Need for Speed Unbound launched to mixed critical reviews and relatively lukewarm sales in spite of the cool, anime-inspired art style that’s infused throughout the game. While grabbing the racing game for the full price might be a tough ask for players at this point, the game is enjoying a free-to-play weekend on Steam this week. If you’ve been looking for a new racer, trying out Need for Speed Unbound might be a good idea. After all, it does have some fans and the anime characters and overlays are a fun touch that injects some extra personality into the mix. Plus, you can’t beat getting an entire weekend to check it out before making your purchasing decision.
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The Need for Speed Unbound free-to-play period only lasts through the weekend, so if you want to check it out, make sure you do so quickly. Fortunately, the weekend actually starts today as far as Steam is concerned, so you can hop in now if you’d like. On top of that, NFS Unbound is also currently on sale for $21 until July 27. So, if you decide you want to keep playing, you can pick it up at a 70% discount. That discount also extends to the Palace Edition, which comes with several cars, driving effects, and cosmetics.
NFS Unbound is the first game in the long-running series that sees Criterion Games back behind the steering wheel. The team’s last Need for Speed game was Rivals back in 2013, and the franchise has been developed by Ghost Games since then. It’s also the 25th Need for Speed game, making it an even bigger disappointment that it didn’t quite live up to fan expectations. That said, it did review better than Need for Speed Heat, so it’s unlikely EA is making any further development changes anytime soon.
Either way, it’s very hard to pass up a deal like this if you’re a racing fan. While picking up Need for Speed Unbound without getting to try it much is probably a bad idea given the reception, having a chance to play for free and see if it’s your cup of tea is a smart move. Hopefully, it gets more players into the game and reignites the multiplayer while Criterion continues to work on whatever’s next.
