Need for Speed: The Run

Need for Speed: The Run

Developers
	EA Black Box
Publishers
	Electronic Arts
Russia	1C-SoftClub
Engines
	Frostbite 2
Release dates
Windows	November 15, 2011
Reception
Metacritic	69
IGDB	67
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Racing, Quick time events
Vehicles	Automobile, Off-roading, Street racing
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Contemporary, North America
Series	Need for Speed

Warnings

Due to online servers shutdown, the game will softlock on "Connecting to Autolog servers ...", the only solution is to restrict the internet access for the game.

Need for Speed: The Run is a singleplayer and multiplayer racing game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It is the eighteenth entry in the Need for Speed series and the first title in the series to utilize the Frostbite engine and not feature an open world.

It was released in North America on November 15, 2011, followed by Europe on November 18, 2011.

The game was delisted on May 31, 2021 with its online services shut down two months after on August 31; rendering multiplayer and the online tracking, Autolog, officially unplayable.

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Amazon.com (unavailable)
Amazon.co.uk (unavailable)
EA app (unavailable)

Version differences

Limited Edition content includes the Lamborghini Aventador, Porsche 911 Carrera S, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and 5 exclusive challenges.

Monetization

Type	Notes
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

Signature Edition Booster Pack was included for free with 1.1 update.

Supercar Pack, Heroes & Villains Pack, Time Savers Pack and Italian Pack DLC were not released for PC. Supercar Pack, Heroes & Villains Pack and Time Savers Pack can be unlocked through mods, however.

Microtransactions

Type	Notes
No microtransactions	None

Game data

General options menu

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\NFSTR\settings\*

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\NFSTR\settings\*

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
EA app
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.

Video

Video options menu

Advanced video options menu

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		Can be customized via the Racer_S Camera Control utility.
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
High-fidelity upscaling
Vertical sync (Vsync)		In-game Vsync caps the frame rate at 30 FPS. Disabling Vsync allows for uncapped framerates, however, it is recommended to enable Vsync in your graphics driver to make issues from framerate-dependent aspects less noticeable.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		Gameplay is uncapped after ver 1.1 update, but FMV cutscenes and menus are capped at 30 FPS. High frame rates break engine sounds and also causes stuttering. Framerates higher than 60 FPS causes tire smoke and debris to become thicker and move faster; often filling your entire screen in snowy areas.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		HDR experience can be improved using: RenoDX See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Ray tracing (RT)
Color blind mode		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Anti-aliasing (AA)

DSR Supersampling AA can be enabled for GeForce GTX 600 series or later video cards with the 344.48 WHQL or newer drivers. Windows 8.1 users should run the game in Windows 7 compatibility mode to increase stability and performance. If DSR is not displayed correctly (ex. part of the display is cut off of the monitor,) exit the game, toggle the desktop resolution to a higher setting in the Nvidia Control Panel, and revert resolution back to native after rebooting the game.

Input

In-game input options menu

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers		See Xbox controllers are not recognized section.
Xbox button prompts		Xbox 360 Controller hints are shown. Unplugging the controller reverts back to keyboard prompts.
Impulse Trigger vibration

PlayStation controllers		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Generic/other controllers		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Input prompt override
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio options menu

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Only music can be toggled on/off.
Surround sound		Up to 5.1 Surround Sound supported. Enabling, however, further worsens issues with car engine sounds.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio		Select tracks use licensed music instead of the game's soundtrack.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Traditional Chinese
Czech
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese				Translation originally only available in game files during initial release. After version 1.1, the language is no longer able to be used.
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation by GameVicio and Tribo Gamer; download.
Russian
Spanish
Latin American Spanish

Manually change game's language

Edit registry to change game language
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\EA Games\Need for Speed(TM) The Run. Change the value of the Locale key to one of the entries from the supported list: cs_CZ da_DK de_DE el_GR en_GB en_US es_ES es_MX fi_FI fr_FR hu_HU it_IT ja_JP ko_KR nl_NL no_NO pl_PL pt_BR pt_PT ru_RU sv_SE th_TH zh_CN zh_TW

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
Local play
LAN play		Use LAN Script.
Online play		Online services were shut down on August 31, 2021. Use LAN Script.
Asynchronous multiplayer		Only for Autolog Time Trials.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Dedicated

Issues fixed

Stuck on "Connecting to Autolog servers..." window

Due to online servers being shutdown, the game will soft-lock on "Connecting to Autolog servers ..."

Add a Windows Firewall rule
Follow this guide on How-To Geek for detailed instructions on how to block an application from accessing the internet.

Xbox controllers are not recognized

Install a patch fix
Download the .zip archive containing the fix. Extract the archive in <path-to-game>. Connect the controller and launch the game.

Player car slows down, doesn′t accelerate

See Xbox controllers are not recognized

High Fps Issues

High frame rates break engine sounds while going above 60 FPS causes tire smoke to become thicker and move faster, often filling your entire screen in snowy areas.

Run the game at 30 fps
Navigate to Settings > Display > Advanced Display Settings. Set V-Sync property to On. This will cap framerate to 30 fps.

Game crashes randomly

Run the game at 30 fps
See High Fps Issues section above.

Reduce Effects quality
Navigate to Settings > Display > Advanced Display Settings. Set Effects property to under Ultra or lower.

Can't run under a Virtual Machine

This issue only happens with some .exe launchers.

Turn off the Virtual Machine Platform
Open "Control Panel" and go to "Programs". Click on "Turn Windows features on or off". Search for "Virtual Machine Platform" and uncheck it.

The game does not start

Disable the antivirus while installing the game to allow security certificate granting.

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		Use Helix Mod: Need for Speed: The Run.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	11

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok Physics
Interface	Scaleform GFx
Cutscenes	VP6

Uses Enlighten for Global Illumination.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum		Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Vista SP2		7 SP1
Processor (CPU)	3.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo AMD equivalent		3.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad
System memory (RAM)	3 GB		4 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	18 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon HD 4870 Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB of VRAM DirectX 10 compatible		AMD Radeon HD 6950 Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 1024 MB of VRAM DirectX 11 compatible
Sound (audio device)	DirectX compatible
Controller			Gamepad or steering wheel
Other	512 KBPS or faster Internet connection