Need for Speed II
Need for Speed II is a 1997 racing video game released for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is the second installment in the Need for Speed series, a sequel Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit was released in 1998.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1997
- Developer
- EA Vancouver
- Platforms
- 3 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 31 March 1997 |
|---|---|
| Developer | EA Vancouver |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, Steam Deck |
| Genres | Racing |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q1139035, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Need for Speed II? How long to beat it
Total play time for Need for Speed II is about 17.8 hours to do everything, and around 4 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 | 4h | 36 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 14.1h | 10 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 17.8h | 7 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Need for Speed II 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 II lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 55ahead of 10% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 54ahead of 91% 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 II
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 II appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Need for Speed II 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 II 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 II head to head
See Need for Speed II compared side by side, on score, price, specs and more:
More Need for Speed II 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 II
What platforms is Need for Speed II on?
Need for Speed II is available on PC, PlayStation, Steam Deck. It first released in 1997.
Who made Need for Speed II?
Need for Speed II was developed by EA Vancouver and published by Electronic Arts.
How long does it take to beat Need for Speed II?
about 4 hours for the main story, 14.1 hours with the main extras, 17.8 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.