2024 is now in full swing, and so are the content updates for Need for Speed: Unbound. After Volume 6 brought Audi back to the series along with introducing a head-to-head mode to Lakeshore City, Volume 7 is set to bring back classic game modes from previous NFS titles.
Here’s everything we know so far about Need for Speed: Unbound's Vol. 7 update.
Latest news: Need for Speed Unbound Vol. 7 release date confirmed
We now have a release date for Need for Speed Unbound Vol. 7. In a blog post detailing player feedback on Vol. 6, Criterion confirmed that Unbound's Vol. 7 update is due to arrive next week on Tuesday, May 21.
No other details were confirmed, but Criterion has already confirmed the next update will have a Need for Speed Underground theme.
Drifting Underground
EA's Year 2 roadmap confirms that Volume 7 will be the first to bring back classic game modes from previous Need for Speed games. Taking elements of Need for Speed: Underground is the focus of Volume 7, with drift and drag racing set to take Lakeshore City by storm.
With drag racing absent in the game at launch, many fans were upset to see a Need for Speed staple missing. Volume 7 will rectify that, however, with the Drift & Drag update adding an element of Olympic City to Unbound.
Drift events are already present in the game, so we’re expecting Volume 7 to focus more on the drag racing side of things. That doesn’t mean there isn’t the possibility of more drift events being added, and maybe even some drift races to spice things up also.
Underground street racing is the main theme of Need for Speed: Unbound, so adding impromptu drag racing to the game is the next logical step. Meet-ups can easily include new drag races, and police chases during the race are also a possibility.
New car predictions
With Volume 7 bringing elements of Need for Speed: Underground to Unbound, we could see some cars cross from Olympic City to Lakeshore. The Nissan Skyline GT-R is featured on the cover of Underground, but two variants of that are already present in Unbound.
Audi being reintroduced to Need for Speed in the Volume 6 update means there’s a chance that Volume 7 will also feature the German manufacturer. However, with the drag and drift theme, the new cars could instead be more akin to these forms of racing.
Mitsubishi and Subaru already feature in Need for Speed: Unbound’s car list, with the legendary Lancer and Impreza already tearing up the streets of Lakeshore. Other drag racing favorites, including the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Chevrolet Camaro, are also already in the game.
This means the new cars could be more drift-focused. Lexus and Toyota could both make their Unbound debuts in Volume 7, with the Lexus IS 300 and Toyota Corolla both popular choices in the drift scene. The Toyota Supra MK4 was also a popular car in Underground and fans are pining for it to return in Underground.
With Volume 7 focusing on both drift and drag racing, we'll likely get one new car in each category going by the last updates. We’ll update this post as soon as we have more info on the new cars in Volume 7.
Speed Pass
Like previous Need for Speed: Unbound updates, Volume 7 is expected to bring a new Speed Pass. The new cars will be included with the Speed Pass, along with fully customizable body kits and parts.
The Premium tier introduced this year is also expected to continue, adding exclusive game content for players who bought the Palace Edition. If the Premium Pass follows the example of Volume 6, this will feature an additional 30 tiers, a new character skin for multiplayer, new cosmetics, and new VFX and SFX options.
A new Driving Effect Tag has already been confirmed for Volume 7. This effect creates the illusion that your car is literally tearing up the road. It’s not been confirmed if this effect is part of the standard or Premium tier at the time of writing.
Release date
After the Year 2 roadmap confirmed that Volume 7 will run between May and July, we now have a specific release date.
In a blog post detailing player feedback on Vol. 6, Criterion confirmed that Unbound's Vol. 7 update will launch next week on Tuesday, May 21.
This is in line with previous updates, which were released on the last Tuesday of the month after Volume 6 launched on February 27.m this. It will run for three months until July.
Volumes 8 and 9 have already been confirmed in the Year 2 Roadmap released by EA, with Vol.8 running between August and October and Vol. 9 running between October and December. Vol. 8 will feature a cops vs. racers theme inspired by Hot Pursuit, while Vol. 9's theme remains unknown.
Are you looking forward to seeing drag racing return to the Need for Speed series? Let us know in the comments below!
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