Need for Speed War



Need for Speed War (Abbreviated NFSW) is a future open world racing game in the long-running Need for Speed franchise. The twenty-fifth installment in the series, it will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows. A Nintendo Switch port was planned, but never went into production for unknown reasons.

Story Premise
You are Rowan Cooper, an action-seeking street racer who's earned attention because of your relation to your estranged twin brother, Ryan. Your driving skills take you to a populous city called New Fournier, where you're contacted by a man known as "The Beneficiary", who reveals he is a prominent figure within the city's racing scene.

The Beneficiary also reveals the city's underground is made up of several street crews fighting one another for total control. Seeing potential in you, he offers you a chance to seize the scene for yourself and offers you his connections should you accept. Longing to escape from the shadow of your brother's legacy, you accept without hesitation.

However, you'll quickly find that this turf war is more drastic (and creatively dangerous) than what went down in Palmont. Hey, you wanted action. You got it!

Gameplay
At its core, Need for Speed War can be considered as a spiritual successor to Need for Speed: Carbon, and its handheld cousin, Own the City to a lesser extent. Like in those games, the overall objective of the game revolves around the player's character taking control of the city back from various street racing gangs, while tending to the attempts of the police to take them down.

Despite featuring similar gameplay principles, the game introduces new gameplay elements that make it stand out from Carbon. These are most notable in the career progression. In order to challenge each of the region's controlling crews, players must accumulate a certain amount of Bounty Points, which can be accrued after completion of races, evasion of pursuits, and completion of events in the revamped Challenge Series, a separate game mode not featured since 2011's Need for Speed: The Run. Additional new gameplay elements include participating in "Turf Challenge" races in order to maintain control of a region after attaining it, and the inclusion of The Patricians, a vigilante group of police officers posing as street racers and inflitrating certain events.

Players can highly customize any vehicle they own with vast assortments of visual and performance upgrades. However, they should keep in mind that certain upgrades are unlocked for use only after completion of select Challenge Series events. The game features the ability to layer vinyls over each other and the return of Autosculpt, a component-altering means of customization last seen in 2008's Need for Speed: Undercover.

Game Modes
Collectively, there are a total of 11 types of playable events in the game; 8 are exclusive to single player use and 3 are exclusive to online play only. Unless otherwise noted, all race oriented events feature up to 10 racers at one time. The bulk of these events also have police and/or Patrician members integrated into them with random chances of appearing.

Single Player/Career

 * Circuit - Lap based racing along a set route. Circuit races range anywhere from 1 to 3 laps in length.
 * Sprint - Point-to-point racing with the goal of reaching point B from point A in first place.
 * Speed Run - A Sprint race where the goal is to accumulate the highest total top speed. This event is similar to the "Speedtrap" events from past NFS games.
 * Checkpoint - A Sprint race where the player must reach the finish line before the time limit expires. This event features the player as the only racer.
 * Drift - Multi-lap circuit racing with the goal of accumulating more drift points than any other racer. This mode and Drag are the only ones where there is no risk of police. This event features up to 6 racers at one time.
 * Drag - Event where the player must finish a 1/2 mile, 1.0 mile or 1.5 mile long drag race in first place. Drag races require the use of manual gear changes and nitrous in order for the player to be successful. This mode and Drift are the only ones where there is no risk of police.
 * Turf Series - A series of races that feature only the player and the leader of a crew that controls a territory. If the player wins all the races in the series, the player takes control of that territory away from their opponent. The number of races in the Turf Series increases from two to four as the player progresses through the career. Turf Series' events always feature a combination of circuit and sprint races.
 * Turf Challenge - An event where the player is challenged by members of various street crews for control of the player's territory. Winning a Turf Challenge will allow the player to retain control of said territory; losing one will allow the winning crew to repossess said territory. This event begins to occur once the player acquires a territory and will occur more frequently as the player controls more territories. Turf Challenges are almost always circuit races.
 * Free Roam Challenge - An event where the player is randomly challenged to an open-route sprint race by an independent racer if he/she sits idle or cruises the city long enough. In this event, players can set the race length and choose their own finish line. The player wins the challenge if he/she reaches point B from Point A in first place. There is a chance for multiple racers to challenge the player in this event.
 * Pursuit - An open world event where the player must escape from the police and/or The Patricians without getting caught.

Online

 * Pursuit Eliminator - A "lap knockout"-style circuit race where the last player eliminated after each lap becomes an NFPD officer and chases the remaining racers. Once only one racer remains, they must must drive two more laps around the course and finish the race before they are captured. This event features up to 8 players at one time.
 * Pursuit Tag -A "player vs. player"-style event that takes place in an enclosed part of the open world. One player begins in one part of the map as a racer, while all other players are NFPD police units. Racer players must dodge the cops for a certain amount of time, while the cops attempt to bust that player before said time runs out. The busted racer becomes a cop, while the closest cop that busted the racer becomes a racer. A racer that survived the pursuit becomes a cop, and the cycle repeats until the timer runs out. Up to five players can join each side and the winner is the racer or cop that acquires the most points during the event.
 * Money Grab - An open-environment event featuring up to 30 players at once, split into three groups: 1 group of racers, 1 group of NFPD officers and 1 group of Patricians. In this event, members of the racer group must transport bundles of cash from one point of the map to the other without getting taken down by the NFPD group or the Patrician group. If the player is taken down by either, the cash reward will go to them instead. The group with the most cash awarded to them wins the event and keeps all cash earned, which can be used in single player.

Challenge Series
Need for Speed War/Challenge Series

New Fournier
Known in game as "a street racer's paradise", New Fournier is a fictional Louisiana city, and the open world setting of Need for Speed War.

The open world location draws primary inspiration from two southwestern U.S. states in Louisiana and (eastern) Texas, and can be explored during the day or night. Inspirational ques for the city's design include, to name a few, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Driscoll Mountain, the Bayou, Houston, and Galveston. A dynamic weather system can change the driving conditions from dry to wet through differing amounts of rain, as well as fog and mist.

Regions/Territories

 * Chambermonte - New Fournier's primary downtown region located in the central portion of the map. Despite its status, it is the secondary business district behind Evermore. It's made up of various skyscrapers and high-rise hotels and is based primarily off of Baton Rouge, with additional inspiration from Houston. This region is controlled by Fournier Saints.
 * Evermore - Located directly north of Chambermonte, Evermore is New Fournier's primary business district despite its slightly smaller size compared to its neighbor. Like Chambermonte, it is a skyscraper-centric region and features a space headquarters as one of its landmarks. This region is inspired by and is modeled after Houston, and is controlled by Bad Company.
 * St. Charlotte - A region that can be found in southwestern New Fournier, St. Charlotte is one of two entertainment focused regions (alongside Livingston) and the biggest between the two. It is the oldest region in New Fournier, prominently showcasing old architecture among its landmarks. It is a region modeled after New Orleans, and is controlled by Rebel's Gambit.
 * Silverport - Silverport can be found directly south of Chambermonte and is situated between St. Charlotte and Livingston. It is a port/beach region made up of dockyards and some entertainment venues. It prominently features a blend of old and new architecture among its building designs. This region is modeled after Shreveport, and combines the names of Silverton from Need for Speed: Carbon and Rockport from Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005). This region is controlled by Fail Crew.
 * Aranso Pass - Aranso Pass is a region located northeast of Evermore and is one of the northernmost regions on the map. It is a forest region featuring Aranso Forest, an established country club and Bay Mountain (New Fournier's lone mountain) as primary landmarks. This region is inspired by Driscoll Mountain and its surrounding areas, and is controlled by NOCLUB.
 * Livingston - Located in southeastern New Fournier beside Silverport, Livingston is the second entertainment region in the city. It's a coastal resort oriented region made up of hotels, bars, restaurants and tourist attractions, including a neon Ferris wheel, along a clear sand beach. Like Silverport, Livingston features a blend of old and new architecture among its building designs. This region is modeled after Galveston, and is controlled by TerrorNine.
 * Redview Marsh - Redview Marsh is a region found northwest of Evermore, and one of the northernmost regions on the map. It is one of two regions that prominently feature swamps/bayous (alongside Fortuna Grove) and the biggest between the two. In addition, country houses and abandoned properties are landmarks that can be found here. This region is inspired by the Bayou and is named after Redview County from Need for Speed: Rivals. This region is controlled by Swamp Rats.
 * Fortuna Grove - Fortuna Grove can be found directly north of Evermore, and it is one of the northernmost regions on the map. It is one of two regions that prominently feature swamps/bayous (alongside Redview Marsh) and the smallest between the two. This region features lookouts, an abandoned speedway and a water treatment plant as notable landmarks and is also inspired by the Bayou. This region takes part of its name from Fortuna from Need for Speed: Carbon and is controlled by S-Force.
 * Palmfield - Palmfield is an area that can be found primarily west of Chambermonte, northwest of Evermore and north of St. Charlotte. It is a tertiary business/entertainment region, featuring casinos, high rises and a superspeedway as prominent landmarks. This region is inspired (to varying degrees) by Baton Rouge, Houston and New Orleans, and is controlled by Melted Pot.

Vehicles
War features a total of 157 vehicles that the player can purchase and customize with cash. It is the biggest vehicle list to date in a Need for Speed game, surpassing the 126 vehicles available in Need for Speed Heat.

* Vehicle cannot be fitted with performance upgrades

~ Vehicle has convertible/roadster option

Street Crews
Aside from smaller and more minor ones, there are 9 main, well known street crews that the player will interact with during his/her career. These crews are made up of several members, including one leader and many subordinates. Each crew's leader controls a respective territory and can only be challenged for that territory in "Turf Series" events. At the same time, most of each crew's subordinates will challenge the player in "Turf Challenge" events in an attempt to either acquire more territory or take a territory back from the player for their leader to control.

Fournier Saints
Need for Speed War/Fournier Saints

Bad Company
Need for Speed War/Bad Company

Rebel's Gambit
Need for Speed War/Rebel's Gambit

Fail Crew
Need for Speed War/Fail Crew

NOCLUB
Need for Speed War/NOCLUB

TerrorNine
Need for Speed War/TerrorNine

Swamp Rats
Need for Speed War/Swamp Rats

S-Force
Need for Speed War/S-Force

Melted Pot
Need for Speed War/Melted Pot

Police
The New Fournier Police Department (NFPD) is the main law enforcement agency for New Fournier and one of the many forces attempting to impede the player's progress in Need for Speed War. Despite appearing as being connected to them on the surface, the NFPD is ultimately a separate entity from The Patricians.

The NFPD's system is a mixture of those from Need for Speed: Undercover and Need for Speed: Carbon. Specifically, they are like the former in that they will engage in pursuits if rammed by the player and like the latter in terms of overall aggressiveness. However, like The Patricians, they are capable of utilizing certain special tactics and increased aggressive manuevers in order to take the player down.

Heat Levels
(NOTE: In heat levels 2 & 5, the bolded vehicle represents the primary Pursuit Unit. The italicized vehicle represents the secondary Pursuit Unit)

Busted
The busted system is similar to that of Most Wanted (2005) and Carbon. Players will be busted when their bright red busted meter is filled. This meter will start to fill if the player is not moving and has police units trapping their vehicle.

However, War 's busted system comes with a slightly different gameplay mechanic. If the player is busted the first three times in their career, they have the option to either pay a fine and receive an impound strike on their vehicle or use one "AntiCrime" marker, which absolves the player of these penalties. Any subsequent bust after these markers are used will result in the player receiving a fine and an impound strike. If the player receives three impound strikes, their vehicle will be seized indefinitely by the NFPD. If all of the player's vehicles are impounded, the player will have to start from the beginning of the game again.

Cooldown
The cooldown system is the same as that of Most Wanted (2005) and Carbon. Players begin filling the blue cooldown meter by escaping from the police and by driving to hiding spots, which are scattered throughout the city. Each hiding spot fills up the cooldown meter faster.

The Patricians
The Patricians are a vigilante group of NFPD police officers that take to the streets of New Fournier, and the biggest form of opposition to the player.

Posing as high speed street racers and appearing unconnected to the NFPD on the surface, the collective aims to shut down other street racers themselves including the player, infiltrating certain events and pursuits to do so. They have also been known to take down NFPD units in the way of their objective, further highlighting their status as a separate force.

Members
Need for Speed War/The Patricians

DLC
To date, there are 3 DLC packs available for purchase across all platforms. Upon purchase, these packs award the player with new vehicles among other desirable perks. Should the player purchase all DLC packs at once, the packs have a combined price of $29.99.

Deluxe Edition Upgrade ($10.99)
The first DLC and the more expensive of the three available, the Deluxe Edition Upgrade is a digital upgrade for the standard base game that includes 5 stock vehicles and a host of other desirable perks. These 5 vehicles are customizable and must be purchased from the car lot.

* Vehicle cannot be fitted with performance upgrades Additional awards included in the upgrade:


 * 20 additional vinyls
 * 24 additional events (6 Circuit, 4 of each Sprint, 3 Drag, 3 Drift)
 * 25% discount on cash prices for all stage 2 and stage 3 performance upgrades
 * 15% discount on cash prices for the following vehicles:
 * Acura NSX
 * Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe
 * Chevrolet Corvette C7 ZR1
 * Ferrari 458 Italia
 * Ferrari F40
 * Ford GT (2006)
 * Ford GT (2017)
 * Lamborghini Aventador S
 * Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Coupe
 * Lamborghini Diablo SV
 * Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SV
 * McLaren P1
 * Nissan GT-R NISMO
 * Porsche 911 GT3 (991.2)
 * Porsche 918 Spyder
 * Porsche Carrera GT
 * TVR Griffith
 * 25% discount on cash prices for the following vehicles:
 * Apollo Intensa Emozione
 * Aston Martin Vulcan
 * Bugatti Chiron
 * Bugatti La Voiture Noire
 * BXR Bailey Blade GT1
 * Koenigsegg CCX
 * Koenigsegg Regera
 * Lamborghini Reventón
 * McLaren F1
 * McLaren Senna
 * Pagani Huayra BC
 * Pagani Zonda F

Challenge Series Extension Pack ($8.99)
The second DLC available, the Challenge Series Extension Pack is a DLC pack that features ten extra Challenge Series events and three custom tuned vehicles designed by LoganC22, with each of these vehicles being awarded to the player when they complete a certain percentage of the entire Series.

Reward Cards Expansion Pack ($9.99)
The last DLC available for purchase, the Reward Cards Expansion Pack features the return of Reward Cards, a rewards feature involving new vehicles, aftermarket body parts, rims, and vinyls last seen only in Need for Speed: Carbon. Like in Carbon, each of War’s Reward Cards has four independent tasks with a set target that involve either the career and/or Challenge Series. Beating each task will count as a completed section for that card, and beating all four tasks will reward the player with that unique item.

 

There are 20 Reward Cards included in this pack totaling 80 tasks. Once this pack is purchased, the player will have access to a "Reward Cards" section in their garage/hub.  

NFS War Studio
NFS War Studio is a mobile car customization and companion app to Need for Speed War available on iOS and Android for free. The app functions very similarly to NFS Heat Studio. Players can integrate their customizations into the main game by logging in to their EA account. Every non-DLC car that is available in the main game is selectable in the app.

Soundtrack
The game features a soundtrack curated by LoganC22 and consisting of 43 songs that the player can listen to. This soundtrack is split into two sections, with one being heard only in the garage/hub and the other during races and free roam. As a whole, the soundtrack has similar themes to both Need for Speed: Undercover and Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005).

Trailer Songs
* Song only appears via trailers

Suggestions
Want to suggest a DLC pack, Patrician member, Street Crew or Reward Card reward for War? Please don’t hesitate to let LoganC22 know! Leave your suggestions in the comment section down below or message him directly on his talk page! Any suggestions will be taken into consideration.

Trivia

 * One trailer for War confirms its events take place after Need for Speed: ProStreet 2, LoganC22's preceding Need for Speed Idea.
 * This is further reinforced by Dale Tanner, the protagonist from that game, reappearing in his Camaro as a racer who can challenge the player in a Free Roam Challenge.
 * First Game Idea created by LoganC22 for 2022.
 * It is also the only Need for Speed Game Idea planned for the year.
 * It is also the winner of LoganC22's second poll on Game Ideas Wiki. This poll was similar to his first one in that he asked people to decide which Idea out of four potential ones he should make. Out of 11 officially counted votes, Need for Speed War received 4 votes, or 36.4% of all votes.
 * If one switches the F & S in the game's "NFSW" abbreviation, they will end up with "NSFW", the abbreviation meaning "Not Safe for Work". According to LoganC22, this was a coincidence he discovered later in development and "100% unintentional".
 * Unlike Ryan, Rowan Cooper does not have a helmet and interacts with the other characters.
 * If upgraded enough, all old muscle cars (and some newer ones like the Challenger SRT Hellcat) will wheelie at the start of races and when nitro is activated.
 * The Beneficiary is modeled after two fictional people to varying extents: Gilbert Dauterive from the TV show King of the Hill (to a greater extent), and The G-Man from the Half Life video game franchise (to a lesser extent). According to LoganC22, he specifically has mannerisms and speech similar to the former and the enigmaticity and overarching influence similar to the latter.
 * The official insignia for the NFPD (See "Gallery" below) was created by LoganC22 using DesignEvo.
 * It is not possible for the player to drive as an NFPD police unit.
 * The police chatter for the NFPD is modeled after that of Need for Speed: Undercover and Need for Speed Heat (during the day).
 * The street crew TerrorNine is a reference to TerrorFive, a group of street racers mislabeled as terrorists in Black Box's cancelled Need for Speed 10: TerrorFive.
 * However, it is indicated by their description in their crew page (See the "TerrorNine" sub-link above) that they are one and the same.
 * The street crew Fail Crew was originally slated to appear in Need for Speed: ProStreet 2, but was replaced by Board of Directors. In War, the situation flipped; Board of Directors was to appear but was replaced by Fail Crew (albeit created to resemble a street racing feel).
 * All nine street crews and one hundred and twenty seven individual vehicle customizations (excluding Mercer's M3 GTR) were created by LoganC22 using the following:
 * Need for Speed: Carbon
 * Need for Speed: No Limits
 * Need for Speed: ProStreet
 * Need for Speed: Shift
 * Need for Speed: Undercover
 * Need for Speed: Underground 2
 * NFS Heat Studio
 * Following the 2022 GIWA Awards from 12/20/22 - 1/1/23, the game is:
 * The second consecutive Need for Speed title by LoganC22 to win a category, after ProStreet 2 in 2021.
 * The third Need for Speed Idea in GIWA history to win a category, after Need For Speed: Outlaw and ProStreet 2.
 * The first racing Idea in GIWA history to win multiple categories.