Euro Truck Simulator 2 vs Need for Speed Heat
Euro Truck Simulator 2 is an open-world racing game from SCS Software (2012) while Need for Speed Heat is an open-world racing game from EA Gothenburg (2019).
Quick answer: Euro Truck Simulator 2 rates higher, 8.8 to 7.4 on the GamingPickz Score, and Euro Truck Simulator 2 is the cheaper at $19.99.
What each one is
Euro Truck Simulator 2 is filed under Open-World and Racing. In contrast, Need for Speed Heat under Open-World and Racing.
Travel across Europe as king of the road, a trucker who delivers important cargo across impressive distances! With dozens of cities to explore, your endurance, skill and speed will all be pushed to their limits.
Hustle by day and risk it all at night in Need for Speed™ Heat Deluxe Edition, a white-knuckle street racer, where the lines of the law fade as the sun starts to set.
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Reception The game was generally well received by critics, holding a score of 79/100 on Metacritic , indicating "generally favorable reviews". In a review for Destructoid , James Stephanie Sterling praised the game's accessibility, noting how easy the GPS and map features were to use, as well as the option to stream European internet radio, and the multitude of control options available. They also praised the graphics, stating that "[f]rom the shape of… (Wikipedia)
Plot
The player (male player voiced by Andrew Lawrence , female player voiced by Jamie Gray Hyder ) arrives in Palm City for the SpeedHunters Showdown, a citywide exhibition that draws in racers who compete in sanctioned races throughout the day, and illegal street races at night. Lt. Frank Mercer (Josh Coxx), leader of the police's High-Speed Task Force, announces his intent to arrest all street racers in the city. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Need for Speed Heat received generally positive reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . Critics welcomed the overhauled progression system (compared to the predecessor Payback where one of the methods to gain upgrades for a car was to purchase loot boxes ) and the option to choose between day and night for increased race variety, but criticized the short story and lack of innovation compared to previous titles. Luke Reily… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Euro Truck Simulator 2 | Need for Speed Heat | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.8/10 | 7.4/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 940,049) | Very Positive (84%, 153,208) |
| Critic aggregate | 79/100 | 72/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $69.99 |
| Install size | — | 50 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | playable |
| Released | 2012 | 2019 |
| Developer | SCS Software | EA Gothenburg |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Euro Truck Simulator 2 vs Need for Speed Heat, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Euro Truck Simulator 2Open-world racing gameNeed for Speed HeatOpen-world racing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Euro Truck Simulator 2Driving, Transportation, SimulationNeed for Speed HeatRacing, Open World, DrivingThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Euro Truck Simulator 2 ✓Score 8.8 · 97% on Steam · 79 criticNeed for Speed HeatScore 7.4 · 84% on Steam · 72 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Euro Truck Simulator 2940,049 reviews · 108 add-onsNeed for Speed Heat153,208 reviews · 2 add-ons · 50 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Euro Truck Simulator 2 ✓$19.99Need for Speed Heat$69.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Euro Truck Simulator 2 ✓VerifiedNeed for Speed HeatPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Euro Truck Simulator 2 takes 3 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueEuro Truck Simulator 2 and Need for Speed Heat on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Euro Truck Simulator 2 (GamingPickz Score 8.8)
- The cheaper right now: Euro Truck Simulator 2 ($19.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Euro Truck Simulator 2 (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Euro Truck Simulator 2 (940,049 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
DrivingOpen WorldAtmosphericMultiplayerControllerThird PersonAdventure
Where they differ
TransportationSimulationAutomobile SimRealisticModdableRelaxing
RacingActionSingleplayerCo-opCombat RacingOnline Co-Op
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Euro Truck Simulator 2 is relaxed, easy to pick up. Need for Speed Heat is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Euro Truck Simulator 2 | Need for Speed Heat | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 | AMD: Radeon 7970/Radeon R9 280x |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i5-6400 | FX-6350 |
| Minimum RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Install size | — | 50 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Euro Truck Simulator 2 · Need for Speed Heat.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 9 accessibility features for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and 1 for Need for Speed Heat. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Euro Truck Simulator 2 and Need for Speed Heat in scope?
Euro Truck Simulator 2 has drawn 940,049 Steam reviews and ships 108 add-ons. Need for Speed Heat has drawn 153,208 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 50 GB.
Is Euro Truck Simulator 2 or Need for Speed Heat better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Euro Truck Simulator 2 rates higher (8.8 to 7.4). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Euro Truck Simulator 2 or Need for Speed Heat?
Euro Truck Simulator 2 is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $69.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Euro Truck Simulator 2 or Need for Speed Heat?
Euro Truck Simulator 2 rates higher, 8.8 to 7.4 on the GamingPickz Score, and Euro Truck Simulator 2 is the cheaper at $19.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.