High-Stakes Races & Final Preparations

Master the final preparations for the Grand in Need for Speed Unbound. Learn about difficulty settings, calendar events, and story progression to become the ultimate street racer.

The Story mode in Need for Speed: Unbound is a single-player campaign set in Lakeshore, a fictionalized Chicago. Players compete in weekly qualifiers to earn a spot in the ultimate street racing challenge, The Grand: Lakeshore. After a robbery at a family auto-shop, the player must make their mark on the streets, earning reputation to rise from rookie to top racer and reclaim a stolen custom car. Risks must be taken to gain attention, whether through drifting, evading the Lakeshore Police Department, or placing sidebets on rivals. The more attention earned, the higher the heat. The player will also encounter A$AP Rocky for a head-to-head race, offering a chance to drive his custom 1988 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16.

Difficulty Settings:

• Relaxed: 150% Health, 10 Restarts, Less Challenging Cops, Less Competitive Rivals.
• Challenging: 100% Health, 4 Restarts, Challenging Cops, Competitive Rivals.
• Intense: 60% Health, 2 Restarts, Very Challenging Cops, Very Competitive Rivals.

Calendar:

With The Grand only a month away, players have four weeks to qualify. Each week features a Qualifier event on Saturday, requiring a buy-in. Each day has two sessions (daytime and nighttime) to earn cash for the buy-in and meet any additional vehicle prerequisites. A week runs from Sunday to the following Saturday, which is a single night session for the Qualifier.

Story Progression:

• Prologue: The player and Yaz test their new custom car at a meetup, but the night takes an unexpected turn.
• Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4: Players progress through the weeks, earning cash and preparing for the final Qualifiers.
• Completion: The ultimate goal is to qualify for The Grand and reclaim the stolen custom car.