Need for Speed Unbound: Vol 5 brings two new cars and many bug fixes

We’re coming up to ten months since Need for Speed Unbound charged into the racing scene, and in that time it’s not been the smoothest road for the game. That could all be about to change, however, with the Need for Speed Unbound Vol 5 set to fix multiple issues with the game this week.

Need for Speed Unbound Vol 5 update announced

There’s no celebration tied into the latest Need for Speed Unbound update, but that could be a blessing in disguise. Vol 4’s Porsche 75 celebration could be seen as a distraction, with the update as a whole being underwhelming for players.

Vol 5 brings two new cars to Lakeshore City, with the 2023 BMW M2 Coupe available as a challenge reward and the 1987 Buick Grand National GNX unlocking for players who reach rank 50.

On top of the new cars, Vol 5 brings all 14 Linkup Areas from Vols 3 and 4 for all players to take part in. These Linkup Areas see up to 16 players completing objectives to earn that valuable bank.

The best part of Vol 5 however is its bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. Need for Speed Unbound has not had the best of starts, with multiple issues plaguing the game from day one. Hopefully, these fixes can finally breathe life into the game.

Fixing the bugs

With very few new features coming in Vol 5, it seems the decision has been taken to use it as a means to finally fix the game.

With multiple issues affecting players, Criterion’s announcement for Vol 5 includes a long list of fixes that have been implemented. These include challenges not completing properly, overlays not disappearing, and cosmetic issues with cars while cruising around.

There are also quality-of-life improvements included. The Wrap Editor will see masking decal functionality added, with multiplayer Boosted Events and Linkups tweaked to reduce downtime. You can view the full patch notes here.

Overall Vol 5 for Need for Speed Unbound isn’t adding a whole lot of new content, but we’re hoping it revitalises the game before it’s too late. Need for Speed Unbound isn’t beyond saving just yet, and Vol 5 could be the shot in the arm it needs.

Release date

Need for Speed Unbound Vol 5 rolls out this week on 12 October for PC, PlayStation and Xbox. You can check out the full Need for Speed Unbound Vol 5 patch notes here.

With the future of Need for Speed in doubt as Criterion focuses on the Battlefield series going forward, it remains to be seen if Unbound will get a Vol 6 update to celebrate its first anniversary.