GET READY TO RACE

Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared details in various drops on Need for Speed™ Unbound - the cars, fashion, the music, the customization. Everyone at Criterion and EA is stoked to get you into Lakeshore City, so this handy-dandy guide will ensure you’re ready to race when you drop in.

PRELOAD/RELEASE INFO
GAME SPECS
OPTIONS & SETTINGS
THE WORLD OF LAKESHORE CITY

PRELOAD TIMINGS

• PC - Nov 24, 2022 8AM PT / 4PM UTC / 5PM CET
  • Steam - Nov 28, 2022 8AM PT / 4PM UTC / 5PM CET
• Xbox Series X|S  - Nov 24, 2022 8AM PT / 4PM UTC / 5PM CET
• PlayStation
  • Palace Edition: Nov 26, 2022 11PM PT / Nov 27, 2022 7AM UTC / 8AM CET
  • Standard Edition - Nov 29, 2022 11PM PT / Nov 30th 7AM UTC / 8AM CET

 

RELEASE DATES

Need for Speed™ Unbound Palace Edition launches on Nov 28, 2022 11PM PT / Nov 29 7AM UTC / 8AM CET

Need for Speed™ Unbound Standard Edition launches Dec 1, 2022 11PM PT / Dec 2 7AM UTC / 8AM CET

EA Play/EA Play Pro launches Nov 28, 2022 11PM PT / Nov 29 7AM UTC / 8AM CET

• EA Play - Play the 10 hour trial of Need for Speed™ Unbound Standard Edition (and keep your progress when you buy the game)
• EA Play Pro - Get the full Palace Edition of Need for Speed™ Unbound with your EA Play Pro subscription.

Where’s My Stuff?

Did you pre-order Need for Speed™ Unbound or buy the Palace Edition but can’t find your gear? We’ve got you. Check out the “Where’s My Stuff?” blog here for help in scooping up your loot.

GAME SPECS (PC & CONSOLE)

• PS5: 4K @  60 FPS
• XBox Series X: 4K @ 60 FPS
• XBox Series S: 1280p @ 60 FPS

PC MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor (AMD): Ryzen 5 2600 or equivalent
• Processor (Intel): Core i5-8600 or equivalent
• Memory: 8 GB
• Graphics card (AMD): RX 570 or equivalent
• Graphics card (NVIDIA): GTX 1050 Ti or equivalent
• DirectX: 12 Compatible video card
• Online Connection Requirements: 1 Mbps or faster Internet connection
• Hard-drive space: 50GB+

PC RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENTS

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor (AMD): Ryzen 5 3600 or equivalent
• Processor (Intel): Core i7-8700 or equivalent
• Memory: 16 GB
• Graphics card (AMD): Radeon RX5700 or Equivalent
• Graphics card (NVIDIA): GeForce RTX 2070 or Equivalent
• DirectX: 12 Compatible video card
• Online Connection Requirements: 1 Mbps or faster Internet connection
• Hard-drive space: 50GB+

Need for Speed™ Unbound will be available on PC (EA app, Origin, Steam, Epic Games), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

CROSS-PLAY

• What modes can use cross-play?
  • Cross-play is available in Lakeshore Online, the online multiplayer experience in Need for Speed™ Unbound.
• How do you use cross-play?
  • When you first start up Lakeshore Online, you’ll receive a notification that Cross-Play is enabled. When enabled, you’ll be racing with players on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. On Xbox, you may need to enable cross-play in your account settings. Details on how to do this can be found here. When joining Lakeshore Online, invite and join other sessions across all platforms. Disabling cross-play will only match you with those in your console family (e.g. PlayStation®5 or PC).

OPTIONS & SETTINGS

Just as Need for Speed™ Unbound offers a lot of options for customization of your character and your ride, we have a host of settings to help you customize your experience in Lakeshore City. From the Main Menu, go to Settings to view or change your preferences.

ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES

We’ve got a suite of accessibility options for you in the Main Menu -> Settings -> Accessibility

• Menu Narration (On or Off)
• Subtitles (On or Off)
• Story Game Difficulty (Relaxed, Challenging, Intense)
• Colorblind Mode (On or Off)
• Use Chat Speech to Text (On or Off)
• Chat Text Size
• Camera Shake (A slider to adjust the amount of shake)
• Motion Blur (On or Off)
• Lighting Control (On or Off) – Reduces intensity, frequency, and luminosity of flashing lights in certain instances.

GAME, CONTROLS, DRIVING SETTINGS

Under the Main Menu -> Settings, you’ll find an array of options to tweak your game the way you like it. From the Controls section, you can adjust the Deadzone or Enable/Disable vibration, as well as view the Controller Mapping/Keybinds for Menus and In-World.

Feel like a real challenge? Hit up the Driving menu and change your Gearbox from Automatic to Manual. You can also change your Units System Shown (MPH or KPH, adjust Camera Shake and Camera Pitch Sensitivity.

Controller Feedback

PS5 / Xbox Series X|S - Haptic/trigger-specific feedback is supported on console.
PC - Basic feedback/rumble for controllers is supported at launch.

Steering Wheels

Need for Speed Unbound has steering wheel support and has been thoroughly tested with the following models:

Thrustmaster T300RS (PS5, PC)
Thrustmaster TX (Xbox, PC)
Thrustmaster T150 (PS5, PC)
Thrustmaster TMX (Xbox, PC)
Logitech G29 (PS5, PC)
Logitech G920 (Xbox, PC)
Fanatec CSL Elite Racing Wheel (PS5, PC, Xbox)

Just make sure to connect your equipment before launching the game, and that your steering wheel is assigned to your user profile.

GRAPHICS, AUDIO SETTINGS

Turn on or off Motion Blur, access Colorblind Mode, and adjust the Gamma Correction under the Graphics menu to dial in your in-game graphics.

With a soundtrack like Need for Speed™ Unbound has, you know we came with some Audio options. You’ll have 17 different options to work with, such as changing the Dynamic Range, balancing out the Car, Speech, Effects, and Music volumes, and adjusting VOIP settings for when you’re burning up the road in Lakeshore Online with friends.

CAMPAIGN

Take on Rivals and the cops in Need for Speed™ Unbound’s high-stakes single-player story.

Welcome to Lakeshore City - a street racer’s paradise. Your goal - make enough Bank through the week to pay the buy-in for the weekly Qualifier, upgrade and customize your rides to enter The Grand and win it all to walk away with $1,000,000 Bank.

LAKESHORE ONLINE

No two races are the same in Lakeshore Online, the online multiplayer experience in Need for Speed™ Unbound. Party up with friends, challenge other racers on the server, make Bank, buy cars and upgrade them visually and performance–wise, and keep going. Check out our Under the Hood Lakeshore Online article for more details.

RISK vs. REWARD

To get those big rewards, you gotta take big risks. Dive into our Under the Hood Turn Up the Heat article for details on how to up the ante in Lakeshore City - and get paid.

CUSTOMIZATION

In Need for Speed­™ Unbound, we took customization to the next level. Personalize your character, customize and upgrade your ride, dial in your Driving Effects, and stand out with your Banner (Lakeshore Online only). Get the details on customization in Need for Speed™ Unbound in Under the Hood: Show Up and Show Off.

EVENTS/CHALLENGES/ACTIVITIES

When you’re not hitting Lakeshore Online or finishing up the campaign, complete Events, Challenges, and Activities to unlock more items with which you can customize your ride and character. Under the Hood Run These Streets has all the info to get you started.

STYLE IN NEED FOR SPEED™ UNBOUND

We’ve partnered with household names like Champion and Vans, footwear giants like PUMA and FILA, streetwear heavyweights like Palace and Born x Raised, and legendary houses like Versace. Dive into our article on driver self-expression then get into the game and see for yourself!

THE MUSIC OF NEED FOR SPEED™ UNBOUND

Bump the 70+ song soundtrack of global hip-hop artists that creates a distinct vibe while you’re tearing up the streets in Lakeshore City. A new track from A$AP Rocky, music from all of AWGE, and an original score by Brodinski will inspire you to find Freedom in the Flow.

Want more?

Change your Lane at the Need for Speed™ Unbound Lane Changers experience with a map of Lakeshore City and points of interest, our car list of sweet rides available in-game, and much more.

Need help?

We got you. Hit up Answers HQ where you can report bugs or issues for a member of the team to check out. Or hit up our friends at EA Help for one-on-one support.

Follow Need for Speed™ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for all of our updates.