Need For Speed Underground Remix available to download free now

Need for Speed: Underground is back, baby, and it’s never looked better.

For many fans, the Need for Speed franchise peaked back in the early 2000s, with the release of both Need for Speed: Underground in 2003 and Need for Speed: Underground 2 in 2004.

Now, admittedly, I think these games have aged quite well, but it doesn’t change the fact that Electronic Arts is leaving money on the table by not remastering or remaking either of them.

Apparently, from what I’ve read, there may be a bit of a licensing issue that’s stopping EA from bringing both of the games back, as both the soundtracks and the cars featured in both Need for Speed: Underground games would cost a pretty penny to renew in 2025.

Well I guess that’s why we’re lucky that modding exists, because one very talented individual (as spotted by DSOG's John Papadopoulos) has taken it upon themselves to modernise the original Need for Speed: Underground’s graphics for the modern age.

Need For Speed: Underground (RTX Remix) by mod author alessandro893 is actually over a year old now, but it just received a brand new 0.5 update that adds over 500 new high-poly models to the game.

As alessandro893 notes on the game’s mod page, Need For Speed: Underground (RTX Remix)’s 0.5 update “features huge amount of new textures, new high-poly 3D models, and a complete overhaul of iconic locations like the China Town and Lock Up Sprint Race Track.”

“Leveraging industry-standard tools like Blender, Photoshop, and ComfyUI, this mod pushes the boundaries of what’s possible for a game from the early 2000s.”

I gotta say, this is straight up wizardry to me. I have no idea how they’ve managed to make a game that’s over 20 years old look this good.

Maybe paying all those licensing fees to remake the games would be worth it after all.