NFS Unbound Best Settings [Performance & Quality]

After a wait of three years, EA has finally released Need for Speed Unbound. Players need to set up their in-game settings on their PCs to get the best out of the all-new racing game. The game features multiple options that you can tweak as per your liking. However, a certain settings layout can yield the highest FPS for you and make NFS Unbound run smoothly on your system.

Best Graphics Settings For NFS Unbound

All PC gamers know that the Graphics settings are the first thing you need to race to once you start up a new game. This is where you can completely build your game’s performance based on the power of your system. The Graphics settings in NFS Unbound are quite straightforward and can be adjusted in a matter of minutes.

Quick Summary Of All The Best Graphics Settings

Setting Name	What to Set it to
Motion Blur	Off
Colorblind Mode	Player Preference
Gamma Correction	Player Preference
Screen Mode	Fullscreen
Screen Resolution	1920×1080 / 2560×1440
Vertical Sync	Off
Dynamic Resolution Scaling	Off
Upsampler	Off (Or choose AMD FSR 2 / NVIDIA DLSS based on GPU)
NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency	Off
Resolution Scale	100%
Graphics Quality	Custom
Texture Quality	High (Depends on your VRAM)
Shadow Quality	Medium
Texture Filtering	High
Ambient Occlusion	Off
Effects Detail	Medium
Geometry Detail	High
Anti-Aliasing	TAA
Terrain Quality	High
Vegetation Detail	Medium
Post Process Quality	Medium
Lighting Quality	High
Depth of Field	Medium
Reflection Quality	High
Audio Settings
Audio Channel	Auto
Dynamic Range	Reduced Range
Speech Focus Mode	Off
Master Volume	100%
Music Master Volume	100%
Garage Music Volume	90%
Event Music Volume	70%
Open World Music Volume	100%
Pursuit Music Volume	100%
Free Roam Music	90%
Car Volume	90%
Speech Volume	100%
Effects Volume	90%
UI Volume	80%
Cop Scanner Volume	90%
VOIP Settings	Personal Preference (turn it off if you’re playing alone)
VOIP Volume	100%
Gearbox Type	Automatic or Manual
Units System Shown	Imperial or Metric
Camera Shake	30%
Camera Pitch Sensitivity	100%
Story Game Difficulty	Relaxed, Challenging, Intense
Display Mini Map	On
Display Speedometer	On
Controller Vibration	On
Deadzone	5-10% for new controllers, 20-25% for older controllers
Menu Narration	On/Off
Subtitles	On/Off
Story Game Difficulty (Relaxed, Challenging, Intense)	On/Off
Colorblind Mode	On/Off
Use Chat Speech to Text	On/Off
Chat Text to Speech	On/Off
Chat Text Size	Adjustable
Camera Shake	On/Off
Motion Blur	On/Off
Lighting Control	On/Off

Here’s a comparison between the most demanding settings in NFS Unbound:

Audio Settings For NFS Unbound

Yet again, since Need for Speed Unbound isn’t a competitive game, you won’t need to set your audio settings in the game perfectly. You can easily roll with anything that fits your boat. Some people may prefer louder music, while others like to keep it down and focus on the roar of the car’s engine.

Regardless of that, here is a quick look at all the sub-options you can switch in the Audio Settings of the new Need for Speed game. Along with our preferred picks for each Audio setting.

• Audio Channel – Auto
• Dynamic Range – Reduced Range
• Speech Focus Mode – Off
• Master Volume – 100%
• Music Master Volume – 100% 
• Garage Music Volume – 90%
• Event Music Volume – 70%
• Open World Music Volume – 100%
• Pursuit Music Volume – 100%
• Free Roam Music – 90%
• Car Volume – 90%
• Speech Volume – 100%
• Effects Volume – 90%
• UI Volume – 80%
• Cop Scanner Volume – 90%
• VOIP Settings – Personal Preference (turn it off if you’re playing alone)
• VOIP Volume – 100%

Optimal Driving Settings

Since NFS Unbound is a Racing game, you, of course, get the ability to change some Driving related settings. If you’re playing a racing game for the first time, then this section might be new to you. If not, then chances are you probably went through these settings and picked the options that suit you best.

Nonetheless, let’s see what options are provided in the game’s driving settings tab.

• Gearbox Type: You can change the Gearbox type as per your preference. The game provides the option of keeping the cars either Automatic or Manual. In Manual, you will need to change the gear as you speed up or slow down the vehicle, creating a more realistic (although tougher) experience in NFS Unbound.
• Units System Shown: You can choose between the Imperial or Metric unit system for NFS Unbound. In the Imperial option, you will see units like meters and kilometers. Whereas in the Metric system, you will see units like miles and yards.
• Camera Shake: Set at 30%. Adjusts the amount of camera shake while driving in NFS Unbound.
• Camera Pitch Sensitivity: Set at 100%. Scales how high the chase camera moves on pitch speed.

General Game Settings

Game Settings are quite brief in Need for Speed Unbound; you can quickly go through these while setting up the game. You will be able to access three options within the Game Settings. Let us have a deeper look to make things much easier for you.

Story Game Difficulty 

In Need for Speed Unbound, you get the option to pick your own difficulty while playing through the story mode. The higher the difficulty mode is, the tougher it will be to win races and evade the cops. In NFS Unbound, you get access to three different difficulty modes. However, it is to be noted that you can only change the difficulty when you’re in the garage. 

• Relaxed: Health 150% / 10 Restarts / Less Challenging Cops / Less Competitive Rivals.
• Challenging: Health 100% / 4 Restarts / Challenging Cops / Competitive Rivals.
• Intense: Health 60% / 2 Restarts / Very Challenging Cops / Very Competitive Rivals.

Display Mini Map – On

You may roll without mini-maps in other games; however, when it comes to Racing-genre titles, mini-maps are essential to have. Hence, keep this option Turned On while you drive around the streets of Lakeshore in NFS Unbound. It will make navigating a lot easier for you. 

Display Speedometer – On

Even though there are no gameplay benefits to turning the speedometer on in the NFS Unbound, it adds to the whole experience of street racing. Being able to see the speedometer will make the experience more immersive, as you’d be able to track your car’s speed. It will also help you to compare different vehicles and their speeds with each other. So turn it On and speed across Lakeshore with your BMW M3 GTR.

Best Controls Settings

We also get the option to switch up the Controls Settings in the new Need for Speed game. Here you will get access to the Keybinds and Controller mapping section, where you can apply your own changes to the controls of the game. Other than that, there are two other options that you can also switch up.

• Controller Vibration: It’s best to keep the Controller Vibration turned On for the best experience.
• Deadzone: If your controller is fairly new, then anything between 5-10% should be good for you. As for the people with older controllers, it is best to go for 20-25% Deadzone in NFS Unbound.

Configuring Accessibility Settings

The Accessibility settings can be tweaked to make life a lot easier for plenty of players. Here you will find useful features that may assist you during your NFS Unbound gameplay one way or another. These options are purely based on personal choice. Hence, we will only list the options you can change in the Accessibility menu.

• Menu Narration
• Subtitles
• Story Game Difficulty (Relaxed, Challenging, Intense)
• Colorblind Mode
• Use Chat Speech to Text
• Chat Text to Speech
• Chat Text Size
• Camera Shake
• Motion Blur
• Lighting Control

Wrapping Up The guide

So there you have it, our complete coverage on the Best PC Settings for NFS Unbound. We covered each and every setting option in the game; if you’re aiming to increase the performance or quality of NFS Unbound, then you can solely focus on the Graphics section. On the other hand, we also provided relevant information for you if you’re unsure about any of the other options in the settings menu.

It’s finally here: Need for Speed Unbound, the latest installment in one of the most popular racing game series. Before you participate in “The Grand,” one of Lakeshore’s biggest street racing competitions, make sure to familiarize yourself with the top Tips and Tricks for NFS Unbound and the Best Starter Car.

For four weeks, you will be able to race around, upgrade your car, make a name for yourself in the world of street racing, and win amazing rewards while dodging the cops. The current Money Glitch in NFS Unbound can also be used so that you can quickly progress through the ranks.

Thank you for reading through our detailed Settings guide. For more valuable informative articles on Need for Speed Unbound, stick around at eXputer.