Best Racing Games That Play Like Need For Speed

Speed is addictive. There’s just something about screeching tires, blinding nitrous bursts, and the pulse-pounding tension of weaving through city traffic that hits a little differently. Need for Speed figured that out a long time ago, blending arcade-style driving with car culture and underground attitude. But NFS isn’t the only one burning rubber in that lane.

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Plenty of racing titles have followed the same high-octane formula—some with their own spin on it, others walking the same path with surprising precision. Whether it’s street racing, cinematic presentation, open-world freedom, or just that unmistakable feeling of speed, these games carry the same energy. Some even crank it up a notch.

1

Grid Legends

Where Storytelling Meets Speed, With A Camera Crew Watching

Released

February 25, 2022

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Violence

There’s a lot of overlap between Grid Legends and the flashier NFS entries like Need for Speed Payback or The Run. Not just in how the races feel but also in how the entire experience leans into drama. Codemasters went out of their way to make this one feel like a racing documentary-turned-blockbuster, complete with live-action cutscenes and a full narrative campaign built around rivalries and redemption arcs.

The driving model lands in that sweet spot between arcade and semi-realistic, giving players just enough slide in corners without asking them to memorize tire pressure data. Races are chaotic, packed with AI drivers that don’t behave like polite traffic—they jostle, block, and straight up shove when they want track position.

The vehicle roster leans more toward motorsport than tuner culture, but Grid Legends still offers a wide spread of machines from GT cars to hypercars. And thanks to its Race Creator, players can set up events that feel ripped right from Need for Speed Underground—night races, cityscapes, high-speed carnage included.

2

Ridge Racer Unbounded

When Drifting Is The Entire Personality

Ridge Racer: Unbounded

There was nothing subtle about Ridge Racer Unbounded. It came out swinging with a sledgehammer, smashing through buildings mid-race and turning every corner into a burnout opportunity. While longtime Ridge Racer fans were thrown off by the drastic departure from the series’ clean-cut roots, Unbounded found its niche in a space between Burnout and Need for Speed Most Wanted.

It leaned hard into destructive driving. Players weren’t just trying to win—they were trying to obliterate everything in their path. Storefronts, walls, rival vehicles, even track routes themselves could be blown open with enough impact. It brought a kind of gritty, over-the-top chaos that felt more NFS 2012 than traditional Ridge Racer.

The cars may have been fictional, but the tuning system lets players customize performance enough to find that perfect sweet spot between grip and chaos. With track-building tools, players could create their own street circuits filled with traps, shortcuts, and set pieces that wouldn’t feel out of place in NFS’s more explosive entries.

3

Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights

The Game That Thought Car Shows Were Just As Important As Racing

Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights

Released

September 17, 2007

Before NFS ProStreet started flirting with the tuner show scene, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights had already dropped the neon lights and the bass-thumping vibes into its garage. It wasn’t just a racing game—it was a full-blown love letter to the car customization culture of the mid-2000s. Think chrome rims, hydraulics, LED underglow, and driver DNA stat tracking, because apparently, swagger needed a stat bar too.

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The handling leaned on the arcade side, but what stood out was how tightly the whole thing was wrapped around the idea of car identity. Every upgrade, paint job, and mod was a statement. Much like NFS Underground 2, the visual customization was the soul of the experience.

Unlike most racers, Juiced 2 added a weirdly elaborate betting system. Players could wager on races or even bet against themselves, pushing the tension of every corner way past normal. And the AI didn’t just follow lines—it adapted, learned, and occasionally tried to punk out players mid-race with aggressive blocking.

4

Driver: San Francisco

The Only Racing Game Where You Can Teleport Into Cars Mid-Chase

Released

August 30, 2011

Developer(s)

Ubisoft Reflections

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Drug Reference, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence

This one’s hard to categorize. Driver: San Francisco wasn’t just a street racer—it was something else entirely. Somewhere between a car-chase simulator and a supernatural action thriller. But if Need for Speed games are remembered for their creative setups and outrageous moments, then this fits right in.

Tanner, the main protagonist, is in a coma for most of the story. That’s not a spoiler, it’s the whole setup. His coma-induced dream state allows players to “shift” between cars mid-race, which turns every pursuit into a kind of mind-hopping chaos puzzle. Need a truck to block an intersection? Shift into one and do it. Want to sideswipe a cop off the road? Possess a bus. It’s absurd but also brilliant.

The city itself—fully explorable San Francisco—is packed with missions, stunt challenges, races, and chases. It didn’t lean on nitrous and street cred the way Need for Speed does, but it nailed the thrill of high-speed pursuit. Somehow, despite all the weirdness, the handling was tight and responsive, grounded in real car behavior but never slow.

5

The Crew: Motorfest

When All You Want Is A Playground With A Speed Limit Problem

Released

September 14, 2023

ESRB

t

The Crew: Motorfest is Need for Speed if it traded underground garages for island festivals. But the DNA is there—open-world freedom, highly-stylized cars, a constant emphasis on progression, and a tone that swings between casual cruising and full-throttle insanity.

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Set in a condensed version of Oʻahu, Motorfest ditches the gritty urban vibe and swaps in palm trees and ocean breeze, but the structure feels oddly familiar. Cars are constantly being unlocked, upgraded, tuned, and thrown into themed events. Think NFS Heat with a sunnier filter and fewer police helicopters.

What makes Motorfest stand out is its playlist system. Players pick themed racing events based on car culture—like vintage classics, drift tournaments, or electric supercar races—and each one has its own vibe, UI, commentary, and challenge structure. It’s not just cosmetic dressing either; the handling model adjusts depending on the category, which gives it a kind of flexible identity that still stays accessible for arcade racing fans.

6

Burnout Paradise

Where Speed Doesn’t Kill, It Explodes On Impact

Burnout Paradise

Released

January 22, 2008

ESRB

t

If Need for Speed is the wild cousin of simulation racers, then Burnout Paradise is the cousin that’s been banned from family events for flipping off traffic laws and body-slamming buses. Paradise City is one of the most chaotic open-world racing maps ever built, with jumps that ignore physics, shortcuts hidden behind billboards, and intersections designed to ruin someone’s week.

There’s no structured story, no cops, no tuning menus. Just pure mayhem. Boost is life, and takedowns are art. Smashing rivals into guardrails mid-drift isn’t just encouraged, it’s how players win. Every race becomes a highlight reel of near-misses, wrecks, and absurd stunts.

Much like NFS Most Wanted 2005, Burnout Paradise rewards aggression and high-speed confidence. But where NFS punishes a bad turn with a cop swarm, Burnout just resets the car and dares players to try it again—faster this time.

7

Forza Horizon 5

Mexico’s Streets Were Made For Speed And Style

Systems

Released

November 9, 2021

ESRB

E for Everyone

It’s easy to dismiss Forza Horizon 5 as too polished or too clean compared to the grittier energy of Need for Speed, but the moment players blast down a dirt trail in a tuned Supra while fireworks explode overhead, it becomes obvious: they’re speaking the same language.

The difference is in the presentation. Horizon 5 goes for a festival vibe, but the open world is just as inviting for street-style chaos. Whether it’s drag races on airstrips, impromptu drift zones in city alleys, or barn find hunts in the jungle, everything about it encourages exploration and expression through speed.

It doesn’t have cops, but it doesn’t need them. The sheer variety of events, the ludicrous amount of customization, and the constant drip-feed of rewards make every second behind the wheel feel rewarding. And the handling, despite being built on a sim-based engine, still manages to feel arcade enough for NFS fans to feel right at home.

8

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

The Closest Any Game Has Come To Feeling Like Underground 3

Systems

Released

October 20, 2008

Developer(s)

Rockstar San Diego

ESRB

t

No other racing title outside Need for Speed ever captured the spirit of tuner culture quite like Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Every inch of it—from the car lineup to the customization menus to the radio station selection—was soaked in late-2000s street racing attitude.

Races weren’t just about speed; they were about swagger. Every upgrade had a visible impact, every paint job felt like a signature, and every rival crew had a distinct personality. And this was no track-based affair either. These were open-world checkpoint races through a fully explorable L.A., complete with unpredictable traffic, timed shortcuts, and rival AI that refused to race fair.

It wasn’t just about drifting clean lines—it was about weaving through downtown traffic at 150mph while chasing a checkpoint arrow like a lunatic. That raw energy is something even modern NFS games have struggled to consistently replicate.

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