PCGame

Need for Speed™

Open-world street racing with visual and performance car customization

Ghost Games · Published by Electronic Arts · Released Jun 4, 2020

ActionAdventureRacingSimulation

Third-party account required DRM declared on Steam

Reviews
Mixed
69% of 28K
Recent reviews
Mixed
69% of 187 in 30 days
Players
112
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update on Steam
3 years ago
Jan 27, 2023
Minimum PC
GeForce GTX 750 Ti
6 GB RAM · 30 GB disk
Full requirements

What is Need for Speed™?

A third-person open-world street racing game set across Ventura Bay’s city streets, harbor roads, and canyons. You race, build your reputation, and customize cars for looks and performance while following overlapping stories about becoming a racing icon. It includes single-player, online co-op, and competitive multiplayer.

For you if...

  • +you want open-world street racing with arcade-style driving
  • +you enjoy detailed visual and performance car customization
  • +you like rainy nighttime cities and underground racing culture

Not for you if...

  • −you prefer realistic handling over drift-heavy arcade physics
  • −you want racing confined to linear tracks
  • −you dislike live-action cutscenes and story-driven progression

What players say

69% of 27,846 reviews are positive · 69% of 187 in the last 30 days

Players most often praise Ventura Bay’s rain-soaked nighttime atmosphere, visuals, and car customization. The most common complaints are the always-online requirement, disconnections that interrupt races, and inconsistent handling; some players also report controller and EA app problems.

Players over time

▼ -49% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 349 players on Sep 21, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 2026112
Nov 6, 202664
Nov 5, 202675
Nov 4, 202688
Nov 3, 202676
Nov 2, 202691
Nov 1, 202696
Oct 31, 2026102
Oct 30, 202679
Oct 29, 202670
Oct 28, 202687
Oct 27, 2026103
Oct 26, 2026128
Oct 25, 2026137
Oct 24, 2026102
Oct 23, 2026125
Oct 22, 2026115
Oct 21, 2026115
Oct 20, 2026117
Oct 18, 2026170
Oct 17, 2026123
Oct 16, 202697
Oct 15, 2026133
Oct 14, 2026141
Oct 13, 2026131
Oct 11, 2026183
Oct 10, 2026162
Oct 9, 2026139
Oct 8, 2026142
Oct 7, 2026164
Oct 6, 2026165
Oct 4, 2026213
Oct 3, 2026189
Oct 2, 2026157
Oct 1, 2026157
Sep 30, 2026159
Sep 29, 2026165
Sep 27, 2026253
Sep 26, 2026194
Sep 25, 2026183
Sep 24, 2026208
Sep 23, 2026209
Sep 23, 2026211
Sep 22, 2026209
Sep 21, 2026349

How many players finish Need for Speed™?

8.2% of Steam players have unlocked «The Ultimate Icon», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

Need for Speed™ screenshot 1

Need for Speed™ system requirements

Minimum: GeForce GTX 750 Ti, 6 GB RAM, 30 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Need for Speed™?

Tell us your graphics card once and every game page will answer this for you.

Set up my PC →

Minimum

OS
64-bit Windows 7 or later
Processor
Intel Core i3-4130 or equivalent with 4 hardware threads
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB, AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB, or equivalent DX11 compatible GPU with 2GB of memory
Memory
6 GB RAM
Storage
30 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11

Recommended

OS
64-bit Windows 7 or later
Processor
Intel Core i5-4690 or equivalent with 4 hardware threads
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB, AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB, or equivalent DX11 compatible GPU with 4GB of memory
Memory
8 GB RAM
Storage
30 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11

Does Need for Speed™ have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: co-op online; PvP online. It also has a single-player mode.

Does Need for Speed™ run on Steam Deck?

Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.

  • The launcher or setup tool may need the touchscreen or virtual keyboard
  • Default controller config not fully functional
  • Shows Steam Deck controller icons
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
  • First time setup requires active internet connection
  • Singleplayer gameplay requires active internet connection

PC version details

DRM
EA on-line activation and Origin client software installation and background use required.
Third-party account
EA Accounts (Supports Linking to Steam Account)
Controller
Full controller support
Platforms
Windows
Achievements
45
Steam features
Trading cards
Languages
Full audio: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Russian. Text only: Polish, Traditional Chinese.

Does Need for Speed™ use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 7, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

Games like Need for Speed™