Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (188 positive / 112 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Visuals & art19% mention it
- Story & writing14% mention it
- Multiplayer & servers7% mention it
- Bugs & crashes5% mention it
- World & exploration5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Bugs & crashes29% mention it
- Controls & UI21% mention it
- Multiplayer & servers19% mention it
- Story & writing15% mention it
- Visuals & art9% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
45%
123 reviews
5-15h
78%
87 reviews
15-40h
70%
71 reviews
40-100h
80%
15 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 65 | 46 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 49 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 69% | 66 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 73% | 69 | 310 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 885 total reviews in window · weighted 155 up / 57.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (78)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 60
“The aesthetic of the game is immaculate, stark yet beautiful, suggesting what a Fast and the Furious might look like as helmed by Michael Mann.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“As it stands, you can do better than this year's Need for Speed. Sure, it possesses all the traditional EA spit and polish we're used to what with a punchy soundtrack and fantastic production values, but they do little to elevate one of the lesser entries in the franchise.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“It all looks pretty nice and tries very, very desperately to be cool, but the actual game behind the graphics isn't close to being polished enough for a recommendation. The always-online requirement which is apparently only there because you have to be online to be able to share snapshots (seriously, that's the claim) is an absolute abomination but you'll be able to live with it, at least until EA kill the servers in a year or two and you won't be able to play the game anymore. Need for Speed isn't unplayable by any means, but there's a laundry list of things that can, and often do, stop that playing time from being very enjoyable.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Like the stereotypical school heartthrob, Need for Speed is vapid but beautiful and strangely exciting. It's a surprisingly enjoyable arcade racer, but one that's more for casual downtime than for a serious commitment.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Need for Speed's got many of the parts required of a great racer, but it's lacking a mechanic to assemble them and apply a lick of paint. The cutscenes, as obnoxious as they may be, are the real stars here, which may just be an indictment of the game as a whole. Sure, the handling's good, but the events are insipid, and the visuals may sparkle, but Ventura Bay is as vanilla as open worlds come. For as pumped-up as its excitable cast of characters are, this reboot quite simply lacks energy. Now, has anybody got any Monster?”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Even with its missteps, I really enjoyed Need for Speed. It tried to return to form in some aspects and it really scratched that itch I was looking for with a car customization game. It handles how the player wants it to, and while performance can be spotty in some instances, it's still a great looking and playing racing game.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Electronic Arts' newest PC racing game is gorgeous, and offers lots of customization options, but it's super-buggy and features some of the most annoying characters in video game history.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It's a good game but not necessarily a stronger one when compared to prior titles, especially if the stuttering on the Xbox One isn't addressed. For that reason, race fans may want to hold off on this title to see if things get smoothed out on this platform.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Given the lack of content, the game feels like a work-in-progress with some poorly conceived features and contrivances that only diminish the game's few strengths.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Need for Speed's recent purple patch ends in the mixed influences of this flat and awkward reboot.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“I spent a lot of time wondering exactly who Need For Speed was aimed at.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Need For Speed borrows from the series' past to create an excellent street racer with a handful of obnoxious but ultimately forgivable problems.”
read full review ↗
Slant Magazine
Gadgets 360
Pure Xbox
PC Invasion
Push Square
ZTGD
PCMag
Worth Playing
The Escapist
Eurogamer
Rocket Chainsaw
GameSpot…and 66 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.