Need for Speed Unbound system requirements and unlock times revealed

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Do you feel the need for speed? More importantly, does your PC have the speed to make the new Need for Speed run with the speed you need? Today is the day to find out.

Need for Speed Unbound is set to launch on December 2, and with that date now just over a week away, Electronic Arts has dropped details on when exactly it will launch, what sort of accessibility options it will support, and—as promised above, what exactly you'll need to run it.

So, first things first: Let's dive under the hood.

Need for Speed Unbound System Requirements

The minimum Pinto:

OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor (AMD): Ryzen 5 2600 or equivalent
Processor (Intel): Core i5-8600 or equivalent
Memory: 8 GB
Graphics card (AMD): RX 570 or equivalent
Graphics card (NVIDIA): GTX 1050 Ti or equivalent
DirectX: 12 Compatible video card
Online Connection Requirements: 1 Mbps or faster Internet connection
Hard-drive space: 50GB+

The recommended Pagani:

OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor (AMD): Ryzen 5 3600 or equivalent
Processor (Intel): Core i7-8700 or equivalent
Memory: 16 GB
Graphics card (AMD): Radeon RX5700 or Equivalent
Graphics card (NVIDIA): GeForce RTX 2070 or Equivalent
DirectX: 12 Compatible video card
Online Connection Requirements: 1 Mbps or faster Internet connection
Hard-drive space: 50GB+

Need for Speed Unbound will support crossplay in the Lakeshore Online multiplayer mode across PC, Xbox Series X-S, and PlayStation 5, but it can be disabled if you'd rather not. It will also offer a range of control options and adjustments, accessibility features like colorblind mode, adjustable chat text size, and lighting controls, and—this one feels a bit weird—17 different audio options including "dynamic range, balancing out the Car, Speech, Effects, and Music volumes, and adjusting VOIP settings for when you’re burning up the road in Lakeshore Online."

Need for Speed Unbound Unlock Times

Today's update also breaks down Need for Speed Unbound's slightly complicated launch schedule. It's got almost as many moving parts as the system requirements:

Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition launches on Nov 28, 2022 11pm PT / Nov 29 2 am ET / 7am UTC / 8am CET
Need for Speed Unbound Standard Edition launches Dec 1, 2022 11pm PT / Dec 2 2 am ET / 7am UTC / 8am CET
EA Play/EA Play Pro launches Nov 28, 2022 11pm PT / Nov 29 2 am ET / 7am UTC / 8am CET
EA Play - Play the 10 hour trial of Need for Speed Unbound Standard Edition (and keep your progress when you buy the game)
EA Play Pro - Get the full Palace Edition of Need for Speed Unbound with your EA Play Pro subscription.

To confuse things further, here's a map with early access launch times—click the icon in the upper-right corner to see it full size:

Need for Speed Unbound unlock times map — (Image credit: Electronic Arts)

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.