Need for Speed vs Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
Need for Speed is an open-world racing game from Ghost Games (2020) while Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is a racing game from EA Vancouver (1998).
Quick answer: Need for Speed and Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
What each one is
Need for Speed is filed under Open-World and Racing. In contrast, Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit under Racing.
Ready to own the streets? Get behind the wheel of iconic cars and floor it through Ventura Bay, a sprawling urban playground. Explore overlapping stories as you build your reputation – and your dream car – and become the ultimate racing icon.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is a 1998 racing video game developed for PlayStation by EA Canada and Microsoft Windows by EA Seattle, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third major installment in the Need for Speed franchise, incorporating police pursuits as a major part of gameplay. Hot Pursuit remains focused on racing using exotic sports cars, but features races that primarily take place in locations within North America, including varied settings and climates. Police AI is improved over the first game, utilizing several tactics to stop both the player and opponent. The PlayStation version was released on March 25, 1998, while the Windows version was released on September 23, the same year. The game received critical success, with praise for its graphics and customization options. It received a direct sequel in 2002 and a reboot in 2010.
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Reception The PlayStation version of Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit received "favorable" reviews, just two points shy of "universal acclaim", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . Next Generation called it "an excellent racer for both novice and expert enthusiasts. Hopefully EA will continue to improve the engine so that NFSIV offers a great two-player experience as well. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Need for Speed | Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.4/10 | — |
| Steam rating | Mixed (69%, 29,486) | — |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 88/100 |
| Price | $29.99 | Unknown |
| Install size | 30 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | Untested |
| Released | 2020 | 1998 |
| Developer | Ghost Games | EA Vancouver |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Need for Speed vs Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, 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 SpeedOpen-world racing gameNeed for Speed III: Hot PursuitRacing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Need for SpeedRacing, Driving, Open WorldNeed for Speed III: Hot PursuitNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Content and scale
Need for Speed29,486 reviews · 30 GBNeed for Speed III: Hot Pursuit—Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Need for Speed$29.99Need for Speed III: Hot PursuitUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 0 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
Where they differ
RacingMultiplayerDrivingOpen WorldActionAdventure
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Need for Speed is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Need for Speed and 0 for Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Need for Speed and Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit in scope?
Need for Speed has drawn 29,486 Steam reviews and installs in 30 GB. Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit lists little scope data.
Is Need for Speed or Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit 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 or Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit?
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 or Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit?
Need for Speed and Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds. 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.