Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (2024)

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (1)

NFS Heat

Release Date: November 8, 2019

Racing, cars, Game Pass, EA Play, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet

84%

Steam

Rate It!

The twenty-first major installment in the popular Need for Speed racing series. The production was released by Electronic Arts and developed by Ghost Games, which has been responsible for the development of the series since 2011.

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  • Ratings
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84%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Very Positive (97,385)

STEAM

User Reviews Summary generated by AI

The main pros of the game

  • Graphics and Visuals: Players consistently praise the stunning graphics and the vibrant, neon-lit aesthetic of Palm City, especially at night. The visual design is often described as a highlight of the game.
  • Customization: The game offers extensive car customization options, allowing players to modify their vehicles both aesthetically and performance-wise. This feature is frequently mentioned as a strong point, providing a sense of personal investment in the cars.
  • Gameplay Mechanics: The day-and-night cycle adds a unique twist to racing, with sanctioned races during the day and illegal street racing at night, creating a thrilling atmosphere and a risk-reward dynamic.
  • Engaging Police Chases: The intensity of police pursuits, especially at night, adds excitement and challenge to the gameplay, making players feel like they are genuinely racing against the odds.
  • Fun Factor: Many users report enjoying the overall experience, citing the game as fun and addictive, especially when playing with friends or in multiplayer mode.

The main cons of the game

  • Story and Character Development: The main story is often criticized for being short, rushed, and lacking depth, with some reviews mentioning that character development feels inadequate.
  • AI and Police Mechanics: Users express frustration with the police AI, noting that it can be overly aggressive or inconsistent, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. The police can feel both too powerful and poorly designed at times.
  • Handling and Physics: The driving mechanics, particularly related to drifting and car handling, receive mixed reviews. Many players find the handling to be unrealistic or frustrating, especially when compared to other racing games.
  • Progression and Grinding: The game is noted for its grindy progression system, where earning in-game currency can feel slow and unsatisfying, leading to complaints about the balance between cash and reputation rewards.
  • Technical Issues: Various bugs and performance issues are reported, including crashes, graphical glitches, and poor optimization on certain hardware setups.

The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users

  • Expanded Story Content: Many players feel that the game could benefit from a longer and more developed storyline, with more engaging character arcs and plot depth.
  • More Dynamic Open World: Users suggest that the game world feels somewhat static and could use more interactive elements or events to make it feel alive.
  • Additional Game Modes: There are calls for more gameplay modes, such as a police mode where players can take on the role of law enforcement, similar to previous titles in the series.
  • Improved Online Features: While multiplayer is included, some players desire more structured competitive elements or additional online activities beyond just racing.
  • Cloud Saving: The lack of cloud saving features is a significant point of contention, as players express frustration over losing progress due to technical issues or unintentional game deletions.

Summary generated on:

6.7

GAMERS Score

Average score from 1710 votes. 693 players anticipated the game.

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Need for Speed: Heat Description

  • Plot
  • Mechanics
  • Game modes
  • Technical aspects

Need for Speed: Heat is a racing game that is the twenty-first installment in the popular Need for Speed series. The title was developed by the Ghost Games studio, which has been responsible for the development of the series since 2011, and had previously delivered productions such as Need for Speed: Rivals, Need for Speed and Need for Speed: Payback.

Plot

Need for Speed: Heat takes place in the Miami-like fictional Palm City, where street races (both legal and illegal) are commonplace. During the game we play the role of a hero, who gradually climbs the career ladder, gaining a reputation and earning more and more money.

Mechanics

In Need for Speed: Heat we have at our disposal a large city with an open structure. The game takes place here on two planes. During the day, we can travel around the metropolis freely, facing specially prepared challenges and looking for collectibles, as well as taking part in legal Speedhunters Showdown races and winning money. As the streets are patrolled by the police, it is important to be careful not to break the law in front of the police. However, even if we fall under the "uniformed" people, they will deal with us quite gently.

The situation changes dramatically after dark (which is triggered manually), when we can try our hand at illegal competitions to increase our reputation and gain unique tuning parts. Then corrupt law enforcement forces take to the streets, and they will have no hesitation in getting their drivers. Depending on how much we get behind their skin, our level of publicity is rising, and not only police cars, but also armoured vehicles and even helicopters are sitting on our tails. Although the game is worth the candle, because the bigger our publicity is, the more reputation points we gain, to make use of the latter you should lose the chase and go to your hiding place (in case of "mishaps" the prizes won will be taken away from us). The latter is not the only easy one, because every car has a life belt, and if we empty it, hitting other vehicles or elements of the environment, we will be immobilized.

The reputation points mentioned above are primarily used to unlock new tuning parts based on the products of real manufacturers, but in order to use them, we also need to spend a certain amount of money on them. The title offers a wide range of possibilities for car personalisation; we can make both optical and mechanical modifications. The list of the former includes a change in the color of the body, lights, tyres or license plates, as well as the installation of spoilers, thresholds and bumpers (or their overlays) or finally the replacement and adjustment of the appearance of rims (among them we will find models modelled on the products of real manufacturers) and the change in the sound of the exhaust. Mechanical tuning mainly involves the replacement of the engine (for the first time in history) of the series. In addition, we are free to replace certain components, adapting the car to the specific type of competition. Even though the driving model is arcade, the differences between the different cars are noticeable; moreover, a drift-ready vehicle will not necessarily work in off-road or cross-country races where the place at the finish line counts. It is worth noting that the personalization also applies to our driver.

As for the cars we buy with the money we earn, we can find on their list both cult classics like Aston Martin DB5 from 1964, Buick GNX (1987), Dodge Charger (1969) or Ferrari Testarossa Coupe (1984), as well as modern vehicles. The latter include not only sports cars that can be found on the road (BMW M4 GTS, Chevrolet Corvette, Honda Civic Type-R, Nissan 370Z), but also supercars (headed by Pagani Huayra BC, McLaren 570S, Lamborghini Huracan or Ferrari LaFerrari).

Game modes

Need for Speed: Heat can be played both alone and in multiplayer mode.

Technical aspects

Need for Speed: Heat has high quality 3D graphics. Particularly noteworthy are the car models designed with attention to detail. In addition, however, you may also like the detailed surroundings and realistic lighting. The fun is accompanied by a soundtrack that warms up the fight for victory.

29

GAMES

in Need for Speed Game Series

Game Series

Need for Speed Series

One of the oldest and most popular racing game series in the history of the industry. Need for Speed is one of the most valuable brands in Electronic Arts' portfolio, with the US company's in-house development studios, such as EA Black Box, EA Gothenburg, and Criterion Games, usually responsible for its subsequent installments. The series started in 1994 with The Need for Speed, designed for fifth-generation consoles (3DO, PlayStation, Sega Saturn) and PC. The production was prepared by the team from EA Canada studio, created as a result of the acquisition of Distinctive Software (devs of Test Drive and Test Drive II).

29 video games

Need for Speed Game Series

Need for Speed: Heat Summary

Early Access:November 5, 2019

Platforms:

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (5)

PC / Windows

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (6)

PlayStation 4

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (7)

Xbox One

Developer: EA Gothenburg / Ghost Games

Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (8)Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (9)

Similar Games:

Need for Speed: PaybackForza Horizon 4The Crew 2

Need for Speed: Heat System Requirements

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (13)

PC / Windows

Minimum: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4 GHz / AMD FX-6300 3.9 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 760 / Radeon HD 7970 or better, 50 GB HDD, Windows 10

Recommended: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6 GHz / AMD Ryzen 3 1300X 3.5 GHz, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce GTX 1060 / 8 GB Radeon RX 480 or better, 50 GB HDD, Windows 10

  • News
Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (14)

Possible PS Plus for September 2022

A leak has appeared online regarding the September PS Plus Essential offer. The upcoming month could be a good time for fans of racing games.

video games

Przemyslaw Dygas

August 31, 2022

Possible PS Plus for September 2022

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (15)

World of Need for Speed - Cities From the Series on One Map

A fan of the NFS series has created a map that includes locations from the nine most recent installments of the series. The map of the USA, although slightly reshaped, still looks pretty good.

video games

Miriam Moszczynska

July 19, 2022

World of Need for Speed - Cities From the Series on One Map

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (16)

Amazon Prime Gaming Will Give Away More Than 30 Games, Including Mass Effect LE and NfS Heat

Starting June 21, a big game giveaway has been prepared for Amazon Prime subscribers. In total, we will receive more than 30 titles, among which we can find GRID Legends, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition or Need for Speed: Heat.

special offers

Agnes Adamus

June 16, 2022

Amazon Prime Gaming Will Give Away More Than 30 Games, Including Mass Effect LE and NfS Heat

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (17)

Second New Need for Speed Leaked; NFS Heat Spin-off for Asia

A few hours ago a gameplay game from an unannounced Need for Speed game appeared in the web. The game is to be a mobile spin-off of NFS: Heat and is probably developed by Tencent.

video games

Michael Zegar

May 11, 2022

Second New Need for Speed Leaked; NFS Heat Spin-off for Asia

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (18)

Did You Know Need for Speed Had a Card Game?

The Need for Speed series has a long and colorful history. Various installments of the series have taken us from participation in illegal races to race track driving simulation. But did you know that the former king of racing also visited our tables as a card game?

video games

Michael Zegar

August 25, 2021

Did You Know Need for Speed Had a Card Game?

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (19)

NFS Heat Looks Beautful and Meatier With the Unite Mod

The UNITE Heat mod has received version 3.1. It's a powerful project that improves both graphics and gameplay in the racing game Need for Speed: Heat.

Files and Mods

Adrian Werner

August 19, 2021

NFS Heat Looks Beautful and Meatier With the Unite Mod

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (20)

EA Play Subscription Now Available on Steam

The EA Play subscription is now available on Steam. Thanks to it, for $5 per month (or $30 for the whole year), subscribers receive access to a number of games from Electronic Arts's catalogue and many facilities, such as shopping discounts.

video games

Milosz Szubert

September 1, 2020

EA Play Subscription Now Available on Steam

EA Adds Achievements to Its Games on Steam

EA has added a total of more than 1,000 achievements to its 25 games available on Steam. The list includes items such as Battlefield V, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Need for Speed: Heat.

video games

Milosz Szubert

August 25, 2020

EA Adds Achievements to Its Games on Steam

Need for Speed 2021 Leak Shows Gameplay From Alpha Version

An alleged gameplay from the new installment of Need for Speed is making rounds on the web. The material shows a very early build of the game, but gives some idea of what Criterion Games may be preparing for us.

video games

Jacob Blazewicz

August 6, 2020

Need for Speed 2021 Leak Shows Gameplay From Alpha Version

Disappointment and Grief - Gamers Say Goodbye to NFS: Heat

Electronic Arts' decision to end support for NFS: Heat seven months after its launch was very much disliked by the players. Message boards were flooded with critical comments and mocking memes.

video games

Bart Swiatek

June 9, 2020

Disappointment and Grief - Gamers Say Goodbye to NFS: Heat

Need for Speed: Heat, NFS Heat (2024)
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