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Is Need for Speed canceled?
There is no confirmed cancellation in the available reporting. GameSpot reported in August 2025 that EA had paused work on the next Need for Speed title, while also reporting EA’s assurance that the franchise would return in the future. That assurance was reported by GameSpot; it was not a formal EA announcement in the article. The pause and the promise do not provide a timetable or confirm that a new game is in active development. GameSpot’s 2025 report.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Need for Speed - PlayStation 4 | $23.50 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered (Nintendo Switch) | $37.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Need for Speed Payback - PlayStation 4 | $24.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Need for Speed Most Wanted - Xbox 360 (Limited) | $21.70 | Buy on Amazon |
Why Criterion’s Battlefield focus matters
Criterion was moved under the Battlefield Studios banner to support Battlefield 6, according to GameSpot’s 2025 report. In July 2026, Criterion/Battlefield Studios Europe vice president and general manager Rebecka Coutaz said: “We are solely focused on Battlefield.” GameSpot quoted her statement while reporting on Criterion’s 30th anniversary. It describes the studio’s stated focus at that time, not a permanent decision by EA about the Need for Speed franchise. GameSpot’s July 2026 report.
What is known—and what is not
- Known: GameSpot reported the next Need for Speed project was paused in 2025, and reported EA’s assurance that the franchise would return.
- Known: In July 2026, Coutaz said Criterion’s team was solely focused on Battlefield.
- Not established: The reviewed reports do not identify another studio assigned to make the next game, confirm whether pre-production is continuing elsewhere, or give a release date.
Windows Central also quotes IGN’s Phil Iwaniuk attributing the Battlefield-focus statement to Coutaz, corroborating the quotation. Windows Central’s July 2026 coverage.
What can Need for Speed fans play now?
The latest released entry identified in this coverage is Need for Speed Unbound, released on November 29, 2022, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It is the latest identified release, not a newly announced installment. GameSpot’s July 2026 report.
#1 Best Overall
- Internet Connection Required: You will need a persistent internet connection. Need for Speed is committed to being a live service so they can deliver an ongoing experience that is constantly changing and evolving. Need for Speed will include free content updates and challenges as an ever present ways for you to earn rewards and continually explore the game
- Five Ways to Play: Need for Speed returns with Five Ways to Play Speed, Style, Build, Crew and Outlaw, enabling you to earn reputation and ultimately win your way. Combine all five to create that perfect Need for Speed moment; driving insanely fast, sliding through a corner in your customized ride alongside your friends, whilst being chased by the cops
- Rich Authentic Customization: Build a car that reflects your character through extensive visual and performance customization. With hand picked iconic cars, the hottest authentic after market brands, performance tuning, and personalized handling. Set up your ride and hit the streets
- Narrative: Five distinctive overlapping stories each inspired by a real world icon. Every choice, every second, every minute propels your playing experience on your journey to become the ultimate icon
- West Coast Urban Setting:From dusk till dawn, discover an open world of urban car culture you never knew existed. Our stunning new world that combines the power of the new consoles and a supercharged game engine in Frostbite to deliver a rich open world environment with roughly twice the drivable roads of Need for Speed Rivals
Did EA’s 2026 corporate update change the picture?
EA CEO Andrew Wilson’s August 4, 2026 update discusses the company beginning a new chapter as a private company and outlines company-wide priorities, but it makes no Need for Speed announcement. It therefore does not establish a change in the franchise’s status. EA’s corporate update.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Open World Action - Lose the cops - your way. Hit jumps and shortcuts, lay low, or shake the cops in surroundings that play to your car's unique strengths. Freedom is everything. Drive anywhere with your friends, discover hidden gameplay or utilize your knowledge of the city to beat them in a never-ending supply of challenges.
- Non-Stop Multiplayer - Pick a car, hook up with friends and jump into a non-stop playlist of tight, competitive events. No lobby screens means the action never stops. Score big, rank up and earn endless rewards and upgrades. Keep the fierce rivalries going between events with endless opportunities to race, battle and explore in a huge open world.
- Beat Your Friends - Autolog 2 ratchets up the intense competition with personalized race recommendations and feeds broadcasting all of your most newsworthy scores, speeds and times to your friends. Earn Need for Speed points at all times on any system as you try to outdrive your friends and become the Most Wanted.
- Racing Without Rules - It’s survival of the fastest as "Need for Speed Most Wanted" fuses the franchise’s, authentic "real car" feel with the intense speed and aggression of Burnout. Power down, slide out, and battle your way past cops and rivals using pure driving skill, and heavy doses of nitrous.
Rank #3
- Play through an explosive adventure as three distinct characters united by one common goal: revenge
- Endlessly fine tune your performance through each of the five distinct car classes (Race, Drift, Off-Road, Drag, and Runner)
- Get on a roll and win big with risk versus reward gameplay. The return of intense cop chases means the stakes have never been higher
- Pre order bonus offer: Pre order Need for Speed Payback now to receive the Platinum Car Pack. Drive straight into the action on the roads of Fortune Valley with instant access to five uniquely customized and tuned iconic cars, each with exclusive Platinum Blue Tire Smoke
Rank #2
- CROSS-PLATFORM MULTIPLATER AND AUTOLOG: Bolt down the winding Seacrest County roads headfirst in racing that is socially competitive at its core, the ground-breaking Autolog connects you and your friends in head-to-head pursuits and races and instinctively delivers challenges based on your friends' activities, this highly dynamic system is fuelled by friendly competition and is now supported with cross-platform sync and new multiplayer gameplay so that you can race each other no matter what platform you are on
- EXOTIC CARS WITH WEAPONS: Drive the world's most desirable supercars on both sides of the law, bust suspects in supercharged cop interceptors enhanced with tactical weaponry, or level the playing field with counterattacks and defensive manoeuvres as an elite racer, strategize to gain an edge over the competition, no matter what side you're on
- CHASE AND ESCAPE: A deep and fully-defined single-player career delivers the action of both cops and racers, with a seamlessly linked multiplayer experience across all race modes, take on friends or play through the career solo to earn Bounty and unlock new cars, weapons, and equipment
- ENHANCED VISUALS: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered delivers a timeless racing experience updated for today's generation of hardware with enhanced visuals
- ALL MAIN DLC INCLUDED, PLUS MORE UPDATES: Get all main DLC delivered at launch including an extra six hours of gameplay and more than 30 challenges, brand new achievements, wraps, car colours, reduced hard stops, an updated photo mode and gallery, and multiple quality of life updates create an even more well-rounded gameplay experience this time around
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
