Drifting is an important skill to learn in Need for Speed Unbound. It takes time, precision, and practice, but you’ll be a much faster driver when you know how to drift in NFS Unbound.
Our Need for Speed Unbound drift guide will teach you the art of driving sideways without sacrificing speed.
Need for Speed Unbound drift guide
Not only do drifts look stylish, but they also build your Nitrous boost meter faster so you can blast past the competition. The longer you hold a drift, the more your Nitrous meter fills up.
A well-timed Nitrous boost can mean the difference between winning and losing or setting the fastest time in a Speedrun.
Learning how to drift is also essential to master Takeover events.
How to drift in Need for Speed Unbound
There are multiple ways to drift in NFS Unbound. By default, tapping the brake while holding the throttle will start a drift.
As the back end swings out, use the left analogue stick to counter-steer and control the slide around a corner. This will help you get out of tricky situations such as overshooting a corner.
If you’re familiar with the Burnout games, this technique of getting the car sideways will probably be embedded in your muscle memory. This is the easiest way to drift for novices but it also slows you down.
Don’t hold the brake too long because your car will lose momentum. There is a faster way of drifting, however.
The fastest way to drift in Need for Speed Unbound
Another way of drifting in NFS Unbound is tapping the throttle. To turn this option on, hit the pause menu and go to "Handling Tuning".
From here, scroll down to the bottom and select "Drift Entry." From here, you'll find three options: "Gas or Brake tap" (default), "Gas only", "Brake Only", and "Off."
With this option enabled, releasing and reapplying the throttle will get the car sideways. This is the best way to maintain speed into a corner while drifting. You'll be blasting blast past opponents while looking stylish as you do it.
With this method, you get greater control of your drift angle, but it requires more precision and takes practice to pull off. You need to balance the throttle and be progressive with your input. Be careful though, because applying too much throttle will spin the car to spin.
If you would rather drift using the handbrake only, select "Off." This is the fastest way to initiate a drift and make the car turn sharply, but it also slows you down and it's easy to lose control. You may end up facing the wrong way and lose the race if you use the handbrake too eagerly.
You can also supplement the handbrake with other drift techniques to get around tighter turns. Experiment with these options until you find the one you’re most comfortable with.
Review
Does Need for Speed Unbound put the series back on track or is it stuck in first gear? Read our verdict in our Need for Speed Unbound review.