You Can Soon Ride A Motorbike In Need For Speed

Need for Speed has changed throughout the years from a police chase simulator, to underground street racing and modified car culture, and then with police thrown into there, a brief step into proper motorsport and back to street racing. One thing has remained consistent though – it’s always been about cars. Well, that’s about to change.

NFS Unbound’s Volume 9 update is set to arrive on 26 November, and for the very first time in a Need for Speed game, you’ll be able to ride a motorbike.

That bike is a 2019 BMW S1000 RR. Admittedly, as someone who knows absolutely nothing about bikes, I couldn’t tell you a thing about it from the top of my head. A quick Google tells me it makes 207bhp though, which I do know is a lot for something weighing about 1/12th of an M5. Cause to be excited, then.

Granted, you’re not going to be able to pop nitrous and neons on anytime soon. The RR will only be available in a new ‘Lockdown’ mode as well as some bike-specific PVP playlists. Presumably, this is Criterion Games testing the waters with bikes – as it had briefly down with Burnout Paradise.

Oh, so that Lockdown mode. That’s said to have been inspired by 2005’s Most Wanted, although that doesn’t mean the return of the famous Blacklist. Rather, you’ll work together with a crew to break into Lockups and steal ‘Hot Rides’, which you can keep provided you’re able to outrun the police.

The available cars will change on a weekly basis with 15 in total, including a remixed take on the M3 GTR that you start Most Wanted with before Razor ends up cheating you out of it.

Two new JDM icons come in Volume 9 as well, namely the DC2 Honda Integra Type R and a GC8 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The update will be a free download if you already own NFS Unbound.