Need for Speed vs Need for Speed Most Wanted
Need for Speed is an open-world racing game from Ghost Games (2020) while Need for Speed Most Wanted is an open-world racing game from Criterion Games (2020).
What each one is
Steam files Need for Speed under Open-World and Racing. In contrast, it files Need for Speed Most Wanted under Open-World and 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.
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.
At a glance
| Need for Speed | Need for Speed Most Wanted | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.4/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Mixed (69%, 29,486) | Mostly Positive (77%, 27,849) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 78/100 |
| Price | $29.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | 30 GB | 20 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Developer | Ghost Games | Criterion Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Need for Speed vs Need for Speed Most Wanted, 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 Most WantedOpen-world racing 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 Most WantedRacing, Open World, DrivingThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Need for SpeedScore 6.4 · 69% on SteamNeed for Speed Most Wanted ✓Score 7.1 · 77% on Steam · 78 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Need for Speed29,486 reviews · 30 GBNeed for Speed Most Wanted27,849 reviews · 5 add-ons · 20 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Need for Speed$29.99Need for Speed Most Wanted ✓$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Need for SpeedPlayableNeed for Speed Most WantedPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Need for Speed Most Wanted takes 2 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 catalogueNeed for Speed and Need for Speed Most Wanted 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.
- 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: Need for Speed Most Wanted (GamingPickz Score 7.1)
- The cheaper right now: Need for Speed Most Wanted ($19.99)
- Lighter on storage: Need for Speed Most Wanted (20 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
RacingMultiplayerDrivingOpen WorldActionAdventureAutomobile SimSingleplayer
Where they differ
DestructionSimulationMovieTop-DownOnline Co-Op
CompetitiveVehicular CombatGreat SoundtrackCrimeLocal Co-Op
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 Most Wanted 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 Most Wanted. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Need for Speed and Need for Speed Most Wanted in scope?
Need for Speed has drawn 29,486 Steam reviews and installs in 30 GB. Need for Speed Most Wanted has drawn 27,849 Steam reviews, ships 5 add-ons and installs in 20 GB.
Is Need for Speed or Need for Speed Most Wanted better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Need for Speed Most Wanted rates higher (7.1 to 6.4). 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, Need for Speed or Need for Speed Most Wanted?
Need for Speed Most Wanted is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
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.