The venerable Need for Speed series of fast, in-your-face racing games has been around for a long time. In fact, the original game, titled The Need for Speed, released in 1994 for the 3DO! It was later ported to the original PlayStation in 1996. If you have yet to dip into this franchise on the PS4, take a look at the gallery below to see the best NFS PS4 games, ranked by our review scores, along with older releases from the past decade to see how the series has done over time.
Do any of the best NFS PS4 games rank as your favorite NFS game of all time? Or are the older games still unsurpassed? Any that you hated, or maybe some that you felt were underappreciated? Let us know in the comments below. Can’t get enough Need for Speed? Take a look at our Need for Speed Payback review, as well as other NFS news as it breaks.
Best NFS PS4 Games
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Need for Speed: Rivals
PSLS’ Score: 8.5/10
Metacritic Score: 80
Release date: November 15, 2013
Originally released for last-generation consoles, EA made sure they’d give NFS representation on the PlayStation 4 at launch. Developed by Ghost Games, with added development from Criterion Games (of Burnout fame) and Ghost Games UK, it was an enjoyable entry which, despite the franchise already being nearly 20 years old, was still able to deliver fresh ideas. Indeed, our reviewer Louis Edwards stated, “If you are making the jump to next gen, and you enjoy racing games, this would be a perfect addition to your launch day library.”
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Need for Speed (2015)
PSLS Score: 8/10
Metacritic Score: 66
Release Date: November 3, 2015
In 2015, EA saw fit to reboot the Need for Speed franchise with this self-titled release. This entry included some high-resolution full-motion videos (FMVs), and newer graphics blending technology that transposed the player’s customized vehicles into the pre-rendered, live-action cutscenes. An always-online requirement and social-centric campaign resulted in polarizing reviews. Indeed, while yours truly gave this reboot an 8/10, the Metacritic score reflects the varied opinions of other gamers.
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Need for Speed Payback
PSLS Score: 8/10
Metacritic Score: 61
Release Date: November 7, 2017
The latest release, Need for Speed Payback, continued the recent trend in NFS games to have a big focus on the story. This, combined with a large amount of grinding for parts, resulted in polarizing review scores yet again. For those who wanted to feel like they were driving in a The Fast and the Furious movie, Payback was a decent fill-in. Plus, you could finally pause the game again, a feature that was oddly missing from the previous two entries!
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But What About Last Gen?
All right, to date there are only three NFS PS4 games. To round out our list, click through to see our top NFS PS3 games.
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Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
PSLS Score: 9/10
Metacritic Score: 89
Release Date: November 16th, 2010
As it turns out, handing over the reins of the Need for Speed franchise to the developers at Criterion Games was the smartest move EA made back in the PS3 era. Indeed, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit remains the best-scored NFS game in the past decade. Featuring arcade-enhanced driving mechanics, and social-lite interactions via Autolog, most everyone agreed mixing a dash of Burnout into the NFS base was a recipe for success.
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Need for Speed: Most Wanted
PSLS Score: 9/10
Metacritic Score: 84
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Once again, Criterion Games proved they knew what they were doing with the fine release of Need for Speed: Most Wanted. EA even allowed the subtitle to read A Criterion Game, knowing the weight behind those words in the arcade racing genre. Criterion Games’ second NFS game is also the second-highest rated in the past decade, tied with Need for Speed: Shift. The right kind of focus on online multiplayer via Autolog 2.0, coupled with the usual fun, Burnout-inspired action proved to be a winning combination.
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Need for Speed: Shift
PSLS Score: 8/10
Metacritic Score: 84
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Need for Speed: Shift was well-received as a hardcore sim-type racer, in the same vein as a previous NFS game, ProStreet. Shift appeared to get things a bit more on-track, however, and it released to higher scores. It also was one of PSLS’ earliest official reviews. Reviewer John Draisey quipped, “I can confidently state that the Need for Speed series has been successfully rebooted and definitely has a promising future in the hands of [developer] Slightly Mad Studios.”
