Race types in Need for Speed
Contents |
Race types by game
| Game | Circuit | Sprint | Time Attack | Lap Knockout | Drag | Drift | Speedtrap | Other | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNfS | O | O | Time Trial | x | x | x | x | x | Tournament |
| NfS 2 | O | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | *Torunament *Knockout |
| Hot Pursuit | O | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | *Torunament *Knockout |
| High Stakes | O1 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | *Tournament *Knockout |
| Porsche Unleashed | O | O | x | O | x | x | x | Factory Driver | *Tournament *¿Trial? |
| Hot Pursuit 2 | O | O | *Time Trial *Delivery |
O | x | x | x | Be the Cop | *Tournament *Knockout |
| Game | Circuit | Sprint | Time Attack | Lap Knockout | Drag | Drift | Speedtrap | Other | Championships |
| Underground | O | O | Time Trial | O | O | O | x | x | Tournament |
| Underground 2 | O2 | O | Time Trial | O | O | O3 | x | Outrun | Underground Racing League |
| Most Wanted | O | O | Tollbooth | O | O | x | O | x | x |
| Carbon | O4 | O4 | Checkpoint5 | x | x | O6 | O | Canyon Duel | x |
| ProStreet | O | Speed Challenge | x | x | O | O | Top Speed Run | *Sector Shootout *Time Attack |
Race Day? |
| Undercover | O | O | Tollbooth | x | x | x | x | *Outrun *Highway Battle *Takedown |
x |
| Game | Circuit | Sprint | Time Attack | Lap Knockout | Drag | Drift | Speedtrap | Other | Championships |
- 1: Includes High Stakes, which is a single one-on-one circuit race.
- 2: Includes Underground Racing League (purpose-built race track) and Street X (parking lots)
- 3: Includes Downhill Drift
- 4: Includes Canyon Race
- 4: Includes Canyon Checkpoint
- 6: Includes Canyon Drift
Race type descriptions
Circuit
Present in all games.
The fastest drivers to cross the finish lap win. Tracks are closed loops, which are driven multiple times (some instalments allow one-lap circuit races).
Sprint
Present in The Need for Speed and Porsche Unleashed onwards.
The fastest drivers to cross the finish lap win. The track is point-to-point, so each section is driven only once.
Time Attack
Present in The Need for Speed (Time Trail), Hot Pursuit 2 (Time Trail and Delivery), Underground 1 and 2 (Time Trial), Most Wanted (Tollbooth), Carbon (Checkpoint) and Undercover (Tollbooth).
The player must arrive to the finish line before the time runs out. Circuit and point-to-point tracks exist; no rivals are on track. Checkpoints may be present along the course.
Lap Knockout
Present in Porsche Unleashed, Hot Pursuit 2, Underground, Underground 2 and Most Wanted
The fastest drivers to cross the finish lap win. Tracks are closed loops, which are driven multiple times (one lap less than the quantity of drivers). Each lap, the last driver is eliminated. The last standing driver wins.
Drag
Present in Underground 1 and 2, Most Wanted and ProStreet.
The fastest drivers to cross the finish lap win. The circuit is relatively or completely straight, so brakes aren't used. Traffic cars if present must be avoided.
Drift
Present in Underground 1 and 2, Carbon and ProStreet.
Drivers are scored according to slides, which must be as fast, wide and long as possible. Extra points may be awarded for drifting close to the edges of the track.
Speedtrap
Present in Most Wanted, Carbon and ProStreet (Top Speed Run).
In a point-to-point track, drivers are scored based on the speed at checkpoints. Once the leading driver crosses the finish line, the remaining drivers' scores start to drop until they cross the finish line. The driver with most points win.
Other race types
Outrun
Present in Underground 2 and Undercover.
One-on-one battle held in an open environment. The driver must overtake the other driver and leave him/her behind, by driving fast and following tricky paths. The leading driver wins if he/she gets a 400 meter lead (UG2) and or he/she lasts 60 seconds without being overtaken (UC).
Canyon Duel
Present in Carbon.
One-on-one battle held in a point-to-point course. In the first stage, the player must chase the rival car and score points based on the distance between both cars. In the second stage, the roles are reversed: the player is chased by the rival car, and his/her score drops according to the distance between both cars. If the player has positive points, he/she wins the race and vice versa. If either car is overtaken or falls through a cliff, he/she loses the duel.
Sector Shootout
Present in ProStreet.
Drivers must race in a circuit track as fast as possible. The drivers receive points any time he/she beats the current time for each track sector. Drivers are ranked according to the final score.
Time Attack
Present in ProStreet.
Drivers race as fast as possible around a circuit track multiple times. The driver with best lap time wins.
Highway Battle
Present in Undercover.
One-on-one battle held in a point-to-point track. Both drivers must leave the other car behind by driving fast or making them crash. If one drivers is 400 meters behind the leader or crashes heavily, he/she loses the battle. If time runs out, the leading driver wins.
Be the Cop / Takedown
Championship descriptions
Tournament
Present in The Need for Speed thorough Underground 2
Series of regular races, such as circuit, sprint, drag, lap knockout and drift. Drivers are scored after each race - the driver with most points in the end wins the tournament.
Knockout
Present in NfS 2, Hot Pursuit, High Stakes and Hot Pursuit 2.
Series of circuit or sprint races (one less than the quantity of drivers). The last driver of each race is eliminated from the championship. The winner of the last race wins the championship.
Race Day
Present in ProStreet
The player is scored according to his/her performance on each race. Each race can be race unlimited times - only the best score per race is kept. The player wins and dominates the race day if he/she reaches a fixed amount of points.
