The next Need for Speed game could end up as a console exclusive

Need for Speed: Shift — (Image credit: EA)

The next Need for Speed game could be next-gen exclusive according to a recent claim from industry insider Jeff Grubb.

In the latest episode of the Grubbsnax podcast, Grubb says that the untitled new Need for Speed title - which is currently being developed by Criterion Games - is "still coming this year." In fact, Grubb even went as far as saying that the racing game is expected to release in November 2022, however, without official confirmation from EA or Criterion this could very well be subject to change.

Perhaps most interesting though is that Grubb has also claimed that "[Criterion] are shifting to next-gen only for that." Meaning it’s possible that the next Need for Speed game could be an Xbox Series X and PS5 exclusive. But again, it’s best to take this claim with a grain of salt until we get the official word on this. So there is no need to start panic buying a next-gen console just yet.

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The last Need for Speed game to release was Need for Speed: Heat back in 2019. That project was developed by Ghost Games for EA before the series was returned to main developer Criterion in 2020 - who also worked on the recently released Battlefield 2042. Speaking of Battlefield, it appears Battlefield 6 is actually responsible for delaying the new Need for Speed as revealed by EA chief studios officer Laura Miele last year.

Wondering what you should play in the meantime? Take a look at our list of best Need for Speed games for inspiration.

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After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.