Need for Speed™ vs Need for Speed™ Unbound
Which one is worth buying now, with today's prices and each game's recommendation.
Need for Speed™ wins 8 of 14 head-to-head metrics. Need for Speed™ is $59.70 cheaper.
Metric by metric
The winner of each row gets a ✓. No row weighs more than another; the recommendation is calculated separately.
| Metric | Need for Speed™ | Need for Speed™ Unbound |
|---|---|---|
| GameValio scoreRecommendation: Maybe × Wait for Sale | 59 | 44 |
| Quality | 60 | 54 |
| Value | 65 | 34 |
| Popularity | 36 | 38 |
| Current Best Price (USD) | $10.29 | $69.99 |
| Steam Review Score | 69.6% positive | 61.4% positive |
| Average Concurrent Players (14 days) | 195 | 690 |
Where to buy
The 3 cheapest stores for each game
Need for Speed™ Unbound
Side by side over time
Need for Speed™Need for Speed™ Unbound
Details and requirements
| Item | Need for Speed™ | Need for Speed™ Unbound |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | June 4, 2020 | December 1, 2022 |
| Developers | Ghost Games | Criterion Games |
| Publishers | Electronic Arts | Electronic Arts |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| OS (minimum) | 64-bit Windows 7 or later | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Processor (minimum) | Intel Core i5-4690 or equivalent with 4 hardware threads | Ryzen 5 3600, Core i7-8700 |
| Memory (minimum) | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics (minimum) | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB, AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB, or equivalent DX11 compatible GPU with 4GB of memory | Radeon RX5700 (8GB), GeForce RTX 2070 (8GB) |
| DirectX (minimum) | Version 11 | Version 12 |
| Storage (minimum) | 30 GB available space | 50 GB available space |
Frequently asked questions
Which is better: Need for Speed™ or Need for Speed™ Unbound?
Need for Speed™ won the comparison against Need for Speed™ Unbound based on the head-to-head metric breakdown. Check the metrics table above for a full side-by-side analysis.
How is the comparison calculated?
The comparison winner is determined objectively by counting which game wins more individual metrics in the head-to-head table. No weighting is applied. The GameValio Recommendation shown separately is our own suggestion for each game, based on a weighted score that combines quality (reviews), popularity (player counts), and affordability (price vs value) into a score out of 100. These are two different things: the comparison is objective, the recommendation is GameValio's opinion.
Is Need for Speed™ worth buying over Need for Speed™ Unbound?
Based on the metrics, Need for Speed™ won the direct comparison. However, also check the GameValio Recommendation for each game and the price comparison table to make the most informed purchase decision.
Which game has better player reviews?
Review score trends and volume over time are shown in the charts section above. The game with consistently higher positive ratios has stronger community reception.
Which game offers better value for money?
The affordability score and price comparison table above highlight the best deals. Need for Speed™ currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.
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Analysis updated: Oct 24, 2026, 02:11 PM UTC