5 best games like Need for Speed

The Need for Speed games started out as a fledgeling underdog in the arcade racing game genre. However, as time went by, the series rose to become the industry juggernaut that it is today.

While some players tend to enjoy more sim-style racing games, there has always been a huge market for arcade racing games where players can race the cars without worrying about tire temps and brake pressure.

The Need for Speed franchise rose to fame with the Underground series, capitalising on the Tuner car culture of the early 2000s. The games focused on letting players customise their vehicles and race them in a number of race types.

Need for Most Wanted then came around with an added focus on police chases, making for a much more action/arcade-style racing game.

5 best games like Need for Speed

5) The Crew 2

Ubisoft's The Crew 2 is an ambitious open-world game that doesn't just let you drive cars but also lets you drive a number of other vehicles. It boasts of some of the biggest maps in racing games and gaming as a whole.

Much like the Need for Speed franchise, The Crew 2 ditches the simulation aspects of racing and focuses more on an arcade-style experience.

4) Driveclub

Perhaps the most visually impressive racing game ever made, Driveclub is a visual treat in any weather condition and track. The game's rain physics, in particular, never fails to impress the player.

Driveclub gives players a more comfortable and accessible experience than its PS4 brethren Gran Turismo. Things like Traction Control and Brake Temps don't hold much sway in Driveclub, much like Need for Speed.

3) GTA Online Races

While not a racing game per se, GTA Online boasts of some of the best driving mechanics in not just the GTA series but also among other racing games.

Races in GTA Online are innovative and have progressively gotten crazier and weirder, and fans of the Need for Speed franchise will enjoy the innovative race tracks of GTA Online Races.

2) Midnight Club series

The Midnight Club franchise has sadly been on ice since 2009 and Rockstar Games don't look like they're about to revive this classic from the 2000s anytime soon.

Boasting of impressive car physics, along with an equally impressive roster of cars, Midnight Club games are still a joy to play in 2020. They will never fail to evoke a sense of nostalgia for players who fell in love with the street racing culture in the 2000s.

1) Burnout: Paradise

There is perhaps no other arcade racing game that has garnered so much appreciation and love from the community more than Burnout: Paradise.

The game has absolutely no qualms, with the player completely destroying the opponents' cars at any given moment. In fact, it encourages the player to take down their opponents using a variety of different methods.

Much like the Need for Speed franchise, it takes the arcade concept and multiplies it by a 100 to deliver an action-packed experience.