Need For Speed: Unbound Confirmed And Car List Revealed - Will It Be The New Underground?

EA has revealed Need For Speed: Unbound and it has a striking new look and style that could divide opinion

Updated: 10 Oct 2024

The latest iteration in the Need For Speed franchise has just been announced, and it’s called Need For Speed: Unbound – that’s frustratingly close to the word ‘Underground’, but we can live with it. The game appears to have some interesting new visuals compared with previous NFS titles, which, in our opinion, had started to get a little samey.

This time around, Need For Speed: Unbound mixes photorealistic cars with cartoony (some are saying anime-like) touches – EA itself describes the style as drawing influence from street art. From the limited footage we have of the upcoming game, it appears tyre smoke will have an interesting look to it, as if doodled in a notebook with neon colours to the shading, plus on-screen anime-esque ‘speed lines’.

While it’s a look that could divide opinion, it’s easy to forget that the much-coveted NFS Underground games also used similar graphics (albeit limited to cut scenes) to tell the story. In some ways, then, the loud colours and reduced realism of Need For Speed: Unbound could end up sparking a sense of nostalgia for fans of the Underground games which also looked less realistic simply because they were released so long ago.

Unbound’s story centres around a family-owned autoshop in Lakeshore (a fictionalised Chicago). A robbery at the autoshop “tears two friends apart and sets a rookie racer on a journey to win the ultimate street race and reclaim the priceless car that was stolen from them.” We just hope the story lasts longer and allows for further playability than that of the slightly disappointing NFS Heat.

Unlike the Underground games, Unbound will include the cops and police chases long-time fans of the series will enjoy. There’s an emphasis on character customisation, too, with EA keen to point out the vast amount of fashion brands making an appearance in-game to customise your avatar.

The thing is, though, we’d give all of that a miss for the sort of car customisation we got back in 2004 with Underground 2, such as TV screens and massive speakers in the boot to score big points at the magazine cover shoot - remember those? That said, the customisation in Unbound does look pretty extensive, if pictures of one of the main characters’ Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 are anything to go by.

The good news is that you won’t have to wait too long to play Need For Speed: Unbound. The game will release on 2 December this year for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles (bad news for previous-gen players). EA Play and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to trial the game for 10 hours on 29 November three days before full release – do you think the franchise’s new direction will be enough to entice players and rejuvenate the series?

EA has also released the full car list, which you can find below:

Acura NSX
Acura RSX-S
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Aston Martin DB5
Aston Martin DB11 Volante
Aston Martin DB11
Aston Martin Vulcan
BMW M3
BMW M3 Evolution II
BMW X6 M
BMW M3
BMW M5
BMW Z4 M40i
BMW M4 Coupe
BMW M2 Competition
BMW M1 1981 Excalibur
BMW i8 Coupe
BMW M4 GTS
BMW M3 Convertible (E92)
BMW M4 Convertible
BMW i8 Roadster
Bugatti Chiron Sport
Buick Grand National
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible
Chevrolet C10 Stepside Pickup 1965
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2013
Chevrolet Camaro SS
Chevrolet Bel Air 1955
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Chevrolet Colorado ZR2
Dodge Challenger SRT8
Dodge Charger R/T 1969
Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Ferrari LaFerrari
Ferrari Testarossa Coupé 1984
Ferrari 488 GTB
Ferrari F40
Ferrari 458 Italia
Ferrari 488 Pista
Ferrari FXX-K Evo
Ferrari 458 Spider 2011
Ford F-150 Raptor
Ford Mustang GT
Ford GT
Ford Mustang BOSS 302 1969
Ford Mustang 1965
Ford Mustang Foxbody 1990
Ford Crown Victoria 2008 Excalibur
Ford Focus RS
Ford F-150 Raptor Legends Edition
Ford Mustang GT Convertible (Facelift)
Honda Civic Type-R
Honda Civic Type-R
Honda NSX Type-R
Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition
Infiniti Q60S
Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
Jaguar F-Type R Convertible
Koenigsegg Regera
Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4
Lamborghini Huracán LP580-2
Lamborghini Aventador S
Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary
Lamborghini Murciélago SV
Lamborghini Urus
Lamborghini Huracán Performante
Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Coupe
Lamborghini Diablo SV
Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 Spyder
Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster
Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster
Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV Roadster
Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder
Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR
Land Rover Defender 110 Double Cab Pickup
Lotus Exige S
Mazda RX-7 Spirit R
Mazda MX5
Mazda RX-8 Spirit R (R3)
Mazda MX5
McLaren P1
McLaren F1
McLaren 570S
McLaren 570S Spider
McLaren 600LT
McLaren P1 GTR
Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16
Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupe
Mercedes-AMG G 63
Mercedes-AMG GT
Mercedes-AMG A 45
Mercedes-AMG GT R
Mercedes-AMG GT S Roadster
Mercedes-AMG C 63 Convertible
Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series
Mercury Cougar
Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
Nissan GT-R Premium
Nissan Skyline GT-R V·Spec
Nissan 370Z Heritage Edition
Nissan Silvia K’s
Nissan Z Prototype
Nissan Silvia Spec-R Aero
Nissan Skyline GT-R V·Spec
Nissan 350Z
Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R
Nissan Fairlady 240ZG
Nissan 180SX Type X
Nissan 370Z Nismo
Nissan GT-R Nismo
Pagani Huayra BC
Plymouth Cuda
Polestar Polestar 1 2020
Pontiac Firebird 1977
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 1973
Porsche 918 Spyder
Porsche 718 Cayman GTS
Porsche 911 Carrera S
Porsche 911 GT2 RS
Porsche Panamera Turbo
Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series
Porsche Boxster 718 Spyder
Porsche 911 Carrera GTS
Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet Exclusive
Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS
Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Convertible
Porsche Cayman GT4
SRT Viper GTS
Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Subaru BRZ Premium
Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Volkswagen Beetle 1963
Volkswagen Golf GTI 1976
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport
Volvo 242DL 1975
Volvo Amazon P130

Comments

Uhhhh…? X6M, Urus and G, but no Cayenne Coupe?
There is also not a single Audi. How can you have the Eclipse GSX without the TT Quattro? They go hand in hand.
Mini JCW Countryman, but not the cooler Coupe or the regular Cooper?
Still no Golf 3, 4 or 5… And why GTI Clubsport and not R? A Golf 3 Syncro would have totally worked, and not just because i have one and i’m obligated to say that. Golf 3 is still pretty imbedded in US’s car culture. Look at the Donut channel, one of their mascot cars is the Golf 3 Cabrio.