5 Best Video Games Like Need For Speed

When it comes to street racing game franchises, few live up to their title better than "Need for Speed." Launching in 1994, the series has been an industry staple for 30 years, blending car customization with illegal street racing thrills. The best "Need for Speed" games manage that blend between outpacing rivals and outmaneuvering the law with revved-up distinction. But, of course, the Electronic Arts' property is far from the only street racing game series entertaining fans worldwide.

Inspired by the long-running success behind "Need for Speed," there are loads of other racing games available on a variety of platforms. For this article, we're not necessarily talking about games like "Gran Turismo," which revolve around professional racing competitions. Instead, we're highlighting the racing games that take the fast-paced contests to more unauthorized environments, raised stakes included. These are the five best video games like "Need for Speed" to keep that high-octane action coming.

Just prior to Criterion Games taking the reins on the "Need for Speed" franchise, the British developer released the 2008 game "Burnout Paradise." Set in the open-world environment of Paradise City, the game has players explore and complete a myriad of vehicle-based challenges. Including the usual crash-centric tasks and single-player features, the game has a much more richly realized online multiplayer component. The game was remastered for modern platforms in 2018, not only upgrading the technical presentation but including all previously released DLC.

"Burnout Paradise" is the penultimate entry in the series, followed by 2011's "Burnout Crash!," and is arguably the pinnacle of the franchise. Paradise City is an immersive open-world setting with so much to do and rewards to unlock from a variety of activities. The move away from automotive collision-centric spectacle into a more fully rounded experience is also a welcome change for the franchise. While we still wonder whatever happened to the "Burnout" games and await a revival, "Burnout Paradise" is still the series at its peak.

Rockstar Games had its own street racing franchise with "Midnight Club," which started in 2000 on the PlayStation 2. The final installment in the series to date is "Midnight Club: Los Angeles," which was released in 2008 and remains the franchise's most ambitious title. Set in a sprawling open-world Los Angeles, the player character challenges various racing champions around the city in a variety of vehicles. Players build up their reputation through these races and other side activities, unlocking more vehicle and customization options as their reputation grows.

"Midnight Club: Los Angeles" offers everything from a myriad of different race types to the possibility of being pursued by the police. Along with a feature-rich vision of the City of Angels, the game offers an impressive breadth for players to get lost in. One of the Rockstar games we'll never get to play is another "Midnight Club," at least for the foreseeable future. This is a darn shame because "Los Angeles" showed the full scope of what this forgotten racing franchise was truly capable of.

The greater California Bay Area serves as the setting for "Driver: San Francisco," the last game in the Ubisoft series to date. Returning protagonist John Tanner tries to stop a prison break in San Francisco, only to be struck comatose after becoming involved in a car accident. Regaining consciousness, John now has the ability to shift into other drivers on the road, helping him expand his presence across the city. Using this new power, John scours the wider San Francisco metropolitan area for escaped terrorist Charles Jericho before he enacts his latest plot.

Like "Need for Speed" and "Burnout," "Driver: San Francisco" has racing and pursuit modes built around cops chasing crooks through its urban setting. The supernatural elements added to the game's story are admittedly a departure for the relatively grounded franchise, but it does facilitate changes to the gameplay mechanics. This allows players to jump into other cars on the road on the fly, using a fresh set of wheels to explore and complete missions. The wackiest game in the series and all the better for it, "Driver: San Francisco" has fun with its concepts while providing an engaging vision of its titular city.

Whereas PlayStation has "Gran Turismo," Xbox Game Studios has "Forza," with the series' latest installment being the 2021 title "Forza Horizon 5." This particular game is set in an open-world environment based on Mexico, with both a campaign mode and numerous racing challenges. The design takes advantage of the diverse landscapes and culture throughout Central America to bring its tracks to life. This expansive environment includes a wide array of solo and multiplayer challenges for players to complete with an arsenal of vehicles at the players' disposal.

Reviews were enthusiastic for "Forza Horizon 5," with critics praising the detailed technical presentation and terrain variety. But beyond just how gorgeous the game looks, it handles marvelously and many of its challenges are accessible and inviting, even to newcomers. The game also became the first mainline title in the franchise's history to receive a PlayStation release, no longer retaining its Microsoft platform exclusivity. Bringing the "Forza" franchise into the next generation, "Forza Horizon 5" elevates the open-world, street racing spectacle.

The British gaming studio Codemasters has been making racing games for decades, with one of its most notable being the "Grid" series. The franchise's latest installment is the 2022 title "Grid Legends," The game offers over 100 different tracks to race on, including both professional tracks and street racing courses in major global cities, with a whole array of vehicles to choose from. "Grid Legends" also features a story mode, with players controlling an unnamed driver challenging rivals in races around the world.

"Grid Legends" makes this list because of the street racing circuits available to gamers, along with the sheer amount of customization and vehicle options. This level of customization extends to players given the agency to create their own races, right down to routes and rules for participants to follow. The wealth of options is bolstered by smoother gameplay and more engaging computer-controlled opponents challenging players in excitingly robust ways. Offering more structure than a usual "Need for Speed" title, "Grid Legends" is a must-play for grounded racing game fans.