Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
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.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
Your like matters. Every heart nudges this game's GamingPickz Score and where it ranks (a small 5% of the score), so the lists get better for everyone.
- Released
- 1998
- Developer
- EA Vancouver
- Platforms
- 3 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 25 March 1998 |
|---|---|
| Developer | EA Vancouver |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, Steam Deck |
| Genres | Racing |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q1139007, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit? How long to beat it
Total play time for Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is about 14.2 hours to do everything, and around 9.9 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 | 9.9h | 42 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 12.8h | 21 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 14.2h | 14 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit 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 III: Hot Pursuit lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 56ahead of 11% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 52ahead of 90% 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 III: Hot Pursuit
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.
Loading reviews…
Did it run on your PC?
Tell other players how it ran on your machine. One tap, from your saved PC if you have one.
Where Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
Get the weekly rundown
One email a week: what moved in the rankings, what launched, and what dropped in price. No more than that, and unsubscribing takes one click.
We send the weekly email and nothing else. Your address is never sold, shared or used to build a profile, and it is not readable by anyone visiting this site. See our privacy policy.
Part of the Need for Speed series
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit 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 III: Hot Pursuit head to head
See Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit compared side by side, on score, price, specs and more:
More Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit 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 III: Hot Pursuit
What platforms is Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit on?
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is available on PC, PlayStation, Steam Deck. It first released in 1998.
Who made Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit?
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit was developed by EA Vancouver and published by Electronic Arts.
How long does it take to beat Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit?
about 9.9 hours for the main story, 12.8 hours with the main extras, 14.2 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.