Need for Speed: Most Wanted is an developed by and published by . Most Wanted is the nineteenth title in the series and was released worldwide for , , , , and , beginning in North America in 2012, with a version following in 2013 under the title Need for Speed: Most Wanted U. The game picked up on the , as opposed to the reboot that Criterion Games developed previously.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted received positive reviews, which focused on the world map that blended the styles of previous and Need for Speed games, and the social features, while criticism fell on the single-player mode. Following its release, the game won several awards including the 2012 for Best Driving Game and was nominated for Best British Game and Best Online Multiplayer at the , and was repeatedly recognized as the best driving/racing game of 2012 by several outlets. Need for Speed: Most Wanted is set in an open world environment. The game takes on the gameplay style of the first title in the franchise. Most Wanted allows players to select one car and compete against other racers in three types of events: Sprint races, which involves traveling from one point of the city to another, Circuit races, each having two or three laps total and Speed runs, which involve traversing through a course in the highest average speed possible. There are also races, where the player starts surrounded by cops and must evade their pursuit as quickly as possible.