The Need for Speed series is the second-best-selling racing game franchise of all time, behind only Mario Kart. With over 150 million copies sold, NFS is the first name that many think of when an arcade racer is mentioned. Games like Underground 2, 2005’s Most Wanted, and Carbon all have great soundtracks, high-octane racing, and plenty of car customization.
The mainline series has over 20 games, including strange spin-offs like Need for Speed: V-Rally and the weird Wii exclusive, Need for Speed: Nitro. We’ll be going through the best games in the franchise and ranking them based on gameplay, immersiveness, and, of course, pure enjoyment. Here are the 10 best Need for Speed games, ranked.
10. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Hot Pursuit 2 is maybe the first game I played on my PlayStation 2, and I instantly sank close to a hundred hours into it. My brother and I played this one over and over again, racing against each other in classic split-screen fashion. The handling was snappier and even more arcade-like than the original, which works really well for this game. Once you get the hang of it, blasting through tracks at 200+ mph is exhilarating in this one.
Graphically, this was the first time NFS cars got close to real life. The Ferrari 360 Spider, the McLaren F1, and the Lamborghini Murciélago all looked stunning. Tracks were vibrant and colorful, and the sheer arcade fun of this game never got old. The PS2 version especially remains a blast if you revisit it.
9. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
For nostalgic fans like me, it’s hard to admit that Hot Pursuit 2010 is the best out of all the Hot Pursuit games. However, it is the definitive version of cops vs racers, and for good reason. Hot Pursuit 2 polished the concept for the PS2 era, and the 2010 game does again with modern presentation and mechanics.
Criterion perfected the handling in this one — tight, responsive, and built around high-speed drifting. The cars feel weighty, sure, but they never feel sluggish. This strikes a good balance between arcade fun and believable physics. It’s also a massive visual leap from the earlier titles. The Seacrest County map feels alive with long highways, twisting mountain roads, and coastal routes.
The older Hot Pursuit games laid the foundation, but this reboot refines the formula into something flashy, fast, and endlessly replayable. It was remastered in 2020, and it’s just as fun today as it was in 2010.
8. Need For Speed: Unbound
As someone who thoroughly enjoyed Need for Speed: Heat, I was let down a bit by Unbound. Not because it’s a terrible game (fans and some reviews will have you believing that), but because it makes too many mistakes. The soundtrack gets annoying quickly as it’s only one genre, the characters are unbelievably corny, and the story is quite forgettable.
On the gameplay side, though, this is a surprisingly solid game. The car effects add a very unique vibe to the game, but the Volume 9 update and the new Lockdown mode are the real saving grace for this one. With this update, police chases feel purposeful again, and you have some objectives that truly matter.
Unbound is also a game that is much better when you play online, simply because of some of the great modes. If it had a varied soundtrack, a better story, and more focus on single player, this would be a top-five game in the franchise.
7. Need For Speed: The Run
A friend recently put me on this game, as this is one that I somehow missed. If not for that recommendation, I probably never would have played it and missed out on the best story in the franchise. The premise is simple yet brilliant: A coast-to-coast race called The Run, stretching from San Francisco to New York.
Every leg of this journey throws something new at you, like weaving through traffic in Las Vegas, climbing snowy mountain roads in Colorado, or blasting down rain-slick highways in Chicago. This variety in environments keeps the game fresh, and it was visually gorgeous for its time. Handling feels tight and rewarding, requiring more precision than just drifting all the time.
Jack’s desperate bid to escape a mob sounds like a typical action-movie plot, but it works so well in this game. The cinematic set pieces, intense dialogue, and sense of progression across America make this game unforgettable.
6. Need For Speed Heat
I love this game, and I wish it were better. Heat nails the fantasy of being a car enthusiast. He customization is top-tier — tuning every detail, going through the community liveries, and even adjusting the exhaust sounds. Speaking of which, the engine sounds are raw, the backfire is ridiculous, and the Honda NSX in this game sounds ferocious.
I usually don’t like off-road races in arcade racers, but fine-tuning a Ford Focus purpose-built for Rallying was a lot of fun. The Railroad race was particularly very enjoyable. Wayne’s drifting challenges are also great, and if you create a Mazda RX-7 that demolishes any drift event, you’re in for a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, the problem is what happens once the story is over. The world runs out of steam fast, and you’ll be out of new objectives within a couple of hours. There isn’t much to pull you back in, and it’s a real shame. Another drawback here is that racing during the day is duller than racing at night.
5. Need For Speed: Pro Street
Pro Street will always be a top-five Need for Speed game to me. This game nailed the festival system, and honestly, it does it better than Forza, in my opinion. Instead of cops and illegal street racing, Pro Street leans into sanctioned events that give the game a competitive festival vibe. Its handling is heavier and more grounded, sometimes flirting with sim racer territory. However, it still manages to feel like a Need for Speed game.
Tracks like Nevada Highway stand out as some of the most fun in the series. The car roster was also a big strength, with a wide mix of imports, muscle cars, and exotics. You can fine-tune your car for grip, drag, drift, or speed challenges that give them personality beyond pure stats. The Nissan 240SX was great for drifting, and the ‘65 GTO was awesome for drag racing.
Then there’s the soundtrack. It matches the competitive vibe perfectly, a mix of rock, metal, and electronic tracks that gets you hyped for every event. This game was truly ahead of its time, and a flash in the pan for the franchise.
4. Need For Speed: Underground
This is the first game in the franchise to nail the underground street racing vibe, capitalizing on the early hype of The Fast and Furious movies. The handling is tight and responsive, making every corner and drift feel satisfying. Underground’s nighttime neon streets are full of energy, and each race is a high-stakes sprint.
The game shines in customization, where you can tweak almost every aspect of your car — from engine upgrades and suspension tuning to paint jobs, decals, and neon underglow — you can make each ride a personal creation. Cars like the Mitsubishi Lancer and Eddie’s R34 had more personality than a lot of cars in modern games.
This game’s rock, electronic, and punk soundtrack fits perfectly and makes the city pulse with adrenaline. The only downside is the limited number of tracks and cars compared to the later games, which is why it’s lower than its successor. Still, Underground set the blueprint for street racing-focused games and remains a game that holds up when you jump back in.
3. Need For Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon is tied with Underground 2 for the number of hours I’ve put into it. On the surface, it’s just more of Most Wanted but reskinned for nighttime. Somehow, it controls better, has better customization, and arguably better settings. The Collector’s Edition featured a Nissan 240SX, one of the best cars in the franchise.
A real highlight here is the canyon races that turn narrow winding roads into enthralling tracks where skill and precision make all the difference. Each city district has its own personality, giving the world more character than Most Wanted’s layout. The soundtrack fuels the adrenaline with a mix of rock and electronic tracks, perfectly matching the night racing vibe.
Years after release, carbon’s combination of refined handling, aggressive races, and deep customization keeps it endlessly replayable. It would easily be the best game in the series… if two other titles didn’t stand in the way.
2. Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
I doubt there is a single soul out there that hates this game, as this is the franchise at its peak. Widely regarded as the best game in the franchise, this game gets everything right. The soundtrack? Enthralling. The cars? Iconic. And we can’t forget about the story, arguably the most engaging narrative in the franchise, tied with The Run.
The handling in this game strikes the perfect balance between arcade and realism. You can hit insane speed through city streets and suburban highways, but the cops will be on your tail instantly when you do so. The police chases in this game are aggressive, and a real challenge when you’re trying to rack up your bounty.
Of course, we also have the BMW E46 M3 GTR, a car that is arguably bigger than the series itself. Putting this game at the second spot feels almost criminal, but there’s a certain title that just does it for me in a way no other racing game ever has.
1. Need For Speed: Underground 2
“Riders on the Storm” is a song that has been stuck in my head since I was a kid, and Underground 2 is to blame for this. This game takes everything great from the original Underground and turns the dial up to 11. It features an open world, more customization parts, better handling, and fixes some of the rubberbanding issues from the previous game.
A lot of the thrill in this game comes from mastering the streets and dominating the underground scene. The tracks are set against the flashy backdrop of Bayview perfectly, full of highways, city streets, tunnels, and suburban areas. Handling is near perfect, and you can still enjoy it if you launch it today. There are very few games from 2004 that have aged well, and Underground 2 is one of them.
Ultimately, this game had enough going on with the car roster and customization aspect alone. Everything else on top of that is just a bonus. They don’t make them like this anymore.
