Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground is a 2003 racing game developed by EA Black Box, shifting the long-running series into the world of nighttime street racing and import tuner culture inspired by the era's car scene. It became a defining title of the customization craze.
Players built reputation through a story-driven career of sprints, circuits, drift events and drag races, earning money to extensively modify their cars with performance parts and elaborate visual customization like body kits, spoilers, neon underglow and vinyls. The perpetually rain-slicked urban night setting, motion-blurred sense of speed and licensed soundtrack captured the tuner scene of the moment, and drift events introduced a scoring-based discipline.
Underground was a massive commercial success that reshaped the franchise and popularized deep car personalization in racing games, prompting a sequel with an open-world city. It remains a nostalgic touchstone, and its influence echoes through countless street-racing titles that followed.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Need for Speed: Underground, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
CarX Street Indie
€ 24,99A street-racing game with deep tuning and drift culture.
CarX Street runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Switch. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Need for Speed Unbound
€ 59,99A modern street racer with heavy customization and a stylized look.
Need for Speed Unbound runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Switch. It is Steam Deck Unsupported.
JDM: Japanese Drift Master Indie
€ 29,99An indie open-world tuner and drift racing game.
JDM: Japanese Drift Master runs on PC. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Playable.
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