8 Beginner Tips For Need for Speed Heat (2024)

Need for Speed Heat is one of the latest games to be given for free on some platforms and racing game fans will surely find plenty to like here. It offers arcade racing goodness with a bit of story that's become somewhat signature in Need for Speed games. It also has a reputation for having some brutal police chases during the Night Races.

Related:

Apart from that, the game can be quite a grind and can also feel overwhelming with all the options it presents. It's understandable how some newcomers to the franchise or to the genre might feel intimidated. But thankfully, the game has been out for a couple of years now and some series veterans have something to offer for beginners.

8 Avoid Night Races With Starter Cars

Night races will sooner or later rear their heads following tutorial missions. It's the other half of Need for Speed Heat where police cars will interrupt street races. This can be a brutal affair at low Heat levels and the main culprit is the slow starting vehicle. Players will want to upgrade their rides early on to something more modern.

That's because the three starter cars don't offer much in the way of headroom. So upgrades can be disappointing. For that matter, it's recommended to avoid Night Races until the players can snag themselves a new set of wheels that has better upgrade potential and preferably a higher base speed.

7 Do Night Races While Offline

Now, even with an upgraded ride, Night Races can still be a frustrating affair since some of it can depend on RNG or chance. Some cop cars might spawn unexpectedly or they might cause a pileup that swallows the players. That's why it's also recommended to do the Night Races in offline mode.

Related: Best Futuristic Racing Games, Ranked

Because if players are offline, then they can pause the game (true pause) or avoid online interruptions. Pausing a racing game has a mountain of benefits as players will be able to plan their route or take a breath from the cop chase. Moreover, it lets players avoid some online issues such as the rare inexplicable lag or rubberbanding in an online but single-player race.

6 Don't Purchase A New Car Every Time It Unlocks

Need for Speed Heat has a dizzyingly wide selection of cars— enough to make Vin Diesel feel like a kid in a toy shop during a Christmas sale. Sure enough, some players might find it tempting to chase the next big unlocked car or upgrade; this happens a lot in real life too. But the same counter-advice goes here: stick to a few good cars at best.

Avoid the lifestyle bloat or the digital midlife crisis urge to purchase the latest sports car. Cars in Need for Speed Heat are also expensive. Purchasing each new one that gets unlocked at certain Reputation Levels will set players back. Instead, players will want to plan out their goal or purchase. Because once they finish the Story or reach Reputation Level 50, earning money is too easy, allowing players to play as the collector.

5 Use Shipping Containers To Lose The Cops

Dealing with cops is unavoidable in Need for Speed Heat. The game will eventually force players to partake in some high-stakes Night Races to increase the Heat Level and Reputation Level. The hardest part is shaking off the police vehicles after the race; they tend to pile on the players.

Related: Great Racing Games On Steam That Deserve More Attention

But one good technique or exploit that players have discovered is that cop AI is not too bright. If players jump their car on top of a shipping container, this will count as hiding from the cops. So while exploring Palm city, players will want to remember the location of any accessible shipping container they can find.

4 Elliptical Tracks Are Great For Grinding Money

Grinding is a huge part of the progression in Need for Speed Heat. Suffice to say, players won't get too far without money, especially if they want to purchase parts and upgrades for their workhorse car. If players want a stress-free grinding method, then the Palm City Raceway offers a good balance of income and time.

It's an elliptical racetrack located just behind Lucas' Garage. Races here mostly just take two to three minutes and players need only pick a car with a high top speed or a high acceleration. Handling doesn't matter since there aren't many obstacles on the road. This place can also be a good spot for farming Rep.

3 Play With Friends For Less Grinding

If players want to lessen the tedium of grinding and repeating easy races over and over again to earn money, then they can opt to play online with other people. Racing with a crew (either by joining one or starting one) will boost the money and experience reward compared to solo races.

Related: Beginner Tips For Turbo Golf Racing

A high-level crew also gives higher reward boosts, so players aren't pressured to always take the first spot at the finish line. Now, we did also recommend playing offline during Night Races, but in difficult high-Heat Night Races, having a high-level crew to help is also another good method to overcoming these Night Races.

2 Don't Try To Outrun The Cops Until A Certain Speed

There's always that impulse to just outrun the police vehicles after Night Races. They can't catch up, right? Well, that depends on the car the players are driving. Players have to take note of their car's performance score. Anything below 350 might not be ideal for outrunning the cops.

Or if players are confident enough with the state of their ride, they should at least make sure their car can easily reach a top speed of 250-300km/h if they want to outrun the cops. It's usually the Euro exotics that let players reach this kind of speed easily. It just so happens that those also tend to be the most expensive.

1 The Porsche 911 RSR Is Generally Considered As The Best Car

Speaking of fast Euro exotics, one can't go wrong with the Porsche 911 RSR. The community generally considers this model as the best overall car in the game, with some swearing by just how overpowered it is compared to any other option. Players can even take it to any type of event from the typical race to drifts, and even off-road.

Heck, the base top speed alone peaks at 280 km/h; add in some upgrades and the car becomes even better. It's also not as expensive as other European cars and players can unlock it at Reputation Level 16. So if players want a target car to save money in-game, then this beautiful oldie but goodie will more than satisfy.

Need For Speed: Heat is available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC.

More: Best New Racing Games To Try In 2022