Need for Speed: The Run

53 Games like Need for Speed: The Run that you should try

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Need for Speed: The Run is hard to replace: few games combine racing gameplay and single-player focus in quite the same way. We analyzed over 2,000 titles across 5 gameplay attributes and found 53 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Burnout Paradise, Burnout Revenge and Mario Kart DS lead the list, with Burnout Paradise reaching a 95/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes Need for Speed: The Run special.

iRank68/ 100

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GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

Tags

SoloMultiplayer

Year 2011Dev EA Black Box

Quick answer

The closest game to Need for Speed: The Run is Burnout Paradise — scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. Burnout Revenge and Mario Kart DS follow close behind.

#1Burnout Paradise95 #2Burnout Revenge95 #3Mario Kart DS94 #4Mario Kart: Super Circuit94 #5Dirt 395

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Games like Need for Speed: The Run

53 similar games found

#1Burnout Paradise

95

iRank93

Burnout Paradise

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird PersonSandbox World

IGDB93· 4

Year 2008Dev Criterion Games · Electronic ArtsOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Same family of arcade racing games: racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Its own twist: sandbox freedom, sandbox world and open world exploration

#2Burnout Revenge

95

iRank91

Burnout Revenge

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird Person

IGDB91· 4

Year 2005Dev Criterion Games · Electronic Arts

✓ Nearly identical: racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay.

#3Mario Kart DS

94

iRank90

Mario Kart DS

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerThird PersonDark

IGDB90· 2

Year 2005Dev Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No.1 · Nintendo

✓ Both are arcade racing games — sharing racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Where it differs: brings dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping visual first person

#4Mario Kart: Super Circuit

94

iRank90

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerThird Person

IGDB90· 1

Year 2001Dev Nintendo

✓ Nearly identical: racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay.

≠ Missing: visual first person.

95

iRank86

Dirt 3

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird Person

IGDB86· 7

Year 2011Dev Codemasters Southam · CodemastersOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Same family of arcade racing games: racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Where it differs: brings sports simulation

95

iRank85

MotorStorm

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird Person

IGDB85· 4

Year 2006Dev Evolution Studios · Sony Computer EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3

✓ Nearly identical: racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay.

#7Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

94

iRank84

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerThird PersonMeleeSandbox World

IGDB84· 3

Year 2005Dev Rockstar Leeds · Take-Two Interactive

✓ Fits the arcade racing games cluster, with racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Where it differs: brings adventure storytelling, sandbox freedom and sandbox world, while skipping visual first person

#8Forza Horizon

95

iRank82

Forza Horizon

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird PersonOpen World

IGDB82· 8

Year 2012Dev Playground Games · Microsoft Studios

✓ Same family of arcade racing games: racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Where it differs: brings open world exploration and exploration and discovery

#9Colin McRae: Dirt

95

iRank81

Colin McRae: Dirt

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird Person

IGDB81· 5

Year 2007Dev Codemasters Southam · CodemastersOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Same family of arcade racing games: racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Where it differs: brings sports simulation

#10Midnight Club 2

95

iRank79

Midnight Club 2

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird PersonSandbox World

Steam👍 88%· 994RAWG👍 60%· 122MC81IGDB85· 4

Year 2003Dev Sony Interactive Entertainment · Rockstar GamesPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are arcade racing games — sharing racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Its own twist: sandbox freedom, sandbox world and open world exploration

#11Colin McRae: Dirt 2

95

iRank79

Colin McRae: Dirt 2

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird Person

IGDB79· 9

Year 2009Dev CodemastersOn PlayStation 3 · PC · Mac

✓ Fits the arcade racing games cluster, with racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Stands apart with sports simulation

#12Driver: San Francisco

95

iRank77

Driver: San Francisco

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerFirst PersonThird PersonMelee

Steam👍 75%· 2.0KIGDB82· 6

Year 2011Dev Ubisoft Reflections · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PC · Mac

✓ Fits the arcade racing games cluster, with racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Stands apart with sandbox freedom, adventure storytelling and open world exploration

#13Crash Nitro Kart

94

iRank77

Crash Nitro Kart

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerThird PersonSci-Fi

IGDB77· 2

Year 2003Dev Vicarious Visions · Universal Interactive Studios

✓ Both are arcade racing games — sharing racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Stands apart with setting scifi, while skipping visual first person

#14Carmageddon TDR 2000

95

iRank74

Carmageddon TDR 2000

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

MultiplayerSoloFirst PersonThird PersonMelee

Steam👍 74%· 482

Year 2000Dev Torus Games · Xicat InteractiveOn PC

✓ Fits the arcade racing games cluster, with racing gameplay, multiplayer gameplay and single-player focus

≠ Its own twist: dark, oppressive atmosphere, melee combat and post-apocalyptic world

#15Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

94

iRank73

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

GenreSportsSubgenreRacingSub-subgenreArcade Racing

SoloMultiplayerThird PersonMeleeSandbox World

IGDB73· 2

Year 2006Dev Rockstar Leeds · Take-Two InteractiveOn PlayStation 3

✓ Same family of arcade racing games: racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay

≠ Where it differs: brings adventure storytelling, sandbox freedom and sandbox world, while skipping visual first person

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Need for Speed: The Run?: The closest game to Need for Speed: The Run is Burnout Paradise, scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. They share 5 gameplay attributes, including racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Need for Speed: The Run?: The three closest games to Need for Speed: The Run are: 1. Burnout Paradise (95/100, 5 shared attributes) 2. Burnout Revenge (95/100, 5 shared attributes) 3. Mario Kart DS (94/100, 4 shared attributes). All share Need for Speed: The Run's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 53 candidates across 5 dimensions.
Is Burnout Revenge similar to Need for Speed: The Run?: Yes, very much so — Burnout Revenge scores 95/100 similarity to Need for Speed: The Run. They share 5 attributes, including racing gameplay and single-player focus. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Racing games are similar to Need for Speed: The Run?: The best Racing games similar to Need for Speed: The Run are Burnout Paradise, Burnout Revenge, Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart: Super Circuit. All share the Racing genre alongside other key Need for Speed: The Run attributes like racing gameplay, single-player focus and multiplayer gameplay.
How is similarity to Need for Speed: The Run calculated?: We compare Need for Speed: The Run against every game in our catalog using 5 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the Need for Speed: The Run experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.