and most exotic vehicles of the time, as well as more open-ended rail designs.
Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998)
- Release date : March 25, 1998
- Developer : EA Canada (PS), EA Seattle (PC)
- Platforms : PC, Playstation
Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit was a notch above all previously released games. The graphics were much more attractive with improved physics and track designs compared to the previous installment.
It also included cops for the first time through the Pursuit system. AI can track speeding racers and drop spikes on the road to arrest them. It also opened up modding opportunities as players were able to download additional cars from the official website.
Need For Speed: High Stakes (1999)
- Need for Speed Release date : March 24, 1999
- Developer : EA Canada (PS), EA Seattle (PC)
- Platforms : PC, Playstation
Released in 1999, Need For Speed: High Stakes introduced the damage system for the first time in the game. This means that your vehicle's appearance and performance (speed, acceleration, etc.) will be affected if it collides with objects.
It introduced new game modes and players can buy cars directly and upgrade them with better gear.
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (2000)
- Release date : March 29, 2000
- Developer : Eden Studios (PS), EA Canada (PC), Pocketeers (GBA)
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance
This installment was unique as it only included cars of one particular brand – Porsche. The game became very popular in the early 2000s as it features realistic car controls and tons of vehicles from the German sports car manufacturer.
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)
- Release date : October 2, 2002
- Developer : EA Black Box, EA Seattle
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gamecube
Released in 2002, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 was the opposite of the previous game. It included a ton of fast supercars, police chases, and several similar game modes from NFS 3.
Need for Speed: Underground (2003)
- Release date : 17 November 2003
- Developer : EA Black Box, Pocketeers, Global VR
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gamecube
With Underground, NFS has moved from semi-pro racing to street racing. Drag and Drift were two new modes introduced in the game and they are still common to this day.
Players can also modify their cars in new ways, starting with paint jobs, spoilers, wheels and much more. It's also the first Need For Speed game to feature pre-rendered videos as part of the storytelling.
Legendary Need for Speed: Underground 2 (2004)
- Release date : 9 November 2004
- Developer : EA Black Box, Pocketeers, Team Fusion
- Platforms : PC, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS
The next Need for Speed game is the Underground sequel. What the developers did was bring new events, cars and customization and make it an open world game. This was a pretty welcome change and the concept still remains strong in current versions.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
- Release date : 11 November 2005
- Developer : EA Black Box, EA Canada, Team Fusion, Sensory Sweep Studios, Pocketeers
- Platforms : PC, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is one of the most iconic games in the series and a huge hit. It is still considered one of the best racing games and continues the police chases in NFS Hot Pursuit while pushing forward the open world concept in Underground 2.
The game's story was a bit different from the others as it included a Blacklist of 15 racers that had to be beaten to unlock new cars, gear, and more.
Need for Speed: Most Carbon (2006)
- Release date : October 30, 2006
- Developer : EA Black Box, EA Canada, Team Fusion, Exient Entertainment, Pocketeers, Rovio Mobile, Global VR
- Platforms : PC, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Mac OS
Need for Speed: Most Carbon is the next game and almost replicated the success of Most Wanted. It also explored the concept of street racing culture, with certain elements taken from Hot Pursuit and Underground.
It was also the first NFS game released for PS3, introducing a new feature where players could form a 'team'.
Need for Speed: ProStreet (2007)
- Release date : 14 November 2007
- Developer : EA Black Box
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii
ProStreet can be considered a fiasco for the auto racing series. Some factors were responsible for its failure, such as extremely difficult-to-use cars and the lack of an open world environment.
Need for Speed: Undercover (2008)
- Release date : 18 November 2008
- Developer : EA Black Box, Exient Entertainment, Piranha Games, Firebrand Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii
Undercover was the last game on PS2 where players had to play as the undercover cop. It sought to regain some of its lost glory and included more than 50 vehicles, police pursuits, and more.
However, it didn't quite make a mark, and remains one of the least popular NFS titles.
Need for Speed: Shift (2009)
- Release date : 15 September 2009
- Developer : EA Bright Light, Slightly Mad Studios
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Android, iOS
Need for Speed: Nitro (2009)
- Release date : 3 November 2009
- Developer : EA Montreal, Firebrand Games
- Platforms : Nintendo DS, Wii
Need for Speed: World (2010)
- Release date : 27 July 2010
- Developer : EA Singapore, Quicklime Games
- Platforms : Computer
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
- Release date : 16 November 2010
- Developer : Criterion Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android, iOS, Wii
Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed (2011)
- Release date : March 29, 2011
- Developer : Slightly Mad Studios, Straight Right
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS
Need for Speed: The Run (2011)
- Release date : 15 November 2011
- Developer : EA Black Box, Firebrand Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, Wii
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012)
- Release date : October 30, 2012
- Developer : Criterion Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, Wii U
Need for Speed: Rivals (2013)
- Release date : 15 November 2013
- Developer :Ghost Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Need for Speed: No Limits (2015)
- Release date : 30 September 2015
- Developer : Firemonkeys Studios
- Platforms :iOS-Android
Need for Speed (2015)
- Release date : 3 November 2015
- Developer :Ghost Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Need for Speed Payback (2017)
- Release date : 10 November 2017
- Developer :Ghost Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Need for Speed Heat (2019)
- Release date : 8 November 2019
- Developer :Ghost Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Need for Speed Unbound (2022)
- Release date : December 2 2022
- Developer : Criterion Games
- Platforms : PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series