Series guide
All Need for Speed games in order
By Lenn Hodes · founder — every cartridge tested by hand
Thirty years, 25 games, and names that repeat: two Most Wanteds, two Hot Pursuits, and a Carbon that is a different game on the GBA than on the GameCube. Below is every Need for Speed in release order, with the Nintendo versions marked — many of them were built separately — and buying notes on the GameCube and Wii discs we stock and test.
The short answer
The classic era (1994–2000) → Hot Pursuit 2 (2002) → the Underground years: Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted (2005), Carbon → ProStreet, Undercover, Shift, Nitro → Hot Pursuit (2010), The Run, Most Wanted (2012), Rivals → the reboot (2015), Payback, Heat → Hot Pursuit Remastered (2020) → Unbound (2022). Nothing needs playing in order; Most Wanted (2005) is the one to start with.
Tested Need for Speed games in stock
GameCube and Wii discs — every one play-tested on real hardware and listed exactly as it is.
Every Need for Speed game in order
- The Need for Speed · 1994 · 3DO; PlayStation, Saturn & PC 1995–96 — Road & Track’s magazine-tested cars and the police chase that started it all
- Need for Speed II · 1997 · PlayStation & PC — exotics and the Special Edition with 3D-accelerator support on PC
- Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit · 1998 · PlayStation & PC — the first Hot Pursuit — you can be the police
- Need for Speed: High Stakes · 1999 · PlayStation & PC — sold as Road Challenge in Europe; damage and career mode arrive
- Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed · 2000 · PlayStation & PC; GBA 2004 — Porsche 2000 in Europe — one marque, fifty years of it; the GBA cartridge came four years later
- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 · 2002 · PS2, GameCube, Xbox & PC — the first on a Nintendo console; the PS2 version by Black Box, the others by EA Seattle
- Need for Speed: Underground · 2003 · PS2, GameCube, Xbox, PC & GBA — the turn to tuning and street racing at night
- Need for Speed: Underground 2 · 2004 · PS2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, GBA, DS & PSP — a free-roam city; the DS version was a launch-window game for the console
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted · 2005 · PS2, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC, GBA, DS & PSP — the Blacklist and the police — the fan favourite; the 2012 game shares only the name
- Need for Speed: Carbon · 2006 · PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox, GameCube, Wii, PC, GBA, DS & PSP — canyon duels and crews; the GBA, DS and PSP versions are Own the City, a different game
- Need for Speed: ProStreet · 2007 · PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, DS & PSP — legal track racing with damage; the Wii and DS versions are their own builds
- Need for Speed: Undercover · 2008 · PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, DS & PSP — back to police chases, with live-action cutscenes
- Need for Speed: Shift · 2009 · PS3, Xbox 360, PC & PSP — the simulation branch by Slightly Mad Studios; no Nintendo version
- Need for Speed: Nitro · 2009 · Wii & DS — arcade racing made only for Nintendo — the one Need for Speed you cannot play anywhere else
- Need for Speed: World · 2010 · PC (online, closed 2015) — the free-to-play MMO; gone
- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit · 2010 · PS3, Xbox 360, PC & Wii — Criterion’s reboot with Autolog; the Wii version by Exient is a separate, simpler game
- Shift 2: Unleashed · 2011 · PS3, Xbox 360 & PC — the second simulation entry
- Need for Speed: The Run · 2011 · PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii & 3DS — a race across America with on-foot scenes; the Wii and 3DS versions are different games
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012) · 2012 · PS3, Xbox 360, PC & Vita; Wii U 2013 — Criterion’s open-world Most Wanted; the Wii U version adds a co-driver on the GamePad
- Need for Speed Rivals · 2013 · PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One & PC — racers versus police in one open world — the first on PS4
- Need for Speed (2015) · 2015 · PS4 & Xbox One; PC 2016 — the reboot with the live-action story; built around an online connection
- Need for Speed Payback · 2017 · PS4, Xbox One & PC — a Fast & Furious-style heist story
- Need for Speed Heat · 2019 · PS4, Xbox One & PC — day races, night chases
- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered · 2020 · PS4, Xbox One, PC & Switch — the 2010 game with all DLC — the first Need for Speed on a Switch cartridge
- Need for Speed Unbound · 2022 · PS5, Xbox Series & PC — the newest, with its comic-book effects; no Nintendo version
Which Need for Speed should you buy now?
- The classic: Most Wanted (2005) or Carbon on the GameCube — complete games, and they run on early Wii models.
- On a Switch cartridge: Hot Pursuit Remastered — Criterion’s best, with every DLC car, region-free.
- Modern, cheap: Heat or Payback on PS4 — big open worlds that still play offline.
- Only on Nintendo: Nitro on the Wii — the arcade oddity nobody else can play.
Buying Need for Speed second-hand
Two Most Wanteds, two Hot Pursuits
Most Wanted (2005) is the Blacklist game people mean; Most Wanted (2012) is Criterion’s open-world game with the same name. Hot Pursuit (1998, called III) and Hot Pursuit (2010) are just as separate — and the 2010 game is the one remastered for Switch in 2020. A second-hand listing needs the year; ours always carry the platform and the box.
The Wii, DS and GBA versions are usually different games
Carbon on GBA, DS and PSP is Own the City, a different game with its own story. ProStreet, Undercover, Hot Pursuit (2010) and The Run on Wii were built separately from the PS3 versions, and the DS and 3DS games are smaller still. Nitro exists only on Wii and DS. If you want the game as reviewed, buy the GameCube, PS2 or PS3 disc; if you want a Nintendo-only oddity, the Wii shelf is full of them.
GameCube is the sweet spot for the classic era
Hot Pursuit 2, Underground 1 and 2, Most Wanted and Carbon all exist on GameCube as complete games, and the mini-discs run on the first Wii models with GameCube ports. Most Wanted and Carbon are the ones that hold their price.
Online parts are gone, the discs still work
EA closed the servers for most games up to Rivals, so leaderboards and online races are gone — Autolog in Hot Pursuit (2010) included. The career modes are all offline and play fine. Need for Speed (2015) is the exception: it was built around an online connection, so check that before buying it to play offline.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, disc and label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested gamesQuestions we get asked
Do I need to play the Need for Speed games in order?
No. Every Need for Speed is a standalone racing game with its own career. The only loose story thread runs Underground → Underground 2 → Most Wanted (2005) → Carbon, and even those play fine on their own.
How many Need for Speed games are there?
Twenty-five console and PC games from The Need for Speed (1994) to Unbound (2022), which is what this page lists — plus the mobile games and the closed online game World. Counting the separate handheld versions (Own the City, the DS and 3DS games) it is a few more.
Which Need for Speed games are on Nintendo consoles?
Porsche Unleashed on GBA; Hot Pursuit 2, Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted and Carbon on GameCube (and GBA/DS); ProStreet, Undercover, Nitro, Hot Pursuit (2010) and The Run on Wii (and DS/3DS); Most Wanted (2012) on Wii U; and Hot Pursuit Remastered on Switch.
What is the best Need for Speed game?
Most Wanted (2005) by reputation — the Blacklist, the police and the tuning in one game. For a modern one, Hot Pursuit Remastered on Switch or Heat on PS4; for the newest, Unbound on PS5.
Is Need for Speed: Nitro any good?
It is a cartoon arcade racer made for the Wii and DS only — nothing like the main games, but cheap, colourful and one of the few Need for Speeds that is exclusive to Nintendo.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the first release; European dates and titles where they differ. Onze Wii-collectie in het Nederlands.