Need for Speed Unbound/Revisional Differences

This is a sub-page of Need for Speed Unbound.

Need for Speed Unbound has received, and continues to receive, numerous updates and content additions, including a few content packs that contain elements from previous NFS games, as part of commemorating 30 years of the series.

To do: One of updates broke one of effects (Moon Shadow), making it look inaccurate as intended. There are more undocumented changes that are worth noting Patch notes are available here

Volume 1 (v1.1.2)

Initially released on November 29, 2022.

Volume 1 (v1.1.3)

Update regarding stability issues, released on December 12, 2022.

Volume 1 (v1.1.4)

Update regarding minor quality of life updates and rebalancing some of the cars' performance:

• Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mk.I) (reduced acceleration in high gears)
• Koenigsegg Regera (reduced top-end acceleration on high speeds)

Released on January 24, 2023.

Volume 2 (v2.0.0)

Content update, released on March 21, 2023. New content includes:

• Lakeshore PD in Lakeshore Online multiplayer mode
• Daily challenges with XP and cash rewards
• New Hot Lap activity scattered across Lakeshore
• Minimap rotation is now player-camera-based, no longer sticked to player.
• New cars added:
  • Mercedes-Maybach S 680 (2021) - Hot Lap activity reward
  • Lotus Emira "Balmain" (2021) - Playlist completion reward
  • Nissan Fairlady 240ZG "Custom" (1971) - EA Play subscription reward
• Revised playlists, including new Rumble playlists
• New DLC: Keys to the Map that reveals all of the activities and challenges across Lakeshore
• New driving effects, horns, poses, banners (this includes art, stickers and audio).

Volume 3 (v3.0.0)

Content update, released on June 12, 2023. New content includes:

• Linkup events in free roam (Lakeshore Online)
• 75 level Speed Pass, containing unlockable rewards and replacing previous ranking system. Its content was available until August 16, 2023, and failure to reach rank 75 would result in counterfeit of all the remaining rewards.
• Quality of Life enhancements, including free roam teleport and time of day options during free roam (both work only in Lakeshore Online)
• Teleport sequence is now fade-in rather than teleporting player into Virtual Space.
• New cars added:
  • DMC DeLorean (1981) - Linkup activity reward
  • Dodge SRT Viper GTS (VX) "Legendary Custom" (2014) - Rank 50 Speed Pass reward
  • Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BNR32) "Epic Custom" (1993) - EA Play subscription reward
• Drift playlists
• 15 new one-shot Challenges; 29 new daily challenges; 13 new weekly challenges
• New DLCs:
  • Robojets Swag Pack - comes with Mazda RX-7 Spirit R (FD3S) "Legendary Custom" (2002), clothing pack, driving effects, horns, poses, banners
  • Ford Mustang GT Legendary Custom Pack - comes with Ford Mustang GT (S-550) "Legendary Custom" (2015) and +100,000 XP for Speed Pass levels (+10 Speed Pass levels)
  • Vol.3 Customs Pack - comes with Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X "Epic Custom" (2008); Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport (Mk.7) "Epic Custom" (2016); Volvo 242 DL "Epic Custom" (1975)

Volume 4 (v4.0.0)

Content update, released on August 12, 2023. It was also dedicated to Porsche 75th Anniversary. New content includes:

• Renewed Speed Pass. Its content was available until October 12, 2023, and failure to reach rank 75 would result in counterfeit of all the remaining rewards.
• Boost: A playlist or a Linkup can be "boosted" for a short period and offer additional rewards
• New cars added:
  • Porsche Taycan Turbo S (2022) - Finish the Porsche playlist three times
  • Porsche 911 Carrera S (993) "Legendary Custom" (1997) - Rank 50 Speed Pass reward
  • Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 "Legendary Custom" (2021) - EA Play subscription reward
  • McLaren F1 "Epic Custom" (1994) - Need for Speed: Heat loyalty reward (if user has Need for Speed Heat and/or at least played this game on their account)
• Porsche 75th Anniversary themed Kennedy Test Track district along with a new Porsche-themed playlist
• Gauntlet playlists
• 50 new Daily challenges; 39 new Weekly Challenges
• New DLCs:
  • Hip Hop Origins Swag Pack - comes with Mercedes-AMG G 63 "Legendary Custom" (2017), clothing pack, decals, driving effect, horn, license plate, pose, sample, underglow, banners)
  • Lotus Exige S Legendary Custom Pack (replaces Ford Mustang GT Legendary Custom Pack, comes with Lotus Exige S "Legendary Custom" (2006) and +100,000 XP for Speed Pass levels (+10 Speed Pass levels));
  • Vol.4 Customs Pack - comes with Rachel's Nissan 350Z (Z33) "Epic Custom" (2008); Eddie's Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BNR34) "Epic Custom" (1999); Joe's Polestar 1 "Epic Custom" (2020))
• New 7 Linkup locations, replacing previous 7 from Volume 3.

Volume 4 Hotfix 1 (v4.0.1)

Released on August 29, 2023.
This update fixes the issue where decals unlocked via Vol.3 Speed Pass were no longer accessible after Vol.4 began, along with a few stability improvements.

Volume 5 (v5.0.0)

Minor content update, released on October 12, 2023. New content includes:

• Renewed Speed Pass.
• Tweaked the cadence and downtime of Boosted events and Linkups
• New cars added:
  • BMW M2 Coupé (G87) (2023) - Challenge reward
  • Buick Grand National GNX "Legendary Custom" (1987) - Rank 50 Speed Pass reward
  • Mercury Cougar "Epic Custom" (1967) - EA Play subscription reward
• Masking feature in Wrap Editor along with 17 new decals
• 8 "one-shot" challenges; along with Vol.3 and Vol.4 Daily and Weekly Challenges, some of them were renewed.
• New DLCs:
  • Trick or Street Swag Pack - comes with Mini John Cooper Works Countryman "Legendary Custom" (2017), clothing pack, decals, driving effect, horn, license plates along with frames, poses, sample, underglow, banner)
  • Volkswagen Beetle Legendary Custom Pack (replaces Lotus Exige S Legendary Custom Pack, comes with Volkswagen Beetle "Legendary Custom" (1963) and +100,000 XP for Speed Pass levels (+10 Speed Pass levels))
  • Vol.5 Customs Pack - comes with BMW i8 Coupe "Epic Custom" (2018); Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (C7) "Epic Custom" (2017); Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupe (C205) "Epic Custom" (2018))
• All 14 Linkup locations from Vol.3 update and Vol.4 update are available in Lakeshore Online

Volume 5 Hotfix 1 (v5.0.2)

Released on October 25, 2023.
This update is focused mainly on fixing the issue with broken update on PC.
The list of fixed issues mentions the following:

• Fixed an issue where the user was not able to select the headlights in order to edit when using a keyboard on the BMW i8 Coupe
• Fixed an issue where the Porsche 911 (993) Legendary Custom and SRT Viper GT-S (VX) vehicles were present in the campaign after completing the Prologue.
• Fixed an issue where Sprint and Circuit playlist scorecards are showing the wrong car tiers.
• Fixed an issue where the game freezes on PC during gameplay or various menus.
• One Shot challenges "Escape a Heat 5 cop chase in a Porsche Taycan", "Accumulate 200MI/322KM when being chased by cops", "Get to 88mph in the DeLorean" and "Accumulate a 1-hour drift in the BMW M2" can be now progressed in Campaign and Multiplayer.
• The BMW M2 (G87) can be now unlocked in Campaign and Multiplayer.
• Fixed an issue where the new Boosted Events and Linkups rotation was not appearing as intended.

Volume 5.1.0

Released on December 7, 2023. This update includes:

• "Original" driving effect added to tags menu, bringing a more authentic and realistic feel to tire smoke
• Added sorting for MY RIDES section, akin to BUY AND SELL.
• Open Playlists have now been added to Freedrive. These are playlists that don’t come from other players. In the downtime between other freedrive events (linkups, boosted events), the server will send out invites to playlists.

Volume 6 (v6.0.1)

Content update, released on February 27, 2024. New content includes:

• 25 new race events across A-S+ tiers
• New cars added:
  • Audi RS 6 Avant (C8) - Premium Speed Pass Level 5 reward
  • Audi S5 Sportback (B9) (2017) - Speed Pass Level 10 reward
  • Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupé (4S) (2019) - Speed Pass Level 25 reward
• Freedrive playlist weekly speedlist updates
• XP and SP earning: Progress of earning XP in both Speed Pass and Rank system is now tracked in both Single player and Multiplayer portions of the game.
• XP rewards have been added and rebalanced for the following:
  • Activities + Collectables
  • Linkup MVP
  • SP events
  • Side Bets
  • Escaping cop chases
  • Playlists
• Hot Laps are not discovered by default, as these are no longer ‘new’: they sit alongside the other activities to find and conquer
• Fixed a bug with Linkup MVP tracking - now it should take into account contribution to the whole round!
• Fixed a bug when entering a Linkup while in a pursuit/escaping, where a player wouldn't trigger the escalating heat and pursuit status throughout the Linkup rounds
• Some small performance improvements when in longer game modes (endurance, mostly). This should save on CPU usage spikes
• Improved cars and road reflection
• Improved image aliasing stability
• Changed main menu camera perspective
• Fixed "white tunnels" problem

Volume 6 Hotfix 1 (v6.1.0)

Quality of Life update focused on Vol.6 feedback, released on March 18, 2024. This update includes:

• PVP Playlist rotation now changes daily
  • Featured Playlists remain active for a week.
  • Tier Playlists now rotate daily between B, A, A+, S and S+
• The waiting time been successive Linkups in Free Roam has been halved
• Players can now return directly to their Multiplayer garage after leaving PVP.
• Fixed an issue in which all Nitrous auxiliary items stop working if the player changes vehicles during playlists, or if they leave the server and rejoin.
• Addressed an issue that caused extreme flickering. This also fixes a known issue for AMD Vega GPU players.
• Changed “Idle Kick” behavior in PVP, so that players who attempt to farm XP by leaving their car parked for a set period of time will now be removed from the session.

Volume 7 (v7.0.1)

Content update, released on May 21, 2024. New content includes:

• Drift Pro and Drag events (available only in Lakeshore Online)
• 37 additional Playlists
• 10 new race routes for the NFS Legends PvP Playlists
• New cars added:
  • Ford Mustang Dark Horse (S650) (2024) - Premium Speed Pass Level 5 reward
  • BMW M3 Competition Touring (G81) (2023) - Speed Pass Level 30 reward
  • BMW M3 Competition Touring "Underground Dragster" (G81) (2023) - Speed Pass Level 65 reward
  • BMW M3 Competition Touring "Speedhunters Edition" (G81) (2023) - Speed Pass Level 35 reward
  • Ford Mustang Dark Horse (S650) "Speedhunters Edition" (2024) - Premium Speed Pass Level 75 reward
  • Ford Mustang Dark Horse (S650) "Underground Drifter" (2024) - Premium Speed Pass Level 25 reward
  • Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX "Melissa" (D33A) (1999) - Premium Speed Pass Level 45 reward
• Added Manual reset on track feature
• Made changes to the suspension damping values on high speeds
• Increased max Rank from 200 to 250
• New driving effects
• LCD and LED rims and license plates, including music reactive ones
• New projections
• Checkpoint gate colors were changed.
• New multiplayer character skins

Volume 7 Hotfix 1 (v7.0.2)

Released on May 28, 2024.
This update fixes the issue with HUD elements and Garage background not being rendered on NVIDIA GeForce GTX series GPUs.

Volume 7.1.0

Bugfix (mostly) update, released on June 12, 2024. New changes include:

• Minimum player requirement for playlist is reduced from 2 to 1.
• Several of playlists have been restored after being deleted since Vol.7 update.
• Added HKS and KUMHO decals to the wrap editor
• Origin Trail added - Original smoke with light trails

Volume 8 (v8.0.1)

Content update, released on August 22, 2024. New content includes:

• Hot Pursuit mode along with Cop Career (available only in Lakeshore Online)
• Refreshed Racing League along with a new Community Task
• New Playlists
• New cars added:
  • Porsche 959 S (1987) - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • Lotus Evija (2023) - Speed Pass reward
  • Lotus Evija "Criterion Edition" (2023) - Speed Pass reward
  • Lotus Evija "Speedhunters Racer" (2023) - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) "NFS Legends - Cross" (2013) - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • Porsche 959 S "Hot Pursuit" (1987) - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • Porsche 959 S "SCPD" (1987) - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • Porsche 959 S "Speedhunters Cop" (1987) - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • Porsche 959 S "Undercover" (1987) - Premium Speed Pass reward
• Increased max Rank from 250 to 280
• New driving effects
• Police Customization
• New projections
• New multiplayer character skins

Volume 9 (v9.0.1)

Content update, released on November 26, 2024. New content includes:

• Lockdown mode (available only in Lakeshore Online)
• New Playlists
• New cars added:
  • Subaru Impreza WRX Type R STi version V Limited (GC8-F) (1999) - Speed Pass reward
  • Honda Integra Type-R (DC2) (1998) - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • Subaru Impreza WRX Type R STi version V Limited (GC8-F) LOCKDOWN SPEC - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • Honda Integra Type-R (DC2) (1998) LOCKDOWN SPEC - Premium Speed Pass reward
  • BMW M3 GTR'05 30th Anniversary - Premium Speed Pass reward
• Increased max Rank from 280 to 300
• New driving effects
• New projections
• New multiplayer character skins

Volume 9.0.2

Hotfix update, released on December 5, 2024.