Criterion Games has released Update 1.1.4 for Need for Speed Unbound, delivering a variety of stability improvements for its new anime-inspired, open-world racing game.
Players will find a number of balancing changes for a couple of cars, including the 1976 Volkswagen Golf GTI, a classic hot hatch that’s perfect for grip drivers, but unfortunately, the update does not seem to address any of the gameplay issues that have been raised since the racer’s release in December 2022.
One of the major ones relates to police, whereby at Heat 5 (the game’s highest and most challenging cop level), players will find themselves constantly swarmed and engaged by cops and choppers, which have a habit of magically spawning in the area even after a successful escape and can make it frustrating for those with weaker cars to get to their races.
Many races in Need for Speed Unbound also lead directly into a cop chase, as demonstrated in a post-race clip that leaked before the game’s release.
That said, Need for Speed Unbound players should find some level of improvement through Criterion Games’ new 1.1.4 update, which offers the following:
BALANCING
Golf GTI 1976
- Rebalanced the Volkswagen Golf GTI (1976) to reduce its acceleration in high gears
- Fixed an issue with the Volkswagen Golf GTI (1976) that caused its gearbox options to not affect its top speed, as expected
Koenigsegg Regera
- Reduced the top-end acceleration of the Koenigsegg Regera and adjusted its cornering ability
VOIP
- Improved the quality of VOIP for our PS5 players
SAVE GAME ERROR/PROGRESS RESET
- Added a warning message when the game fails to autosave correctly to reduce potential of lost progress
PC MIN SPECS WARNING
- Added a warning message when the game detects a below min spec configuration
STABILITY IMPROVEMENTS
- Multiple stability improvements to reduce the potential for game crashes
Need for Speed Unbound launched on December 2, 2022, but is already 50% off at retailers that include Steam, where it can be purchased at the time of this posting for $34.99. Criterion Games, which returned as the main developer for the Need for Speed series following Ghost Games’ work (e.g., Need for Speed Heat) in 2020, has confirmed that it will be delivering a series of free content updates that will include new features, experiences, content drops, and more for Unbound, but more details on those won’t be coming until March.