The remaster of an arcade racing classic, all about speed, spectacular crashes and open-world freedom. The thrill is intact and all the DLC is bundled in. The Switch port makes a few visual concessions.
Your verdict
Category
Racing8 players3+
Co-op
Description
Free driving across Paradise City, stringing together races, stunts and jumps through an open metropolis. Published by Electronic Arts, released worldwide in 2020 and playable by up to eight. A Takedown system rewarding aggressive driving, events at every junction, bikes and all the add-on content.
Burnout Paradise Remastered review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Speed, crumpled metal and open-world freedom: few arcade racers stay this exhilarating. Paradise City, riddled with shortcuts, invites you to chain races, jumps and Takedowns in a rush of boost and bent steel, and the system that rewards aggression still has no equal. The intersection-based progression, with no menu to restart, remains mildly annoying, but the raw thrill of speed is fully intact.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Tearing through an open city at full speed while triggering spectacular pileups delivers an instant rush. Every drive becomes an excuse for a jump, a shortcut or an impromptu race. The sheer sense of speed, the gleeful crash time and seamless online multiplayer keep the urge to head back out burning.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Cruising an open city at full throttle, with no menus or loading between events, turns every drive into a chain of "just one more." You spot a billboard to smash, a jump to stick, a record to beat, and the events that trigger mid-road keep the momentum rolling. The remaster preserves that heady fluidity and sense of flow. The flip side is collect-itis: hunting every billboard and shortcut can slide into methodical, slightly repetitive sweeping of the map.
Built around the crash as much as the finish line, this remaster turns Paradise City into a playground where every junction sparks an improvised duel. You hunt each other down, trade paint and rack up spectacular wrecks that get the whole room laughing. The multiplayer leaned heavily on online play, whose future isn't guaranteed, but the spirit endures: spontaneous rivalries, open challenges and gleeful chaos that speed-loving friends keep coming back to.
Is Burnout Paradise Remastered still worth playing in 2026?
Burnout Paradise Remastered remains one of the most exhilarating arcade driving experiences around. Its playground, Paradise City, open and packed with shortcuts, invites you to chain races, jumps and Takedowns in a rush of speed and crumpled metal. The system that rewards aggression has no equivalent today. The remaster smooths textures and folds in all the extra content, bikes included. The progression structure tied to intersections, with no central menu to restart, still grates a little. But the sense of freedom and the raw thrill of speed remain intact and downright joyful.
