Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is one of the most beloved entries in the entire racing series and, on Windows 9x PCs, defined the arcade take on street racing for years to come. The game offered a roster of licensed sports cars, from Ferrari and Lamborghini to Porsche and Jaguar, racing across visually varied tracks ranging from mountain switchbacks to coastal roads and desert canyons, with the game emphasizing speed and fun over a strict simulation approach to handling.

The main new feature the entry is still remembered for was the police pursuit mode - players could race either as a driver dodging radar, roadblocks, and a filling wanted meter, or take the side of the law and chase down other drivers in their own police car. This element gave the game a unique dynamic and tension that had been missing from the arcade racing genre until then, and it became one of the series' defining hallmarks. Technically, the game offered smooth graphics for the hardware of the time, effective body damage, and an atmospheric soundtrack including police radio chatter and tense music during chases.

Need for Speed III became a commercial and critical hit and helped cement the Need for Speed series as one of the best-known racing brands on both PC and consoles of its era. The police chase mode became so iconic that the series used it in many later entries under the directly referencing name Hot Pursuit, and this third installment remains one of the most fondly remembered titles of the late-nineties racing genre. The combination of flashy licensed cars, varied tracks, and tense police chases meant even players who otherwise avoided serious racing simulators gave it a try, helping the Need for Speed series expand its audience well beyond the hardcore racing fanbase.

Why play it: For arcade racing fans who want to experience the iconic police chase mode in the form that accompanied the Need for Speed series through many later entries.