With a total of 143 cars and near infinite customizations, you can never have enough money when it comes to Need for Speed Unbound. Cash is king, and your account’s progression relies heavily on how much you can keep throwing at your car. Fortunately for you, there are a bunch of ways, such as police chases, side bets, mini-challenges, etc., and this guide discusses all of them. Let’s begin.
Practice Delivery Missions
Delivery missions are perfect for earning money in the early game. You’ll be called Rydell, Tress, and Yaz when there is a delivery available. However, each of them has different requirements.
Rydell:
- Session: Morning
- Heat Level: None
- Objective: Deliver the car from point A to point B within a given time.
Tress:
- Session: Night
- Heat Level: High
- Objective: Lose the cops before delivering the car. There is no time limit.
Yaz:
- Session: Night
- Heat Level: High
- Objective: Lose the cops before delivering the car. There is no time limit.
To maximize your payout in the car delivery missions, it’s important to deliver the car in good condition. If the car is damaged, your payout will be significantly reduced. If you manage to escape from the cops, it’s recommended to take the car to a gas station to get it fixed before making the drop.
Planning Day & Night Sessions Optimally
There are two daily sessions, the Day session and the Night session. Upon entering your garage, the game advances to the next day or night, removing all race events from the map. This is crucial due to the game’s unique heat system.
The heat level from your Day session carries over to the Night session and only resets at the end of the Night session, when the next Day session begins. Every race you participate in increases your heat level, so it’s not recommended to race continuously during the Day session. It’s better to schedule races towards the Night session, so if you encounter trouble with the cops, you can reset the heat level without losing your earnings.
Use Side Bets to Boost your Earnings
Side bets allow you to place money on the outcome of a race. However, it’s not just you who can bet on the race – your rivals will also bet on your car’s performance. As a result, they may bet more if you’re racing a car that’s likely to lose. However, if you have the skill to win even with an underperforming car, you may want to consider detuning it before the race. This will make your rival more overconfident, causing them to bet more than they normally would. As a result, you may be able to earn a decent payout if you manage to win the race.
Complete the Mini-Challenges
At the start of each session, you’ll receive a list of mini-challenges with different rewards. While the payout for these challenges may not be as high as the top-tier jobs, every penny counts in the long run. If you come across a particularly difficult challenge, it’s best to skip it and focus on the ones that are easy and quick to complete.
Let the Cops keep chasing you
To earn a substantial amount of money, try to escape cop pursuits, as higher heat levels grant more rewards. For instance, you only receive $100 for escaping a level 1 pursuit, while escaping a level 5 pursuit earns you $2,500.
You can also increase your earnings by enabling the Gateway Driver mod, which doubles the rewards but also shortens the time in between police reinforcements.
Free Roam Challenges & Collectibles
At the start of each day, take advantage of the fact that the heat level is at 0 and complete free roam challenges. Aim to achieve a 3-star rating in these challenges as it offers a reward of $5,000.
Online Races
Online races are highly competitive and offer the highest payouts, especially if you manage to win first place in an S+ class race. The reward for this achievement is a whopping $22,500. However, keep in mind that online racing can be challenging, and you’ll be up against some of the best players in the world.