DLCNeed for Speed™ Payback - Fortune Valley Map ShortcutsLoading store offers
Need for Speed™ Payback
Need for Speed™ Payback brings together races, police pursuits and tuning across five vehicle classes. It costs $2.99 at 
Steam; comparing it with Steam helps frame the purchase, while single-player, co-op and multiplayer suit different plans. English is listed for interface, audio and subtitles. The player rating of 85% across 27,602 reviews adds context to the decision. At $2.99 from Steam, you can compare the offer directly with Steam; 85% across 27,602 reviews adds player feedback.
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Price History
Past 36 months · Updated dailyHistorical Low~ $1.992023-10Current Low Across Stores~ $2.99Steamvs. Historical Low+50%
Prices cover Steam and 39 authorized stores; only legitimate offers are counted. The chart shows weekly market-wide lows and Steam's official price across the past 36 months.
DLC
01About Need for Speed™ Payback
In Fortune Valley, team up with three drivers to take down the House cartel. Races, pursuits and missions cross the city, deserts, canyons and mountains, while five vehicle classes offer distinct tuning paths. Steam player rating: 85% from 27,602 reviews. Release date: June 18, 2020. Interface languages: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese-Brazil, and Russian.
Credits
Composer
Joseph Trapanese
Developer
Ghost Games
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Lowest recorded in 36 months
$1.992023-10-26 · EA StoreBase game · same records as the chart above; USD history, not a regional Steam low.Language support
| Language | Interface | Subtitles | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | Yes | Yes | — |
| Traditional Chinese | Yes | Yes | — |
| English | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Show 8 more languages
| Language | Interface | Subtitles | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Spanish | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Italian | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| German | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Japanese | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Polish | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Portuguese-Brazil | Yes | Yes | — |
| Russian | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Steam PC edition data · 2026-10-20
02Before you buy
Play modes
Steam PC includes single-player, multiplayer and co-op modes. The story follows three drivers joining forces against the House cartel.
Language support
English is listed for interface, full audio and subtitles; German is also listed for all three.
03Frequently asked questions
What is the story about?
In Fortune Valley, three drivers seek revenge against the cartel known as the House.
Which vehicle classes are included?
The five classes are Race, Drift, Off-Road, Drag and Runner, each with vehicle tuning options.
Are there police chases and off-road driving?
Yes. Activities include police pursuits, races, and driving on and off-road.
4.8
Overall Score
Graphics6.5
Audio5.5
Gameplay4.5
Story3.5
Content4.5
“Stunning nighttime lighting and detailed car models define this open-world racer, which suffers severely from unskippable cutscenes and a gacha progression system.”
Popular Steam reviews
Native-language selection · 10 reviewsSelected helpful reviews in this language show both recommendations and criticisms. This selection does not represent the overall positive rating; opinions reflect the version reviewed.
RecommendedSteam player
No matter how far I drive, I can't out drive my lonelinessShow moreShow less
1.3 hours at review460 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
They asked me to pay 4.99 to get access to all the minimap icons. That was an instant refundShow moreShow less
0.8 hours at review1,623 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
⚖️ AVAILABLE GAMEPLAY: * Matching 🟢 = Fun +1 * Matching 🔴 = Fun -1 * Critical Match = Fun +5/-5 * Match Nothing = 0 Fun 🟢 Realistic Damaging 🟢 Cop pursuit 🟢 Endurance = Repeat many laps in a same track 🟢 Sprint = Race from A to B 🟢 Drifting / Score / Time Attack for replay value 🔴 Full list in friend leaderboard 🔴 Compare average racers in leaderboard 🔴 Ghost car for training 🔴 Damage Management fMeter FUN fUN METER DISCOUNT COMMUNITY REVIEWER A+ 5 Loving it No Wait - ✔ A 4 Liked it No Wait ✔ - B 2-3 Half satisfied Wait 50% - - C 1 Less Interested Wait 75% - - D 0 Not what you need Wait 100% - - 🏅 Community Rating: Very Positive 🔎 Long Version Checklist ➜ Reveal 📢 Disclaimer regarding Short Hours & English Errors ➜ Read Here ⚖️ fMeter {A} Worth a play, if you enjoy Fast Upgrade & Quick Races. However, if you're looking for High Difficulty of Cop Pursuit, don't play it 🕘 IMPRESSION: * 2017: Game released and I start observing * 2019: Finally brought it from Origin store * 2020: Still satisfied after 43 hours * 2021: Very much better than NFS Heat * 2022: Still loving it after 59 hours * 63 hours later: Buy again on Steam account * 0.1 hours later: Earned 36 steam achievements in 1 min because sync to my EA progress, steam people assume that I cheated 🔊 TESTER MUST KNOW: * Require a CPU that's ok to use Steam + EA play at the same time * Many improvement from previous NFS * The cop only appear in Runner race * Higher Risk Higher Reward in the career mode * NPC racer will do mistake like human being * Hangout = Free roam in Open World + Customize Race Route * Speedcross = Mixture of Score Attack * Vanity Item = Nitrous Color, Tire Smoke Color, Underglow & etc * Common "esc" button for in-game menu is replaced by "tab" button * Auto sync with EA account progress, if we buy on Steam 💎 COMPARE TO OTHER NFS: * Route Setup in multiplayer * A better world map * More fast travel location * Many options to upgrade a car * Larger garage capacity * More offroad racing * Day and night cycle * Vanity rewards available * Better speedwall (friend leaderboard) 🎯 Compare to NFS Unbound & Heat ➜ Show Me ⭐️ SAME GENRE COMPARISON: * Arcade handling * Drag racing available, but just a few * Diverse character respond base on player behavior * Diverse visual customization on car * Downloadable community car livery design ⚠️ RUMOR CHECKING: * Cannot play because no activation code ➜ There is no cd-key if we purchase on Steam * Downgraded graphic from nfs 2015 ➜ nfs payback may look not photo-realistic but still high quality visual provided, and it performance faster than 2015 * No buy, it is pay to win ➜ That is optional, still win without any extra payment * Repetitive grinding ➜ Not happening in 2019 * The cop is easy to escape ➜ Player have optional to changed to weaker car to challenge the cops Remember to 👍 for me if you liked this review: 🔔 More similar reviews ➜ Browse Here and follow this Curator, or 🤝 Visit Our Gaming Discussion ➜ We're HereShow moreShow less
0.2 hours at review384 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
I can't recommend this game. The story is fine, the music is good, graphics are nice but the car upgrade system... That's a total BS. Who's bright idea was to make car upgrades a completely random, card based, process? Instead of fine-tuning your car you are just fishing for better cards. That's plain out right stupid. And to add a cherry on the top - you know how you can get more cards? Buy in-game currency, with which you buy "booster packs", in which you could get some exchangeable cards, 3 of which you can use on a slot-like game to get a random card that might be better than the one you have and might be fitting your build. Disapprove. Glad they got rid of this system in the following games.Show moreShow less
42.6 hours at review146 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
i will eat a spoon full of mayonnaise for every like this getsShow moreShow less
0.3 hours at review230 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
I wish I could recommend this game, I really do, but it has so many problems and it's quite sad to see the path it took Pros: -Quite a list of cars -Customisation is nice -The map is ok/good -Characters are okay, could be better, but are passable -Quite aggresive cops -Songs that play depending on where you are and time of day (desert, downtown, mountain, etc. Morning, Afternoon, Night) Which is pretty creative Neutral: -The story could be better but it's nothing horrific in my eyes, It didn't gave me much of a sense to, well, Payback, since the start felt rushed, but at the final race I really got that feeling of bringing down The House Cons: -Optimiziation problems, it suffers from Watch Dogs 2 Syndrome where it lags even when in low graphics when there is a lot going on on the screen like cop chases and driving around the city, however it's better than Watch Dogs 2, since you don't get much lag on open areas, different from Watch Dogs 2 which is pretty much everywhere -No free roaming cops, only for some events -The AI can be a bit too punishing -Not having the ability to change your handling settings like the 2015 game did, which can be quite annoying -Airtime is a mechanic. Too much of it? Good luck getting collectibles cuz you will fly past them, or go way too high during a race and land where you didn't want to -The way you get upgrades... It's basically The Crew 1's way of getting upgrades, you finish a race, you get a CARD that upgrades your engine/ecu/transmisison/whatever, and it's all very RPG-like, which isn't a good thing, you basically have to wait for the performance shop to restock so you can buy better parts, you can't just go there and buy the best ones in case you have the money -Lootboxes, of course, why not, it's an EA game after all. Everyone wanted neon lights for their cars but they didn't deliver it on the 2015 game, everyone complained about it, so they added it! IN. MOTHER. F-CKING. LOOT BOXES. You basically have to open shipment crates to get a chance to get neon lights, which include colors and patterns in which they flash, along with nitrous colour, tire smoke, and horn sound, which is all cool and games until you realise you need to open lootboxes for them instead of just buying them. And the best part is? You use one of those items in your car, you can't take them off, to your inventory, you either delete them or replace them, you want to take it out and use in another car? Too bad, open more lootboxes so MAYBE you get the same neon/smoke/nitrous/horn. I bought the Deluxe Edition and I got 5 platinum neons, tire smokes, and nitrouses for free, which seemed pretty good until I realized I couldn't use them as much as I wanted because there are only 5 of each, if I use all of them, they're gone, like, forever. Such ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ -The deluxe edition doesn't come with the car pack dlc. Sure, I don't care much about those cars but, seriously? The D E L U X E edition doesn't come with all dlc? What a dissapointment Conclusion: 6/10 - Need for Speed: Payback is a flawed game, it seemed to have potential, but was ruined by corporate greed. The story was okay, but enjoyable I guess. The songs were enjoyable. The car variety was enjoyable. The customization was enjoyable. Taking down The House was enjoyable. There are a couple of things in this game that make me believe that Ghost Games at least tried to deliver something decent, and it's quite unfortunate that EA had to ruin it all with microtransactions. I'm not gonna put all of the blame on EA however, some things in the game are probably Ghost's own fault, but still, the fact that this game has loot boxes, and when everyone wanted neon, they put neon in said loot boxes, shows what kind of company EA is. If you want to buy the game, wait for a sale, and try it, if you like it, then that's very good, it's not the best game in the world, and I believe it's deserving of a downvote because of EA's incompetence, but it's worth giving a try at least for me, you might get some fun out of it. I'm glad that the next game, Need for Speed Heat, is better than this one in every aspect, It's too expensive for me to buy it since I live in Brazil, a harsh country with a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ economy, but I hope I get the chance to play it one day. For now, Payback is the most recent need for speed I have, and although it is far from perfect, I cannot lie, it was a fun ride. I hope this was a good review. The longest one I've ever done.Show moreShow less
26.1 hours at review76 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
Here I will leave the cat, friends who pass by can pet it and give it a thumbs up <3 🌸＞ フ | _ _ l ／` ミ＿xノ / | / ヽ ﾉ │ | | | ／￣| | | | | (￣ヽ＿_ヽ_)__) ＼二つShow moreShow less
11.4 hours at review197 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Its literally a casino slot machine for car upgrades. WTF!!! I completed the story by using a trainer to give unlimited spins, even with that I still found the system to be egregious ːwinter2019angrybulbː ːwinter2019angrybulbː The drag racing events were also pretty terrible, and the game has an obsession with action cuts that take control over the camera and make it do really weird cinematic ♥♥♥♥ that's super annoying for 2-3 seconds right in the middle of racing. Other than these things Payback is a middling to little bit below average entry in the franchise. The one solid thing the game has going for it are the speedcross events that feature fun and original track designs and do a great job of mixing rally and drift style driving into a cohesive whole. It's too bad there was hardly any of these in the game.Show moreShow less
17.2 hours at review74 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
Great gameplay inside a cringefest! (Don't worry, it's a solid game!) Okay, i will start this by mentioning, i played NFS series since the first one, obviously, i got old and boomery so after Most Wanted (2005) came out i got disappointed, and ever since, NFS games stopped being one of my favourite franchises. Anyhow, few days ago i caught this on a -90% sale, for 3$ i couldn't turn it down, i gave it a try thinkig "Ey, what the hell, let's see what's new". And that's when i became a junkie. In just few days i managed to play like 53 hours almost. I got hooked up on it like crazy. My complaints are related mostly to the extra challenges (speedruns, drift challenges, jumps), if you want to get all the achievements/completely finish the game you have to do those, they're hell on earth. I would gladly spend 3 days in a jail instead of doing them. I am not a very good player (in my recent years i becamme a filthy casual), but still, they're just badly designed with big requirements. I am almost certain the devs haven't done them themselves to see if they're even remotely feasible. And i read that previously, devs that worked on NFS series said that they were kinda forced into just releasing the games, and not polish them accordingly, i don't know if that's the case but i think it's likely. Now, most people don't care about achievements or extra completion ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, i like to call them 'the happy ones'. Another thing that kinda bugs me is that, it's a street racing game, right? Then why the hell do we have to go through so many checkpoints, it kinda beats the "street racing" vibe when you have to do things accordingly, there are just few shortcuts that aren't really shortcuts, you can easily miss these checkpoints, and you have to go back to them, which obviously, is as stupid as it sounds. Story is a cringefest to say the least, i swear to God, it's like 2002 called and wanted Vin Diesel from XXX back. All the dialogues and pseudo-machoism you'd expect from that movie, or from the Fast and Furious series. It didn't bother me, though, it was so bad it was funny as hell. Luckily, it's NFS. Nobody in this damn world that plays it gives a quarter of a ♥♥♥♥ about the story. Overall, the game is really solid, graphics are good, it just feels right playing it, cars don't have that sluggish wanna-be racing sim feeling. I would definitely recommend people to play it, especially old-farts (I am not even that old, but sometimes i feel like it..) like me that got to the point they're too boomery to enjoy "modern" games anymore. Gameplay: 8/10 Graphics: 7/10 Story: Vin Diesel/10 For the people that don't feel like reading an entire review, i will make few short points: The bad: - The extra challenges for achievements are awfully bad, tiring and too much - Multiplayer is almost dead, at least on Ranked, not sure about the casual - Checkpoints in races, and no "real" shortcuts - Sometimes, slow loading screens even on a good computer where the game is also installed on the SSD The good: - If you pay attention to dialogues and cutscenes, you will feel the power of Great Van Diesel the 1st flow through you, you will hear Britney Spears in your head and a Nokia 3310 will spawn in your hand. - I think there are lots of cars, that will appeal to every sort of category of people. You can even make Ted Bundy's beetle, or if you didn't have luck trading crypto or stocks the last few years, you can at least get a lambo in NFS. - Lots of customizations (I wish there were more options when placing decals, to alter their shape only horizontally for example) - Solid handling and feel when driving. It feels like NFS again, it's almost perfect. - Plenty of stuff to do in free-roam - It has a pretty easy learning/getting-used-to curve I really enjoyed my time with this game, and i hope you will too! Have a great day and thanks for reading my ramblings. A small edit: I forgot to mention, Payback really brought back my love for racing games, so now i am installing a bunch of racing games i already own for when i have time to play.Show moreShow less
52.8 hours at review189 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Oof, where to start. So, the pros are that its a pretty game. Good sounds, decent music. The car customization is nice for all except the runner class and the action sequences in the story missions make you feel like your driving in an 80s or 90s action movie, which is hella fun. Cons, The game uses an annoying card based upgrade system. You cannot just go buy new car parts, you have to rely on rng to get upgrades. These upgrades give your car a lvl, that is required for doing the different races. But wether you barely qualify, or exceed the lvl req by 45 lvls youll have the same group of cars fighting you for first. Only on easy difficulty are you able to upgrade enough to just blow them out. The AI seems to use nitrous at the exact same time you do, rendering it mostly useless. Unless your car is built around nitro, the ai will use theirs at the same time you do and prevent you from passing with it. This becomes especially annoying in the 'run from the cops' missions. All car classes need to be able to drift. Which is the primary reason Im abandoning the game half finished. Have a level 336 drag car, and the developers decided that the drag class cars would need races that require you to drift around corners and drive 5 miles down a highway. Mind blowingly strange decision, with a literal race class and a drift class, the drag racers should just, mebbe, drag race. Then the biggy, a game breaking bug. There is a couple of the runner class missions that require you to reach multiple check points in a row with limited time. Each point has a small cutscene. On two of these missions the timer will keep running even during the missions, making it nearly impossible to continue. I was finally able to finish the mission by going to the bugged checkpoint last, and even then had to pull it off with enough time for the cutscene to play out without running out of time overall. Extremely taxing, and for a supposed aaa is enough reason to not reccomend this title. Finally is a small nitpick for some, the game is not a steam title, nor does it run through steam. It forces you to dl origin, sign up with origin, and keep origin running while playing.Show moreShow less
27.2 hours at review72 people found this helpful
Source: original Steam user reviews. Helpful votes are an archived snapshot, not live data. Last collected: 08/15/2026.