Need for Speed Unbound Volume 7 Adds Drag Mode, Overhauled Drift Handling, New Cars and Much More
Need for Speed Unbound’s highly-anticipated Underground themed Volume, simply titled ‘Drift & Drag’, has been revealed and adds with it a colossal amount of new content and gameplay features - including new Drift and Drag PvP modes, overhauled Drift handling, Underground-inspired League mode, two new cars and a ton of new vanity items via the Speed Pass.
Here’s a breakdown of everything coming to Need for Speed Unbound in Volume 7, which launches today for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC:
Drift Pro Handling Overhaul
One of the biggest complaints with recent Need for Speed titles has been the handling model, especially around drifting. Criterion have tackled this complaint with an all-new drift handling model, allowing for much more natural and analogue drifting, with deeper angles, longer drifts and a greater sense of control over your cars.
The new handling model requires specific ‘Drift Pro’ tires to be equipped, which can be used in free-roam and for the new Drift Pro events that will be unlocked as soon as the Volume begins, with Criterion ensuring they won’t “break the bank” to purchase.
Drift Pro events take big inspiration from Underground’s drift events with a more streamlined score multiplier and chaining system, but added in bonuses for twin drifting (tandems with other players). Collisions are off in Drift Pro events, with up to 8 players competing for the highest scores.
Lane-switching Drag Racing Returns
Drag Racing returns to Need for Speed with Volume 7. While previous Need for Speed titles have featured drag racing, Unbound makes a return to the classic, four-player lane-switching drag mode first introduced in Underground.
Blending new with the old, drag racing in Unbound will feature an all-new tire warm up sequence to gain you Burst Nos, as well as a new UI for the rev counter and gear changing that captures the old school style of Underground mixed with the new school of Unbound.
While the world of Lakeshore wasn’t built with drag racing in mind, Criterion have acknowledged this and ensured they were have to “source some of the best routes in Lakeshore to give that Underground vibe”. Volume 7 will feature 37 Drag routes, all entirely crafted for the mode and made up of ½ mile, ¼ mile and some even longer strips to compete on.
Underground League Progression
Inspired by the URL (Underground Racing League) of NFS Underground, Criterion have introduced a new single-player progression system called Leagues into Unbound’s online mode that players can climb to the top of.
Complete challenges to unlock the opportunity to take on racers in a 1v1 drag race and progress up the League. New racers will be available to challenge throughout the Volume, with select Rival Racer vehicles to earn once beating them in 1v1’s.
Introduced with Leagues will be a Community Challenge which players can work to complete, introducing a mysterious League racer that everyone will become able to go up against once the challenge is completed.
New Cars and Speed Pass Content
A new Volume means new cars and Speed Pass content to unlock, with a crazy amount for players to earn throughout Volume 7.
Headlining the update is the BMW M3 Competition Touring ‘23 (free in Speed Pass) and the Ford Mustang Dark Horse ‘24 (Premium Speed Pass required). Both feature three bodykits, as well as a Speedhunters Custom edition and Underground inspired Custom edition each to earn in the Speed Pass.
Additionally, Melissa’s Custom Mitsubishi Eclipse from Need for Speed Underground is available to earn in the Premium Speed Pass as well as four Lakeshore Racer vehicles and a mystery Community Challenge custom to unlock throughout the Volume.
Criterion have added a ton of themed cosmetics to the Speed Pass that celebrate the Underground series this volume, mixing old school with the new such as LED Rims and Plates, 6 new real rims, Premium VFX, titles, underglows, transparent turbo fans and a whole ton more.
LED Rims and Plates will play animations that pay homage to Underground such as Spinners on the rims or waveforms that change depending on the beat of the music playing.
A new decal has also been added as an ode to Neville, a tribute to the late actor Chris Gauthier who played Neville in Need for Speed Carbon featuring his iconic Octopus decal.
On top of all these new content additions, Criterion have also added a sleuth of new events, increased the max rank and made some significant Quality of Life changes which fundamentally change the game. Here are some of the highlights:
Max rank increased from 200 to 250 - featuring Underground themed Rank Icons, titles and banner art every 10 ranks
37 Additional Playlists
20 Drift Pro Routes - 10 new 10 remixed
37 Drag Routes (All new Routes)
10 Brand new race routes for the NFS Legends Playlists. This includes being able to drive in Eddie’s and Rachel’s icon Skyline and 350z.
4 Equal Performance Playlists for the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse ‘24
4 Equal Performance Playlists for the new BMW M3 Competition Touring ‘23
Meetup’s have now been overhauled in order to make events easier to find, with each meetup now housing specific event types:
University Meetup contains Drift Pro Events
Storm Drain Meetup contains Drag Events
Powderhound Meetup contains Drift, Gauntlet, and Rumble Events
Dunder M Park contains Car-Locked Events (Nissan only, Audi only, etc.)
Motor City B and A+ Tier Street Races
Jefferson Meetup A and S Tier Street Races
Edgewater S+ Tier Street Races
Criterion have also added a Manual reset option in checkpoint game modes, which will be enabled either if your speed is under 30MPH or are facing the wrong way and under 30MPH. Additionally, suspension damping values have been changed to help improve curb reactions at high speed.
There are more smaller scale fixes which Criterion have made, which can be found on their Patch Notes blog on the EA website.