Need For Speed Unbound [Our 11 Best Tips & Tricks]

Need for Speed Unbound is a familiar face with many different and fancy effects slapped on top. Whether you’re trying to win against the AI cars or trying to leave your friends in the dust during multiplayer, these Need for Speed Unbound tips and tricks will make sure that you’re the best racer on the streets.

The game hugely emphasizes certain mechanics that can be used to give you an edge. Other mechanics also help you avoid the heat or save a lot of your time. Regardless, at least some of these tips will definitely help you out.

Before we begin, here’s a convenient wrap-up of some of the best tips and tricks for NFS Unbound:

Tips and Tricks	Description
Perfect Launch	Rev your engine to match the white bar on the speedometer for a perfect launch.
First Car	Don't stress over your first car choice; starter cars perform similarly, and you'll unlock more as you play.
NOS Bonus	Use yellow boost bars by tapping the NOS button for speed boosts, fill them by doing stunts.
Near Misses	To refill NOS, drive closely past traffic for near misses, whether in the wrong lane or near parked cars.
Using NOS	Use NOS strategically to exit sharp corners quickly; it can help you regain your speed or escape drifting.
Drafting	Drafting behind opponents' cars allows you to close the distance efficiently and gain a NOS boost.
Minimizing Effects	If you find artistic effects annoying, reduce them by using the "Cloaked" effect under driving effects.
Losing Heat	To evade the cops, outrun them, hide by turning off your engine, and utilize ramps for a escape.
Don’t Carry Too Much	Protect your earnings by storing money in a garage or safe house to avoid losing it.
Tuning	Tailor car settings in the garage for your playstyle, fine-tune steering sensitivity to enhance control.
Cash Boosts	Boost your cash by completing challenges, finding collectibles, and betting against racers.

Perfect Launch

When you’re just starting your journey in Lakeshore City, you’ll only have a B or A-tier car, which isn’t that good. This is why you must ensure that you can get every edge possible in each race, including a great launch.

• Instead of just randomly revving up your engine to its max, try to get the perfect launch by revving it to a certain amount.
• Right at the start, a white box on the speedometer will indicate the right amount of revving required for the perfect launch.
• You’ll get a slight speed boost with the perfect launch, allowing you to secure a good position right from the get-go.

First Car Does Not Matter

Speaking of things extremely early on in the game, if you’re still in the phase of choosing the perfect starter car out of the three right at the start, then you should definitely consider the following.

• Don’t worry too much about which car you choose out of the three right at the start of the game.
• The cars have almost equal performance, with certain cars having just a slight advantage over others.
• You’ll ultimately have to choose another car later on, so there’s no point in worrying too much; simply choose whichever seems the fanciest to you.

NOS Bonus

Undoubtedly NOS will be one of your most useful tools in the game but knowing how to make the most of it is quite crucial. One overlooked mechanic is the yellow boost bar.

• Next to the main NOS bar, there are three bars that get filled up with yellow filling, which you shouldn’t overlook.
• Each bar represents a speed boost that you can get by tapping the NOS button. The more bars you have filled, the higher the speed boost.
• These bars can be filled up by performing all sorts of stunts, such as jumps, drafting, drifting, and much more.

Near Misses For Extra NOS

You are bound to run out of NOS during a single run in the game, so you need to know all sorts of ways to fill it back up.

• A great way to fill up your NOS is passing through traffic with as minimum distance as possible.
• One useful technique for doing that is to drive in the wrong lane so that there are more incoming cars for you to avoid.
• Furthermore, you can even use parked cars to get the near-miss bonus, so if you’re not fully comfortable driving on the wrong lane, then stick close to the sides.

Using NOS On Tight Corners

One of the major things about racing games, especially Need for Speed, is knowing how to handle sharp corners and how to launch out of them as quickly as possible. Luckily Need for Speed unbound has a great method for that.

• Don’t try to escape tight corners by trying to go as fast as you can normally; make use of the NOS.
• You can use the NOS to immediately return to your normal speed if you use it right after a sharp turn.
• In fact, if you think you’re about to turn too far, you can tap the NOS button to escape drifting and get back on track. This works more efficiently when you have the yellow bonus bar.

Drafting Is Key

Trying to get ahead of your opponent seems to be much more difficult in Need for Speed Unbound, but there is definitely a bunch of tips and tricks to help you get ahead more easily.

• Don’t simply try to sneak up on your opponents or cut them off at sharp corners; instead, try to draft them as much as possible.
• Drafting is when you remain directly behind your opponent’s car, allowing you to close the distance more efficiently and also get a NOS boost.
• There is a great amount of range for drafting, so even if you’re many yards away, try to position yourself directly behind your opponent, and you might actually get the boost.
• Once you have a good amount of NOS and boost, preferably two bars, you can use it to overtake the rival.

Minimizing Effects

Need for Speed unbound added a whole new style to racing by including artistic effects and elements to certain actions in the game, such as drifting, using turbo, being airborne, and much more.

• If you’re annoyed by the unrealistic artistic effects, then there is a way to reduce them.
• Unfortunately, you cannot fully remove them, but by using the “Cloaked” effect, found under driving effects, you can greatly reduce the effects.

Losing Heat

Like previous titles such as Need for Speed Heat, NFS Unbound reintroduces the heat systems, constantly keeping you on the run from the cops while also maintaining your heat level. Fortunately, there are some really effective ways of losing the cops if they ever spot you.

• You can always outrun the cops by simply being faster than them or losing them at sharp corners, which can eventually get tedious.
• It is better to find a place to hide from the cops and turn off your engine by pressing “B” on the Xbox.
• Additionally, you can jump off ramps to give yourself a much bigger edge while escaping.

Don’t Carry Too Much

Eventually, you’ll earn big bucks as you explore the open world and participate in more events. But that also means there will be a higher risk of you losing that money.

• While you’re out during the day or night, all the earnings from that session aren’t directly stored in your normal bank.
• To properly stash them away, such that you can use them to enter more races or simply keep them safe, you’ll need to head over to the garage or a safe house.
• By stashing away your cash, you won’t risk losing it to the cops in case you get busted.

Tune Accordingly

Every player has their own playstyle, and it is important to ensure you’re choosing or keeping your cars updated such that the car’s performance is aligned with how you play.

• You can change the steering sensitivity at the garage to adjust whether the car can drift more or has a better grip.
• That will ensure that your car isn’t slippery or stiff on the road.

Cash Boosts

At the start of the game, after the prologue, there is a huge emphasis on getting as much money as possible so that you can get higher-tiered cars, allowing you to participate in better races.

• If you’re looking for additional money besides just the events and races available, you can get additional cash boosts.
• These boosts can be acquired by either completing challenges or by interacting with collectibles.
• The collectibles can range from breaking billboards to completing speed challenges. Regardless of what they are, doing them can give you the additional cash that you might need to enter the next big race.
• You can and should also bet against racers during an event to get an extra reward for completing the race. Just make sure to bet for the lowest-ranked racer.

With that, you know about some of the most useful tips and tricks for Need for Speed Unbound. Although the game might seem familiar if you’re a returning player, there are still many things that have been switched up. And if you’re just a beginner, then worry not, as you’ll eventually be getting the higher positions in races more often. 

Up next: NFS Unbound: Money Glitch