Need For Speed: Most Wanted Unreal Engine 5 remake looks absolutely glorious

A new fan remake of the legendary game Need for Speed: Most Wanted using Unreal Engine 5 has shared new footage and it is stunning.

The footage shows a BMW M3 hooning it around city streets passing both modern and traditional architecture showcasing lush reflections on the body of the car and detailed textures in brickwork and foliage. The light dims wonderfully as the BMW screams down small side streets underneath overhanging tree branches; the sun blooms with brilliance as the BMW crests a hill. It's a truly gorgeous five minute video.

The remake, coming from NostalgiaNexus, features 8K textures for the roads, as well as several upscaled textures from the original release. The footage is designed to show what a remaster would look like in an ideal world. The map has been ported in from Need for Speed: Most Wanted and tweaked with FMOD for the vehicle sounds and Lumen for those gorgeous light sources.

These older racers are always prime candidates for remasters or remakes because of the technology on display. They usually all utilise gorgeous modelling, dynamic lighting and the worlds through which we race are teaming with life.

The footage here is void of that life, showcasing the architecture and car model, as well as the engine sound pulled from the original game. As a proof of concept, it shows there's more potential for companies to remaster their older fan favourites. It would be great to see this footage in a few months time and have a second car chasing along behind.

This fan remake is just one of many. Unreal Engine 5 does such a great job of revolutionising graphics that modders and creators have been working on remasters of STALKER, Final Fantasy 9, Fallout 4 and so many more. We may never get to play these, but that doesn't stop them being an astonishing experience.