Need For Speed: Most Wanted gets stunning Unreal Engine 5 remake

Despite first being released almost 20-years ago, Need For Speed: Most Wanted is still considered as one of the best racing games of all time. Now thanks to one creator, we can get a peek at what it would look like in the modern day.

First teased back in December 2023, Youtuber NostalgiaNexus has been hard at work on creating a fan remake of Need For Speed: Most Wanted using Unreal Engine 5. With a trailer back in December, the creator has now released a 15-minute gameplay preview set in the game’s Rockport City area.

Check out the Need For Speed: Most Wanted trailer below!

Created using Unreal Engine 5, NostalgiaNexus has taken things a “little further” and has added a whole lot of new and exciting features. This includes: a new particle system in Niagara for backfire and NOS FX, a fake interior shader, their own custom traffic system, upscaled textures, the addition of 3D trees and wind effects, falling leaves FX, improved sounds for the BMW M3 GTR, colour grading and more.

All of these changes bring Need For Speed: Most Wanted into the modern era of gaming and as a result, the graphics have drastically improved from its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 counterparts. So much so that the 15-minute trailer already has over 43 thousand views and a legion of happy fans.

“Looks amazing!” one fan commented. “And the handling model looks way more accurate. Just needs more wheelspin from standstill and get the sound to sync with the speed and you’re in business man”.

Another said: “This is very impressive, I remember playing this game when I was younger. I love the added touch when you brake, you can see the rotors glowing. Amazing dude.”

Unfortunately, NostalgiaNexus creates these trailers as nothing more than a hobby so we won’t see it made available to download. However, Criterion Games will have a lot to aim for if it ever decides to officially remake the much-loved racing title.