Review: Need for Speed Heat

Need For Speed Heat has finally hit the streets and is increasingly reminiscent of the franchise’s golden-era titles, such as Need For Speed Underground 2, Need For Speed Most Wanted (2005), among others. Without a doubt, the series stands as one of Electronic Arts’ (EA) greatest milestones of the last 20 years. However, recent entries have left much to be desired and many players have been discouraged from continuing with the franchise. But have changes been made, and is it truly worth buying and playing Need For Speed Heat (NFS Heat)? Read my full review and find out!

Palm City is vast and packed with incredible, well-crafted details. Moreover, police chases are intense, and the risk of losing total control of your vehicle in heavy rain is higher—these elements are truly engaging. Need For Speed Heat also delivers the heat of police pursuits in the fictional Palm City, inspired by Miami’s lighting, neon, skyscrapers, and paradisiacal vibe. In fact, the map is extensive and reminded me of the franchise’s classic, renowned titles.

Still, in Need For Speed Heat, I noticed that Ghost Games (the game’s developer) seems to bring together the entire universe of illegal street racing, police getaways, customization kits, and wide drifts within open-world fictional cities. In other words, the studio decided to integrate the best elements into a vivid and undeniably impressive experience. Before the game’s launch, I was already managing my expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised by these major innovations.

Upon first encountering the new NFS Heat, you’ll immediately notice a game with a solid foundation, unlike many previous entries that lacked context. This time, with Palm City, we have a much more vibrant experience—skyscrapers, cars roaming the streets, and other players exploring this living world (in Online Mode). Additionally, excessive speed is quickly detected by police radar patrols, and you’ll be chased promptly for any infractions.

Customization goes far beyond tuning the cars you acquire in the game—you can also customize your character, who will be the main protagonist throughout the storyline. Moreover, all the cutscenes are very well crafted, and again, unlike previous franchise titles, we now have a well-structured and distinctive context. In other words, there is a very realistic aspect to the vehicles, the environment, and the characters, bringing the story closer to the player.

In Need For Speed Heat, there are forested and mountainous zones, as well as other iconic areas reminiscent of classic Need For Speed games. It’s an open-world title that often reminded me a bit of Forza Horizon 4, but unlike some more recent evolutions, it does not feature the famous 24-hour cycle we see in Forza Horizon.

Practically, there are weather effects, such as transitions from dry to rainy conditions at various moments in Need For Speed Heat, with heavy downpours in certain situations. Not that this always affects driving, since the actual impact is mostly visual. Still, there is no automatic time progression. It’s up to the player to choose whether to play by day or by night and switch between these options. Some events are only available during the day, while others take place at night (especially street races).

All events in Need For Speed Heat offer an important advantage. As you earn essential in-game currency, you can improve your car’s performance and unlock new customizations or even purchase other cars. As you build your reputation through frequent challenges and rival showdowns, your reputation level increases, granting access to new vehicles. This means you’ll have to keep your foot on the accelerator if you want to reach the game’s best, fastest, and most powerful cars.

Another very interesting aspect of the game is the diverse car customization system. In practice, the upgrade kits in NFS Heat are the most varied I have seen in the franchise to date. Not only can they enhance the vehicle’s visual aspect, using authentic parts from event creators or original kits, but they can also significantly improve the car’s driving capabilities by adding nitrous and even fine details like engine sound or exhaust effects (I really enjoyed these options). Naturally, it’s important to note that all these modifications come at a cost, and you’ll have to race a lot to earn them.

Regarding Need For Speed Heat’s gameplay, I can say that we’re dealing with an arcade-style experience, which may initially feel a bit unusual for beginner players and can lead to frequent crashes (this happened to me, believe it or not!). The constant drift mechanic in sharper turns isn’t very natural, but it’s an essential maneuver if you don’t want to lose time to other racers.

Glitches. It’s interesting to start a paragraph with that statement, because the game does have several bugs that I believe will be addressed over time through updates from Ghost Games. However, in my reviews I maintain impartiality as a primary principle, and this affected my experience at times—especially with game crashes that you can see in the two livestream videos I posted on YouTube. On one occasion, the game simply crashed and returned me to the home screen.