Need for Speed Unbound Critic Reviews

Unbound is everything a fan of the franchise could want and an example of how to revamp a series without losing any of the essence of what a good Need for Speed is. More than just an excellent arcade racing game, Criterion leaves players with shining eyes as they imagine how much better this could be in the future.

Need for Speed Unbound is what we all needed. In a world full of racing games trying to be the next iRacing or a sim in general. Unbound says, ‘Hey, I’m really just here to have a damn good time,’ and hands you the keys.

Visually astounding with a weighty handling model and some super clever design, Need for Speed Unbound is easily the best Need for Speed in years. Though the single-player story campaign is a little less inspiring than it needs to be both in terms of its plot and content, Need for Speed Unbound nonetheless sets a resoundingly solid foundation for the Need for Speed franchise to evolve into the future and is essential for fans of both the series and the street racing genre at large.

Need for Speed Unbound is the best arcade racer of 2022, and a real statement from EA and Criterion. Why it’s snuck out with so little fanfare will be one of the mysteries of the year.

At the end of the day, Unbound is one of the best racing games this year, and the return of Criterion has proved to be the winning card for EA. It’s a fun game to play, there’s no doubt about it, and proper support for new-gen consoles means it could stay around for quite a long time.

Need for Speed Unbound is a pleasant surprise, one of the best releases of the year and also one of the best and boldest games in the series. It's an easy recommendation for any racing games fan and we hope that EA and Criterion continue to improve the formula delivered with this title.

Need for Speed: Unbound represents the return of Criterion as a top tier developer. The result is one of the best arcade racing games of the last few years and also, a great Need for Speed experience.

Need for Speed was seriously starting to look dead and buried – and here comes the rescue party! The combination of beautiful, realistic-looking graphics and effects borrowed straight from an anime works surprisingly well, the story doesn’t get in your way and the driving model hits exactly the right spot. Even the open world is fun! This is how you make an arcade racing game.

One of the best games I’ve played all year, and one of the best entries in the Need for Speed series. The driving is sublime, the cars are gorgeous, the art style is striking, and the soundtrack is exceptional. Despite falling short in a couple of facets, Unbound is a must-play racer.

Need For Speed Unbound is easily one of the best racers I’ve played in recent years and a modern highlight of the series. Through great gameplay, a true sense of progression, an engaging visual style, and a well-crafted open world the game manages to cement itself as one of 2022’s most unexpectedly shining stars. A few knocks for cliché story beats, a samey soundtrack, and a few minor bugs shouldn’t be enough to keep players from driving over to the streets to Lakeshore for some stylish, speedy fun.

The story paints something that feels all too real-world with things like police corruption and right-wing smoke screening. Combined with real-world visuals of the city mixed with gorgeous graffiti-like special effects, it all mixes into a fantastic racing experience that is hard to quit. The only gripe is an incredibly slow progression system.

Need for Speed Unbound is a fun racer with a comic book look that challenges and motivates, but exaggerates a bit when it comes to police and story.

The best atmosphere since the days of Underground and Carbon. We love his visual and sound excesses and all the new ideas (the structure of the story mode, its surprising difficulty and its renewed and slow progression system). Control continues without convincing us (just Heat 2.0), but this is the way. Unbound gives us hope in the NFS saga.

Need for Speed Unbound is a visually appealing game accessible to anyone. Hardcore fans are going to enjoy it a lot, and casual fans too. Thanks to this great work, Criterion has the window open to present new ideas like the one we saw in Unbound.

Need for Speed Unbound is a great showcase for a new generation of hardware. Criterion has delivered a high quality, breathtakingly fast open-world street racer that is both technically superb and strangely familiar.

With Unbound, Criterion take a big step in the right direction and delivers gripping action races paired with exciting police chases.

Beyond its unique art style, Need for Speed Unbound doesn’t do anything to reinvent the steering wheel, but it doesn’t need to. This is Need for Speed, so you know what you’re here for - fast races, cop chases, and more cars than you know what to do with. Unbound is all of that packaged in the series’ most stylish entry to date.

Despite one or two small complaints, Need for Speed Unbound is a great arcade racer, finally getting the series back on track. The versatile handling feels fantastic, and the single-player offers a highly engaging campaign, pitting you against the cops and other racers in equal measure. The much talked-about cartoon effects succeed in bringing some flair to the experience, and it all runs wonderfully at 4K and 60 frames-per-second. If you can forgive a slightly underwhelming backdrop and a barebones online mode, the minute-to-minute action make this more than worth taking for a spin.

Need for Speed Unbound feels like a breath of fresh air. The arcade-style racing has seen quite a significant improvement from its predecessor, and the game’s general styles and sensibilities definitely make it one of the most unique-looking racing games out there.

Need for Speed Unbound brings plenty of style and builds upon the high stakes dynamic established in 2019’s Heat to create an engaging and enjoyable open world racing game. The large emphasis on story falls flat once again particularly during the slow opening hours, and the online mode lacks some of the best aspects of the single player mode, including police and Takeover events. Fortunately, the excellent performance and smart overhaul to the turbo system ensures the moment-to-moment gameplay always feels great, and the huge amount of unlockable vehicles, customization options and optional activities and collectibles means there’s always plenty to do each time you make the trip to Lakeshore City.