Story mode in Need for Speed: Unbound is a single-player campaign taking place in Lakeshore, a fictional interpretation of Chicago, Illinois, in which the player competes in weekly qualifiers for a place in the Grand: Lakeshore's ultimate street racing challenge.
Unable to stop a robbery at a family auto-shop, two friends are pushed to breaking point, giving the player an opportunity to make their mark on the streets earning rep to go from rookie to top racer by winning the Grand and reclaiming a stolen custom car.
The player has to take risks to get attention, but they can make their choices; pulling huge drifts, taking on the Lakeshore Police Department, or placing sidebets on rivals. Although the player can choose how they make their mark, the more attention they earn means turning up the heat.
As part of the player's path, they'll meet A$AP Rocky, the prominent rapper and fashion icon, for a chance to take him on head-to-head as a test of skill and style. Better yet, it's a chance to take his custom 1988 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 for a drive.
Difficulty[]
Players can change the difficulty in the single-player campaign to either make their experience easier or more difficult. Changing the difficulty alters the chance of entering a pursuit and the number of retries a player has for a Qualifier.
Relaxed[]
| “ | This is a less challenging experience for players who wish to enjoy the game with little fear of failure. | ” |
— In-game description
| ||
- Health: 150%
- Restarts: 10
- Cops: Less Challenging
- Rivals: Less Competitive
Challenging[]
| “ | This is for players who have some familiarity with driving games or who have played a recent NFS title. It's a good balance of difficulty, intensity and consequence. | ” |
— In-game description
| ||
- Health: 100%
- Restarts: 4
- Cops: Challenging
- Rivals: Competitive
Intense[]
| “ | This is for experienced players. It's an unforgiving yet rewarding test of driving skill and strategic play, for those with an appetite for a stiff challenge. | ” |
— In-game description
| ||
- Health: 60%
- Restarts: 2
- Cops: Very Challenging
- Rivals: Very Competitive
Calendar[]
With the Grand only a month away, the player has only four weeks to gain entry to the ultimate street racing event. On the Saturday of every week, there is a Qualifier event the player can enter, although each has their own required buy-in using the player's earned cash.
Each day of a week has two opportunities for the player to earn the cash required for the buy-in of a weekly qualifier, and the chance to improve their vehicles for any additional prerequisites. A day is split into a daytime session and a night-time session, giving the player twelve sessions to earn cash before the next qualifier.
As the player completes day and night sessions through the week, their earned or lost cash is tracked and compared to the weekly Qualifier entry requirements. Sessions can also have individual reward opportunities, challenges, and police attention.
A week starts on Sunday and runs until the following Saturday, which is its own single night session for the player to try and qualify for the Grand.
Story[]
Prologue[]
The player and Yaz take their newly built custom car to a meetup location in the University Central district, hoping to test their new car in a few street races and earn some much needed cash, although the night doesn't go how anyone expected it would.
Week 1[]
Week 2[]
Week 3[]
Week 4[]
Completion[]
Winning the Grand places the player in a perpetual weekly cycle with no Saturday qualifier requirements for progression.