Games like Need for Speed™ · Find similar →
We filtered the 50 games similar to Need for Speed™ down to the 14 that fit the “Racing” category. Jet Island, Trailmakers and Descenders top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Need for Speed™.
Did you find what you were looking for?
Quick answer
Within the “Racing” category, the closest game to Need for Speed™ is Jet Island — scoring 87/100 on our similarity scale. Trailmakers and Descenders follow close behind.
Help us build the best rankings
Community poweredVote on each result below — good match or not. Every vote directly shapes how we rank similar games for everyone.
Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Need for Speed™. Each one has been evaluated across 12 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.
If Need for Speed™ worked for you because of open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus, the same is here. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery. It sets itself apart with sports simulation and a casual, approachable feel.
On paper it is what Need for Speed™ is — open world exploration, melee combat and co-op play — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. To that it adds exploration and discovery. They part company on progression and world: this one brings a sandbox world and crafting mechanics.
Released 5 years after Need for Speed™.
If Need for Speed™ worked for you because of open world exploration, melee combat and multiplayer gameplay, the same is here. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. Where the two diverge is world and visuals: procedural generation.
Released 4 years after Need for Speed™.
If Need for Speed™ worked for you because of open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus, the same is here. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. Where the two diverge is combat: ranged combat.
It shares the essentials of what Need for Speed™ does: open world exploration, melee combat and multiplayer gameplay. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. They part company on game mode: this one brings PvP competition.
Same studio: Ghost Games.
With Need for Speed™ it shares open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. They part company on combat: this one brings stealth mechanics.
It predates Need for Speed™ by 11 years, with what that implies technically.
The genre is the same as Need for Speed™’s, and with it open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. The distance is in visuals and progression — its own ground is a sandbox world and skill tree progression.
It shares the essentials of what Need for Speed™ does: open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a top-down view. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is an isometric view.
It predates Need for Speed™ by 16 years, with what that implies technically.
Same family as Need for Speed™: open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a top-down view. The distance is in visuals and world — its own ground is a sandbox world and an isometric view.
It predates Need for Speed™ by 18 years, with what that implies technically.
It meets Need for Speed™ on open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is shooting mechanics and strong narrative focus.
It shares the essentials of what Need for Speed™ does: open world exploration, melee combat and multiplayer gameplay. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery. It sets itself apart with offline play.
Shelved next to Need for Speed™ for good reason: open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. They part company on visuals and world: this one brings a sandbox world.
It predates Need for Speed™ by 13 years, with what that implies technically.
On paper it is what Need for Speed™ is — open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. They part company on visuals and world: this one brings a sandbox world and ranged combat.
What brings it close to Need for Speed™ is open world exploration, melee combat and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, combat and world. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and a first-person view. It sets itself apart with dark, oppressive atmosphere and post-apocalyptic world.
It predates Need for Speed™ by 17 years, with what that implies technically.
Found one on the list you already love? Open its own list: the games that play most like it, ranked, with the reason for each.
If Need for Speed™ left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the racing or the simulation that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PlayStation, Xbox and Mobile, filter by platform and skip the games you could not play anyway.
Sometimes what you want is not a Need for Speed™ look-alike but simply the best Open-World Action Games there are. That is what these rankings are for: no comparison to anything, just the highest-rated games. And if you feel like widening the net, the Action Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.