Need for Speed Most Wanted vs Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed Most Wanted is an open-world racing game from Criterion Games (2020) while Need for Speed: Shift is a racing game from Slightly Mad Studios (2009).
Quick answer: Need for Speed: Shift has the higher Metacritic, 83 to 78.
Need for Speed: Shift
What each one is
Need for Speed Most Wanted is filed under Open-World and Racing. In contrast, Need for Speed: Shift under Racing.
The open-world action in Need for Speed Most Wanted gives you the freedom to drive your way. Hit jumps and shortcuts, switch cars, lie low or head for terrain that plays to your vehicle’s unique strengths. Fight your way past cops and rivals using skill, high-end car tech and tons of nitrous.
Need for Speed: Shift is a 2009 racing video game developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. A separate version of the game was developed by EA Bright Light and simultaneously released for PlayStation Portable. Two mobile adaptations were developed by IronMonkey Studios for Java-compatible devices and iOS and released in 2009, with the latter version subsequently being made available for several other mobile devices. Need for Speed: Shift is the thirteenth installment in the Need for Speed franchise.
Story, characters and reception
No Wikipedia detail on file.
Reception
Reception The console versions of Need for Speed: Shift received "generally favorable" reviews, while the PlayStation Portable version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . IGN awarded it an Editor's Choice award and scored it a 9/10, citing among other things the exceptional quality of its driving experience and sound design. Official Xbox Magazine awarded Shift with a 9/10, praising its driver's view… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Need for Speed Most Wanted | Need for Speed: Shift | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.1/10 | — |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (77%, 27,849) | — |
| Critic aggregate | 78/100 | 83/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | Unknown |
| Install size | 20 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | Untested |
| Released | 2020 | 2009 |
| Developer | Criterion Games | Slightly Mad Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Need for Speed Most Wanted vs Need for Speed: Shift, 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
Need for Speed Most WantedOpen-world racing gameNeed for Speed: ShiftRacing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Need for Speed Most WantedRacing, Open World, DrivingNeed for Speed: ShiftNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Need for Speed Most WantedMetacritic 78Need for Speed: Shift ✓Metacritic 83Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Need for Speed Most Wanted27,849 reviews · 5 add-ons · 20 GBNeed for Speed: Shift—Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Need for Speed Most Wanted$19.99Need for Speed: ShiftUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Need for Speed: Shift takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Need for Speed: Shift (Metacritic 83)
Where they differ
RacingMultiplayerOpen WorldDrivingActionCompetitive
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Need for Speed Most Wanted is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Need for Speed: Shift is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Need for Speed Most Wanted and 0 for Need for Speed: Shift. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Need for Speed Most Wanted and Need for Speed: Shift in scope?
Need for Speed Most Wanted has drawn 27,849 Steam reviews, ships 5 add-ons and installs in 20 GB. Need for Speed: Shift lists little scope data.
Is Need for Speed Most Wanted or Need for Speed: Shift better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Need for Speed Most Wanted or Need for Speed: Shift?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Need for Speed Most Wanted or Need for Speed: Shift?
Need for Speed: Shift has the higher Metacritic, 83 to 78. 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
All comparisonsHow 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.