Need for Speed: Most Wanted demo available today on PSN and XBLA

A free demo for Criterion's Need for Speed: Most Wanted is available now on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, publisher EA announced this morning.

The demo lets players explore in-game hub Fairhaven City behind the wheel of an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, with the option of finding and swiping three additional cars — a Porsche 911 Carrera S, Audi R8 GT Spyder or Ford Focus RS500. Use of each car includes a vehicle-unique set of races and challenges to try out, as well as different groups of unlockable vehicle mods.

New Most Wanted players can rack up as many as 50,000 Speed Points in the span of the demo, which will carry over into the full game and offer an early boost up the game's leaderboard rankings.

Last month Need for Speed: Most Wanted, released across all platforms on Oct. 30, was confirmed for release on the Wii U in 2013.