Game Play

Race Overview

Racing in Need for Speed World is the heartbeat of the game. It's where you take part in a Multiplayer Race, test yourself against the best racers in the world or compete against the AI in a Single-Player Race.

Daily Events

Every day, there will be a wide range of races and pursuit events for you to join and compete with others. The selection of events will change everyday, so come back regularly to try out all the different tracks in the game.


There are two ways to join Race events:

If you look at the World map (press the M key to display) you'll see icons which detail the location of available Races. To join a Race, click an event and then select 'Teleport'. This will teleport you directly to the Race location. Alternatively, you can click 'Join Race', which brings up the Race window where you can select Single-Player or Multiplayer.

As you drive around the world you'll see blue icons floating above the road. This shows there is a Race available at this location. To take part in the Race stop your car by the indicator and use your mouse to select either a 'Single-Player', 'Multiplayer', or 'Private' Race.

Some Events will be special Class-Restricted events. In these Races, everyone competes using cars from the same class. To enter a Class-Restricted Race you need to be driving a car from the required Class when joining the Race; you can either own the car or Rent one for the event. To check which Class is required check the icon on the map, if there is a Car Class icon beside the race icon it is Class-Restricted and you must use a car from that Class.

Powerups are an exciting way to bring your car to the front of the Race or attempt to bring opponents back to the pack. Each Powerup has a specific use and using them strategically can propel you across the finish line in the top slot. For a detailed breakdown of each Powerup check out the next section of the guide.
At the end of each Race - regardless of where you finish - you will receive rewards in the form of Cash, Rep and Lucky Draw cards.
At the end of each Race, after you've collected your Rep and Cash, you will have a chance to select one Lucky Draw card from a set of five on the screen. The cards contain different rewards including extra Powerups, Cash, and Rep.
Race Now is a feature which allows players to quickly find the first suitable Multiplayer race to join with one simple click of a button. It's perfect for casual players who don't have a lot of time and just want to play any race by minimizing the amount of time it takes for players to exit a race and enter the next one. Race Now automatically tries to find a suitable Multiplayer race for the player to join, based on our matchmaking system.
Race Now can be activated by clicking on the Race Now button (the NFS icon) on your menu bar on the top of your screen. When you click the button, it will indicate the current status by displaying 'Searching For Races'. Once a race is found the Race gadget will appear as normal and you will see which race you're about to join. At this point, just click the 'Join' button, as usual, to join the Race Lobby.
You can de-activate Race Now by clicking a second time on the Race Now button while it's active. It can also be deactivated by choosing to join other races at a race icon (on the World map), engaging into a pursuit or returning to the Safehouse. Race Now will also be turned off once a suitable race has been found.

Pursuit mode in Need for Speed World is a chance to pit your driving skills against those of the local Police department. Be successful and you'll be rewarded; fail to escape and it'll cost you.

You can join a pursuit in the same way as a race, by using the World Map or driving to a race icon, Each icon indicates the starting location of the Pursuit.
Pursuits are single player only, and always start at the current heat level of the player’s car.

Once you're in a Pursuit, the bottom of the screen will show the Pursuit meter, with the far-left being 'Evaded' and far-right being 'Busted'. As you begin to pull away from the cops, the 'evading' side of the meter (in blue) will begin to fill up. When the police are getting closer the 'busted' side of the meter (in red) will begin to fill.

If you're able to escape the cops and get the 'evading' side full, a second 'Cooldown' meter (also blue) will begin to fill. As soon as the 'Cooldown' meter is full, you have successfully evaded the Pursuit. If a cop spots you as the 'Cooldown' meter is filling, Cooldown is abandoned and the Pursuit resumes.

During a Pursuit, there are several ways to slow down or impede the cops. Pursuit Breakers are the familiar 'smashable' parts of the game's environment which can be triggered by hitting them with your car. Breakers are easily identifiable; any item with three red arrows on it is a breaker. If you hit a Pursuit Breaker while the police are close behind there's a good chance their car will be damaged by the debris or they'll slow down to check the scene of the 'accident'.

Two other ways to escape a Pursuit are by ramming the cops and searching for a hiding spot. Investing in the 'Ram' Skill Mod will greatly increase the weight of your car, and by extension, make you a nightmare for lighter police cruisers.

The city has hundreds of shortcuts, secret areas and landmarks, all perfect for hiding from law enforcement. Keep your eye on the mini-map during the Pursuit for side streets, which are perfect for cooling the heat on your tail, but be wary, the cops know the map just as well as you do. If you look close enough you'll see little blue hiding spots on the maps; these are great areas to stay out of the way of the cops and help you when you're in Cooldown mode.
Powerups are just as useful in Pursuits as in regular Races in Need for Speed World. All Pursuit-based Powerups are orange in color and range from Instant Cooldown to Emergency Evade.
During a Pursuit, milestones will flash on the screen as you meet certain achievements, such as smashing five police cars or causing more 'Cost to State'. For each achievement you'll receive additional Rep.

At the end of a Pursuit your driver will be rewarded Rep and Cash. The total value will depend on how long the Pursuit lasts, number of cops you were able to knock-out, and other factors. You will also receive a Lucky Draw card. The longer the evaded pursuit, the better the Lucky Draw card that you will win, so try to evade the cops for as long as you can! If you get arrested however, you will have to pay a fine to the police. Your car heat level will also reset to 1.