Need for Speed Heat comes back with more cops vs. racers, watch the trailer now

The next Need For Speed game is Need for Speed Heat, which will again blend the series’ familiar themes of street racing and police work. It launches Nov. 8 for PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One.

The two-minute trailer, which you can watch at the top of this post, is filled with Need For Speed staples: high-performance and customizable cars, racing through fictitious but detailed urban settings, and Johnny Law getting in the way of everyone’s good time.

Heat, the 16th entry in the mainline Need for Speed series, takes place in the fictional town of Palm City. Players will race on beachfront straightaways and technical downtown courses as well as, of course, a huge freeway for the inevitable getaway.

Players will race in two series in Heat. There is a sanctioned daytime competition called the Speedhunters Showdown, where you earn money to buy and customize a fleet of cars. At night, you are working for a kind of currency called Rep in an underground racing series, where corrupt cops can bust you and, through the magic of civil asset forfeiture, take your money.

Ghost Games, which was behind 2017’s Need for Speed Payback, the 2015 reboot Need for Speed, and 2013’s Need for Speed Rivals, will again be developing the game. In the announcement, creative director Riley Cooper acknowledged fans’ disappointment in the fleet variety and customization options of the last game, and promised that Heat is “tuning up on every aspect.”