All Need for Speed games in order

Do you have an interest in knowing the total number of games in the Need for Speed franchise?

Since its inception in the mid-90s, Need for Speed has always been known for its intense races and the thrilling rush to claim first place. Over the years, it has gained widespread popularity and has become one of the most beloved racing game series.

With over 20 installments released so far, the most recent addition to the roster is NFS Unbound. Keeping this in mind, we have compiled a list of all the Need for Speed games in the order they were released, starting from the first installment to the latest one.

The Need For Speed (1994)

the inside of a car in Need For Speed 1994 — Electronic Arts

This game marks the beginning of a historic video game series.

Release date: December 2, 1994
Developer: EA Canada (originally known as Pioneer Productions)
Platforms: 3DO, MS-DOS, Windows, PlayStation, Saturn

The initial NFS game was introduced in 1994 with the goal of offering a lifelike car simulation for avid racing game enthusiasts. Although it is quite different from what the series currently has to offer, it undoubtedly established a lasting legacy.

Need For Speed II (1997)

some cars racing in Need For Speed II — Electronic Arts

There are many exotic vehicles featured in Need For Speed II.

Release date: March 31, 1997
Developer: EA Canada (PS), EA Seattle (PC)
Platforms: PC, PlayStation

The second installment of the Need For Speed series, Need For Speed 2, differs slightly from its predecessor. It includes more open-ended track designs and also showcases some of the most exclusive and unique vehicles of its time.

Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998)

This Need For Speed featured cops for the first time ever.

Release date: March 25, 1998
Developer: EA Canada (PS), EA Seattle (PC)
Platforms: PC, PlayStation

Compared to its predecessors, Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit stood out as a superior game. It boasted enhanced graphics, improved physics, and more impressive track designs.

The Pursuit system, introduced in the game, marked the first appearance of cops in the game. Through this system, AI was able to chase down speeding racers and deploy spikes on the road in an effort to capture them. This also opened up opportunities for modding, as players were able to access and download extra cars from the official website.

Overview of Need For Speed: High Stakes (1999)

a car in nfs high stakes — Electronic Arts

This game was more realistic than the previously released ones.

Release date: March 24, 1999
Developer: EA Canada (PS), EA Seattle (PC)
Platforms: PC, PlayStation

Need For Speed: High Stakes, which was released in 1999, marked the first time a damage system was implemented in the game. This feature causes your car’s appearance and performance, including speed and acceleration, to be affected in the event of collisions with objects.

The new game update brought in additional game modes and allowed players to purchase cars outright and enhance them with superior equipment.

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (2000)

a porsche in need for speed porsche unleashed — Electronic Arts

This NFS title had the most realistic controls.

Release date: March 29, 2000
Developer: Eden Studios (PS), EA Canada (PC), Pocketeers (GBA)
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance

This installment stood out for its focus on cars from a single brand, Porsche. Its close-to-realistic car controls and vast selection of vehicles from the German sports car manufacturer contributed to its popularity in the early 2000s.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)

a car racing in nfs hot pursuit 2 — Electronic Arts

You could play as a cop in NFS Hot Pursuit 2.

Release date: October 2, 2002
Developer: EA Black Box, EA Seattle
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gamecube

In contrast to its predecessor, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 was launched in 2002 and offered a plethora of high-speed supercars, intense police pursuits, and multiple game modes reminiscent of NFS 3.

Need for Speed: Underground (2003)

several cars racing in nfs underground — Electronic Arts

NFS Underground adopted a street racing style.

Release date: November 17, 2003
Developer: EA Black Box, Pocketeers, Global VR
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gamecube

NFS’s transition to Underground marked a shift from semi-professional racing to street racing. The game introduced two new modes, Drag and Drift, which remain popular to this day.

In addition, players had the ability to customize their cars in various ways including paint jobs, spoilers, rims, and more. This game also marked the first time that pre-rendered videos were used to enhance the storytelling experience in Need For Speed.

Need for Speed: Underground 2 – Released in 2004

main menu in nfs underground 2 — Electronic Arts

NFS Underground 2 brought new game modes along with it.

Release date: November 9, 2004
Developer: EA Black Box, Pocketeers, Team Fusion
Platforms: PC, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS

The subsequent installment of Need for Speed is the sequel to Underground. The developers made sure to integrate new events, cars, and customization options, transforming it into an open-world game. This change was well-received and the concept continues to thrive in current releases.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)

some cars racing in nfs most wanted — Electronic Arts

NFS Most Wanted is one of the best games of the franchise.

Release date: November 11, 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

Despite its age, Need for Speed: Most Wanted remains a beloved installment and a huge success for the franchise. It is still widely regarded as one of the top racing games, building upon the open-world concept introduced in Underground 2 and retaining the thrilling cop chases from NFS Hot Pursuit.

The game’s plot deviated from others by incorporating a Blacklist of 15 racers that players must defeat in order to unlock new cars, gear, and other rewards.

Need for Speed: Most Carbon (2006)

a red car in nfs carbon — Electronic Arts

NFS Carbon featured nighttime-only racing.

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 X

The next game in line, Need for Speed: Most Carbon, nearly duplicated the triumph of Most Wanted. It also incorporated the theme of street racing culture, incorporating certain elements from Hot Pursuit and Underground.

The game was also the first in the NFS series to be released for the PS3 and it also introduced a new feature that allowed players to create a ‘crew’.

Title: Need for Speed: ProStreet (2007)

some speeding cars in nfs prostreet — Electronic Arts

The controls were quite difficult to handle in this game.

Release date: November 14, 2007
Developer: EA Black Box
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii

Despite being part of the car racing franchise, ProStreet can be deemed a failure. Its failure can be attributed to factors such as excessively challenging car handling and the absence of an open-world environment.

Need for Speed: Undercover (2008)

a red car in nfs undercover — Electronic Arts

This game featured over 50 cars.

Release date: November 18, 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

The final game for the PS2 was Undercover, in which players took on the role of an undercover cop. It attempted to revive its former fame and included over 50 different vehicles, police pursuits, and other features.

Despite its efforts, the game was unable to make a significant impact and ultimately became one of the lesser-known NFS titles.

The Excitement of Need for Speed: Shift (2009)

a black lamborghini in nfs shift — Electronic Arts

NFS Shift features several licensed tracks.

Release date: September 15, 2009
Developer: EA Bright Light, Slightly Mad Studios
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Android, iOS

Unlike some of its previous releases, Need for Speed: Shift was a success, focusing on realistic racing simulation rather than arcade-style gameplay. This installment featured over 60 vehicles and 19 tracks, with the handling being nearly flawless.

Need for Speed: Nitro

a look at nfs nitro on a nintendo handheld — Electronic Arts

NFS Nitro is the only Nintendo-exclusive title.

Release date: November 3, 2009
Developer: EA Montreal, Firebrand Games
Platforms: Nintendo DS, Wii

This particular NFS installment was only available on the Nintendo platform and took a more laid-back approach by incorporating elements of arcade-style gameplay rather than intense racing.

Need for Speed: World (2010)

some supercars in nfs world — Electronic Arts

NFS World is the franchise’s one and only free-to-play title.

Release date: July 27, 2010
Developer: EA Singapore, Quicklime Games
Platforms: PC

With its release exclusively on the Windows platform, Need for Speed: World became the first free-to-play installment in the franchise. This MMO was heavily influenced by the gameplay of popular titles such as Most Wanted and Carbon.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)

a lamborghini in nfs hot pursuit 2010 — Electronic Arts

The best feature of this game are the police chases.

Release date: November 16, 2010
Developer: Criterion Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android, iOS, Wii

The upcoming NFS game is Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. This installment served as a revival of the 1998 version and was widely regarded as one of the finest racing games in the series. It placed greater emphasis on high-speed pursuits and races rather than vehicle customizations.

Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed (2011)

some supercars in nfs shift 2 unleashed — Electronic Arts

NFS Shift 2: Unleashed features 40 real-world locations.

Release date: March 29, 2011
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios, Straight Right
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS

The upcoming installment of Need For Speed is a continuation of the 2009 version. Unfortunately, it failed to meet the high expectations set for it. The game included a multitude of authentic settings and a more extensive career mode.

Need for Speed: The Run (2011)

a car with its brake lights on in nfs the run — Electronic Arts

Players could exit their cars and walk in this game.

Release date: November 15, 2011
Developer: EA Black Box, Firebrand Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, Wii

Despite its inclusion of coast-to-coast racing, quick-time events, and a wide range of real-world cars, Need for Speed: The Run ultimately struggled to boost sales for the franchise, similar to its predecessor Shift 2.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012)

some cars racing in nfs most wanted 2012 — Electronic Arts

2012’s is only half-baked in comparison to 2005’s iconic title.

Release date: October 30, 2012
Developer: Criterion Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, Wii U

In 2012, Need for Speed attempted to emulate the success of their most popular title, Most Wanted, in their franchise. While it also featured an open world, it fell short in important areas such as customization and a cohesive storyline.

Need for Speed: Rivals (2013)

a police supercar in nfs rivals — Electronic Arts

NFS Rivals shares a similar concept with Hot Pursuit.

Release date: November 15, 2013
Developer: Ghost Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360

The succeeding Need For Speed installment is Rival, released in 2013. The game’s mechanics were influenced by Hot Pursuit and also featured new elements such as a dynamic weather system and the AllDrive feature.

Need for Speed: No Limits (2015)

a bmw in nfs no limits — Electronic Arts

No Limits is a mobile-only NFS game.

Release date: September 30, 2015
Developer: Firemonkeys Studios
Platforms: iOS, Android

The mobile-exclusive game Need for Speed: No Limits, released in 2015, features many elements adapted from the franchise’s most popular titles.

Need for Speed (2015)

cars racing at night in NFS 2015 — Electronic Arts

This game had a PC release in 2016.

Release date: November 3, 2015
Developer: Ghost Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Despite being released in 2015, this installment of Need for Speed was intended to be a reboot for the series but fell short of leaving a lasting impression. The game’s controls differed greatly from those of its predecessors, with a greater emphasis on “action driving.”

Need for Speed Payback (2017)

some cars racing in nfs payback — Electronic Arts

Payback features an offline single-player mode.

Release date: November 10, 2017
Developer: Ghost Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

It appeared that NFS Payback drew significant influence from the Fast and Furious franchise. Despite having an offline single-player mode, this game was one of the lower-performing titles in the series in terms of sales.

Need for Speed Heat (2019)

a car speeding inside a tunnel ;it with neon lights in nfs heat — Electronic Arts

NFS Heat allows switching between day and night periods.

Release date: November 8, 2019
Developer: Ghost Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

As implied by its name, this NFS game included a ‘Heats’ system in which players were required to build a reputation in each race.

Need for Speed Unbound (2022)

The graphics in Need For Speed Unbound is unique.

Release date: December 2, 2022
Developer: Criterion Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

The most recent version of the franchise, Need for Speed Unbound, maintains a realistic appearance for cars while incorporating a cartoon-like style for the characters.

This is a complete list of all Need For Speed games in their proper order of release. For those interested, there are also chronological lists available for Call of Duty and Resident Evil games, in case you are a fan of these particular series.