Need for Speed Heat is Ghost Games' November 2019 entry, set in Palm City, a fictional Florida sprawl split into 18 districts holding 435 collectible and challenge locations. The day belongs to the Speedhunters Showdown, where sanctioned events pay Bank and the police stay home. The night belongs to illicit street racing, where you earn Rep and Lieutenant Frank Mercer's police force tries to take it off you before you reach a garage.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Day and night switch
Palm City runs on a manual toggle, not a clock. Day events are hosted by the Speedhunters Showdown, pay Bank and involve no police at all. Night is illicit street racing, pays Rep, and is the only time the police exist. You flip between them at any of the 13 safe houses or at the garage.
Bank and Rep as separate currencies
Bank buys cars and parts. Rep raises your level, and your level is what makes cars and parts available to buy in the first place. Grinding one without the other stalls the run, which is why most progress alternates a Rep night with a Bank day.
Heat level and getting busted
Heat climbs from 1 to 5 across a night as you race and wreck pursuing police, and the multiplier on the Rep you are carrying climbs with it. Reach a garage and the Rep banks. Get busted and the unbanked Rep is gone plus a fine out of your Bank, so the risk curve is entirely on the Rep side.
Performance parts and the handling profile
Parts split into engine, chassis, drivetrain and auxiliary sections, with quality running stock, sport, pro, super, elite and ultimate. Overall rating runs 100 to 400 and is calculated from power, high speed and acceleration; nitrous is rated separately and does not count. Chassis and drivetrain choices move a handling profile plotted on two axes, grip against drift and road against off-road, so one chassis can be built four different ways.
Live Tuning
Live Tuning opens from the in-game phone with right on the d-pad or numpad 6, and changes the car without a trip to a garage. Downforce and steering sensitivity are the two sliders that matter: drift setups run steering sensitivity high and downforce low, grip setups do the reverse.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Need for Speed Heat combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day Racer (Speedhunters Showdown) | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Night Racer (Rep and Heat) | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Grip Road Build | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Drift Build | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Off-Road Build | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Need for Speed Heat builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Engine Swap | Some cars simply cannot reach the top of the 100 to 400 rating scale on their factory block. | Older or cheaper chassis you want to push past their stock rating ceiling. |
| Nitrous | An engine part that adds air and fuel for an instant power spike. | Police escapes and corner exits, where a rating number does not matter and a second of extra speed does. |
| Speedcross Suspension | The off-road and drift leaning suspension line. | Drift Trials and Off-Road Races, and the standard first purchase for any Speedcross-branded build. |
| Drag Tires | Counterintuitive on a drift car and still what the fastest drifters run, because the reduced lateral grip lets a car hold an angle instead of snapping back to straight. | Drift builds paired with Speedcross suspension and differential. |
| Live Tuning | Not a purchase at all. | Anyone running a single car through mixed events instead of maintaining four separate builds. |
Engine Swap: Some cars simply cannot reach the top of the 100 to 400 rating scale on their factory block. Swapping the engine resets what part tiers the car can accept, and it is a Bank cost rather than a Rep unlock.
Nitrous: An engine part that adds air and fuel for an instant power spike. Its rating is displayed separately and does not feed into the overall 100 to 400 number, so a nitrous upgrade never shows up as a rating increase.
Speedcross Suspension: The off-road and drift leaning suspension line. Paired with a Speedcross differential it drags the handling profile away from road grip, which is exactly what a drift build or a cross-country build wants.
Drag Tires: Counterintuitive on a drift car and still what the fastest drifters run, because the reduced lateral grip lets a car hold an angle instead of snapping back to straight.
Live Tuning: Not a purchase at all. Opened from the phone with right on the d-pad or numpad 6, it changes downforce and steering sensitivity mid-session, so one car can be re-aimed between a circuit and a drift zone without visiting a garage.
Full breakdowns in our Need for Speed Heat weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Palm City | Car rating 100 to 250, early to mid game | Speed traps, billboards and street art clustered tightly enough to clear in one night |
| Port Murphy | Car rating 150 to 300 | Drift zones and long jumps, plus straight sections that suit top-speed testing |
| Fort Callahan | Car rating 250 and up | High Heat night events and the volatile parts they drop |
| Eden Shores | Car rating 200 to 350 | Circuit and sprint events, flamingos and collectibles along the shore |
| Sandino Ranches | Car rating 150 to 300 | Off-Road Races, shortcuts through fields, and quiet ground for shaking a pursuit |
Downtown Palm City: The dense central district, all right angles, traffic and short blocks. It is the worst place in Palm City to be at Heat 4 or higher, because the police get corner cuts you do not.
Port Murphy: Docks, container stacks and long industrial straights on the water. The wide surfaces make it one of the more forgiving districts for learning a drift build without wrecking on scenery.
Fort Callahan: The military district, laid out around wide open concrete and sightlines that let a helicopter track you from a long way off. Escapes here need a plan, not just speed.
Eden Shores: Coastal and residential, with sweeping seafront roads that reward a grip build over a drift build. A safe house sits close enough to the main strip to bank a Heat 4 night without a long run.
Sandino Ranches: Open farmland and dirt trails on the outskirts, one of the main homes for cross-country events. Off-road tires and Speedcross suspension turn a losing car into a winning one here more than anywhere else on the map.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Rep is not yours until you park at a garage or safe house. Every point you are carrying at Heat 4 or 5 disappears the moment you are busted, along with a Bank fine, so the correct night is a short one that ends deliberately.
- Heat 3 brings faster pursuit units and Heat 5 puts a helicopter overhead, which removes most of the value of hiding in an alley. Plan the route to a safe house before you push into the top tier, not after.
- High Heat events are the only ones that pay both Bank and Rep and the only source of the volatile parts that top out at Ultimate+. Finishing one at Heat 5 is the single most efficient hour in the game.
- The overall rating from 100 to 400 is calculated from power, high speed and acceleration only. Nitrous has its own number that never moves the total, so do not compare two builds by rating alone if one is carrying much better nitrous.
- Read the handling profile graph before you buy chassis and drivetrain parts. A car sitting deep in the drift quadrant will understeer badly through a technical circuit no matter how high the rating climbs.
- Steering sensitivity is worth pushing to maximum on most cars, because it turns the car faster with very little speed cost. Downforce is the slider you actually have to think about per event.
- There are 13 safe houses across the 18 districts. They fast travel, swap day for night, change your car and clear active police attention, which makes learning their positions worth more than learning any single race line.
- Palm City holds 435 locations for 100 percent completion across speed traps, long jumps, drift zones, street art, flamingos and billboards. Clearing a district at a time in daylight is far faster than sweeping them at night with police involved.
- Buy the parts before the car. A 328-rating Polestar 1 with ultimate parts beats a stock 400-rating chassis, and the Bank you spend on the headline car is Bank you cannot spend on making it fast.
- Cross-play arrived in the June 2020 update, so the online lobbies still fill even years after release. Free roam with another player is the fastest way to farm high Heat, because the police split their attention.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Chasing Heat 5 on the first night of a save, then losing an hour of Rep to a police roadblock two streets from a safe house.
- Buying the Koenigsegg Regera at 1,227,500 Bank and having nothing left for ultimate parts, which leaves a 400 chassis running stock components.
- Fitting drag tires and Speedcross suspension to a circuit car because a drift guide recommended them, then wondering why it will not hold a line.
- Grinding Bank all day and never racing at night, which leaves Rep low and locks the good parts behind a level you have not earned.
- Treating the rating number as a ranking. A 346 P1 built for the event beats a 400 build aimed at the wrong discipline every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Bank and Rep?
Bank is money, earned from Speedhunters Showdown events in the daytime with no police involved. Rep is your level, earned from illicit street racing at night. Bank buys cars and parts, Rep decides which cars and parts are available to buy, so you need both.
What happens when I get busted?
You lose all the Rep you are carrying that has not been banked at a garage or safe house, and you pay a fine out of your Bank. Bank you already hold is otherwise safe, which is why Rep is the risky currency and the reason to end a high Heat night early.
What is the fastest car in Need for Speed Heat?
The Koenigsegg Regera. It reaches the 400 rating ceiling with top marks in power and top speed, unlocks at Rep level 50 and costs 1,227,500 Bank. For circuits with lots of corners a lighter car such as the McLaren P1 is often the better race weapon.
What is the best drift car?
The Mazda RX-7 Spirit R from 2002 holds the drift records. Build it with Speedcross suspension and differential, fit drag tires, then use Live Tuning to raise steering sensitivity and drop downforce.
How many districts does Palm City have?
Eighteen, including Downtown Palm City, Port Murphy, Fort Callahan, Eden Shores, Sandino Ranches, Rockville, Westside, Cloudbank and Palm City Raceway. Between them they hold 435 locations needed for 100 percent completion.
More Need for Speed Heat Guides
- Need for Speed Heat Best Builds
- Need for Speed Heat Tier List
- Need for Speed Heat Walkthrough
- Need for Speed Heat Beginner's Guide
- Need for Speed Heat Tips & Tricks
- Need for Speed Heat Weapons Guide
- Need for Speed Heat Combat Guide
- Need for Speed Heat Boss Guide
- Need for Speed Heat Maps & Locations
- Need for Speed Heat Crafting Guide
- Need for Speed Heat Classes & Characters
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