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t’s back! Need for Speed Unbound will receive another year of fresh content and game modes, starting with this month’s Vol 6 update.
第六卷 Head-to-Head 將首次將 Audi 車輛添加到遊戲中，還有全新的在線模式和可解鎖的裝飾品。
t will be the first of four ‘volumes’ to add free cars and quality-of-life updates across 2024, with developer Criterion Games committing to at least 12 months of additional support for the open-world racer.
Following Volume 5 way back in October 2023, which added the solitary latest-generation BMW M2, here’s everything included in Unbound’s first update for 2024.
The four-ringed German brand was notable only by its absence when Unbound was released in late 2022 – despite its presence in prior Need for Speed titles.
The following three Audis arrive with the new update:
The R8 is the second-generation mid-engine supercar, while the S5 is the four-door version of the traditional coupe with a turbocharged V6 engine. Perhaps more pertinently, both cars were in 2019’s Need for Speed Heat and both can be unlocked via Speed Pass progression. More on that, later.
New to the ‘franchise’, however, is the current-generation RS 6 estate, its bolstered wheel arches so wide from stock that you’d struggle to make it look more aggressive with modifications.
But you can try, as all three are said to have a suite of customisation options and upgrades available, plus an outlandish Criterion-created ‘rare custom’ version unlockable via, yes you guessed it, the Speed Pass…
Speaking of the Speed Pass. First introduced in June 2023, this is a very simple way of unlocking cosmetic trinkets. Drive in events, earn experience points and rank up levels.
It returns for Volume 6, naturally, and the aforementioned R8 and S5 can be unlocked outright at set levels (and presumably, simply just purchased outright with in-game cash). Across the 45 tiers, body kits for these two models will also be on the list.
There is also a new ‘premium tier’ for Speed Pass – aping the likes of EA Sports F1 23’s premium Podium Pass.
Once purchased, it adds another layer of optional unlockables across 30 tiers, which includes a Rydell multiplayer character skin, ‘infinity’ cosmetic items, projections and, holy moly, a custom Audi RS 6 Avant that has a livery like a 1980s Group B WRC car.
Fittingly, this is known as the Michèle modification, after Michèle Mouton, the last woman driver to win a WRC round and drove for Audi in the ‘80s. Purchasing the premium tier grants you access to the base RS 6 immediately.
Pricing for the pass is set at £8.99/$9.99.
Volume 6 Free Speed Pass includes:
Volume 6 Premium Speed Pass includes:
One thing we found with Unbound’s post-release support is that once you have unlocked one of the new cars, there perhaps was not quite enough of a pull to keep playing.
A new ranking system will be implemented for Volume 6, for both single-player and online multiplayer aims to remedy that, somewhat.
Reaching a new ‘Rank Division’ will unlock a decal, banner frame and banner title. How quick, or slow, the progress is through the ranks and what the cap is are both unconfirmed currently.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Enter some online races against other players.
Except, up until this point, while that was possible in Lakeshore Online, there was not an easily accessible dedicated ‘PvP’ mode. Instead, you had to traverse the open world, drive the meet-up points and wait for an event to start.
From Volume 6 onwards, within the multiplayer garage, there will be the option to dive straight into the race.
25 new races will also be added to the Open Playlists across February-April 2024. These will sit alongside four new S+ tier playlists, plus new Audi and ‘NFS Legends’ themed collections. The first ‘Legends’ playlist will showcase the existing Ferrari Testarossa Coupé (1984).
Volume 6 (Head-to-Head) for Need for Speed Unbound is available now, released 27th February 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Volume 7 is expected in May 2024 with a stated theme of ‘Drift & Drag’.
