Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon is a 2006 racing video game and the tenth installment in the Need for Speed series. Developed by EA Black Box, Rovio Mobile and published by Electronic Arts, it was released on October 31, 2006, for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube, Windows, and Mac OS X, on November 17, 2006 as a launch title for the PlayStation 3, and November 19, 2006 as a launch title for the Wii and in 2008 for arcade cabinets. A portable version, Need for Speed: Carbon – Own the City, was released for the PlayStation Portable, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and Zeebo. While it featured similar gameplay to the console versions, the portable versions included new or modified gameplay elements, a different setting and storyline, and a different selection of teammates. Own the City is the final installment in the series to be released for Game Boy Advance.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 2006
- Developer
- EA Vancouver
- Platforms
- 9 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 30 October 2006 |
|---|---|
| Developer | EA Vancouver |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Platforms | Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation Portable, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS |
| Genres | Racing |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q219795, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Need for Speed: Carbon? How long to beat it
Total play time for Need for Speed: Carbon is about 20.2 hours to do everything, and around 11.3 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 11.3h | 219 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 13.6h | 142 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 20.2h | 52 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Need for Speed: Carbon sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Need for Speed: Carbon lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 69ahead of 21% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 67ahead of 98% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Need for Speed: Carbon
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where Need for Speed: Carbon appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Need for Speed: Carbon qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Part of the Need for Speed series
Need for Speed: Carbon is one of 21 Need for Speed games we track. See the whole series ranked by the GamingPickz Score, plotted on the grid, and listed in release order:
Need for Speed: Carbon head to head
See Need for Speed: Carbon compared side by side, on score, price, specs and more:
More Need for Speed: Carbon comparisons: vs Need for Speed Undercover, vs Need for Speed: Shift, vs Need for Speed: Nitro, vs Need for Speed: The Run, vs Need for Speed Rivals, vs Need for Speed: No Limits, vs Need for Speed Payback, vs Need for Speed Heat, vs Need for Speed, vs Need for Speed Most Wanted, vs Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered, vs Need for Speed Unbound
Common questions about Need for Speed: Carbon
What platforms is Need for Speed: Carbon on?
Need for Speed: Carbon is available on Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation Portable, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS. It first released in 2006.
Who made Need for Speed: Carbon?
Need for Speed: Carbon was developed by EA Vancouver and published by Electronic Arts.
How long does it take to beat Need for Speed: Carbon?
about 11.3 hours for the main story, 13.6 hours with the main extras, 20.2 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.