5 Best Need For Speed Games, Ranked

The "Need for Speed" franchise has been placing racing game fans in the driver's seat ever since its inaugural 1994 title "The Need for Speed." Since then, the series has released installments for virtually every major home platform, with dozens of titles under its belt. In contrast to other racing games of its era, "Need for Speed" leaned more heavily into street racing, something that helped its fast-paced appeal stand out. Published by Electronic Arts, the franchise stands as a staple series among the racing game genre and shows no signs of slowing down.

While EA has confirmed a new "Need for Speed" game is on the way, now's a good time to look back at the high points of the franchise. Across its 31-year history, the series has put out some truly singular racing titles that stand among the genre's most memorable. And whether you're a longtime fan looking to revisit its past glory or newcomers looking for a place to start, these titles are fantastic entries for the franchise. These are the five best "Need for Speed" games ranked, marking the best of this high-octane franchise.

The series' fourth installment, "Need for Speed: High Stakes," definitely and consciously lived up to its title. The 1999 game introduced a high stakes gameplay mode where players wagered the cars that they used for races. To match this, the competitions came with in-game cash prizes which gamers can use to upgrade or replace their cars between contests. In addition to this new mode, "High Stakes" retains the racers and police chases from the prior game.

"Need for Speed: High Stakes" stands as the one of the most feature-rich experiences for the franchise on the original PlayStation where it started. There is a greater attention to detail than most prior installments of the franchise and a robust selection of available vehicles. The 1999 game pushes the PS1 hardware as far as it could go, though it admittedly runs better on PC. When it comes to the PS1 era of "Need for Speed," "High Stakes" is a strong contender for the best title in the series' inaugural generation.

The only "Need for Speed" game on the PS1 that surpasses "High Stakes" is its immediate predecessor, "Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit." A lot of this comes down to the more streamlined presentation of the gameplay in comparison to its successor. There aren't quite as many game modes as "High Stakes," but what "Hot Pursuit" does, it does very well. This includes putting a greater emphasis on the police chases compared to prior titles, doubling down on this flight from the law as the title suggests.

Because of its more streamlined approach, "Hot Pursuit" runs smoother on the PS1 than "High Stakes," which is particularly noticeable with its frame rate. This quality is maintained for its multiplayer modes, which are a significant step-up from earlier games in the series. With its wealth of customization options and varied environments, the franchise was going bigger without compromising its core appeal and accessibility. "Need for Speed III" essentially defined the racing franchise as fans know it today and the 1998 game still holds up.

As far as the more modern "Need for Speed" games go, at least within the high-definition era, the biggest highlight remains 2010's "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit." The game is set in the West Coast-inspired Seacrest County and boasted the largest open-world environment for the series at that time. The game features full career modes for both street racers and the police, expanding upon the chase dichotomy from past entries. Following its initial release, the game received several waves of post-launch DLC, including additional cars, customization options, and racing challenges.

The 2010 "Hot Pursuit" was meant to evoke a fresh start for the entire "Need for Speed" franchise and, in that regard, it largely succeeds. The game wisely doesn't reinvent too much of the overarching formula so much as give it a coat of fresh paint befitting its high-definition presentation. The game received a remastered edition in 2020 for modern platforms, upping the technical presentation to even more impressive levels, with all of the previous version's DLC included. The 2010 "Hot Pursuit" embodies what modern entries in the franchise could and should be as it continues to chart its future.

A highlight from the "Need for Speed" franchise during the PS2 era is 2005's "Need for Speed: Most Wanted." The game features three overarching modes, career, quick race, and challenge, for players to leap right into action behind the wheel. The career mode places players in the urban open-world environment of Rockport as they face rival racers around the city. As they build a reputation for themselves and customize their cars, players must evade the police, including instances where local law enforcement interrupts ongoing street races.

Chances are, when people are talking about the best video games like "Need for Speed," they're probably talking about "Most Wanted." The variety of engaging game modes, customization options, and dazzling display reaffirmed the franchise's genre dominance. The game's celebrated status inspired a standalone installment using the same name in 2012, but this newer iteration is nowhere near as good. One of the greatest racing games ever, there's only one title that edges out the 2005 "Need for Speed: Most Wanted."

After making the leap to the PlayStation 2 era, similar to other racing franchise peers, with games like "Gran Turismo" and "Driver," "Need for Speed" found its groove with "Underground 2." Picking up from the events of its 2003 predecessor, the player character travels to the new urban environment of Bayview. As the player character builds up their reputation in this new city, they face a street gang linked to an assault the protagonist suffered at the beginning of the game. This gives the story mode and its races an added personal edge as players establish themselves as the undisputed street racing champ of Bayview.

Quite appropriately, given the genre, it's neck-and-neck between "Underground 2" and the 2005 "Most Wanted" as the best "Need for Speed" game. What puts "Underground 2" slightly over the edge is a more rewarding story mode experience and its memorable setting of Bayview. All the usual customization options and gameplay modes are still very much present and among the franchise's most varied and robust. With a multitude of things for players to do, including some of the best side missions in the series, "Underground 2" still sets the high bar for the franchise.