Electronic Arts is shutting downNeed for Speed: Rivalsservers on October 7. This will be the seventhNeed for Speedgame that the company has shut down in the 2020s.
Co-developed by Ghost Games—nowadays known as EA Gothenburg—and Criterion Games,Need for Speed: Rivalsis the 20th mainline entry in EA’s long-running arcade racing franchise. It was originally released for PC and consoles in November 2013, debuting to generally favorable reviews from audiences and critics alike, though its overall scores were dragged down by some launch-day technical issues. Still,Rivalsis nowadays touted as one of the bestNeed for Speedgames of the 2010sand an overall great entry point into the series for newcomers.
Ahead of the game’s 12th anniversary, its multiplayer servers will be shutting down. According to EA’s newly updatedsupport pages, all online functionality forNeed for Speed: Rivalsis scheduled to cease on October 7. The shutdown will affect all the currently supported versions of the game, spanning the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Thearcade racer’s listings on digital storefronts have also been updated to include the new end-of-service notice.
4 EA Games Already Confirmed to Be Shutting Down in October 2025
Following this announcement, fourEA games are now confirmed to be shutting downin October 2025. Just a day ahead ofNeed for Speed: Rivalslosing multiplayer functionality, EA will be shutting downNHL 21servers on October 6.Madden 22andFIFA 23are then scheduled to follow suit on October 20 and October 30, respectively. EA typically gives fans at least several months' worth of notice before pulling the plug on any particular game’s servers, so if more titles are planned to lose their multiplayer features in October, they are likely to be officially announced no later than August 2025.
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As is typically the case, the end of multiplayer support forNeed for Speed: Rivalswill not impact the rest of the game, which EA continues to sell. The 2013 title has long been available for $19.99 and is frequently discounted.NFS: Rivalsalso remains accessible through the EA Play subscription catalog.
SinceRivalshit the market, EA has released five otherNeed for Speedgames. The most recent entry materialized in 2022 in the form ofNFS: Unbound. Following that release, long-time series developer Criterion Games was reassigned to work on the nextBattlefieldinstallment, planned to launch during EA’s current fiscal year that ends in March 2026.EA has confirmed that theNeed for Speedfranchise will continue thereafter.
