Burnout 3 sequel with the Traffic Checking concept - ramming slow cars into opponents. Even more offensive than the third. Frantic Road Rage mode. A notch below Burnout 3 for some but still exceptional.
Your verdict
Category
Racing1 player12+
Description
Fourth installment in the franchise, introducing Traffic Checking - ramming slower same-direction cars to turn them into projectiles. Published by Electronic Arts, released in 2005 in the United States and Europe. Features Rage events, improved Crash mode, New York and Japanese circuits, and online multiplayer on Xbox Live.
Burnout Revenge review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Dizzying speed, motion blur and spectacular pile-ups filmed in slow motion: everything celebrates the crash as a genuine firework. The brilliance of the settings torn through at full tilt heightens the heady sensation. This visual extravagance, snappy and readable, makes every crash a peak of staging.
Supercharged, the EA Trax selection strings together edgy rock and nervy electro to electrify races built around the crash. Every track spikes the adrenaline and matches the insane speed of the pursuits. This infectious energy, cut for chaos, is an integral part of the sensation of pure release.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Plowing through slower vehicles travelling your way unleashes a perfectly controlled riot of speed and chaos. Permanent boost, shortcuts and amplified crashes push the adrenaline even further than its predecessors. Spectacular and astonishingly readable despite the frenzy, it remains a fiercely satisfying outlet to drive with a controller in hand.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Slamming into same-way traffic to use it as a projectile: this trick multiplies the chaos and the sense of pure speed. Devastating takedowns, suicidal shortcuts and uninterrupted boost turn every race into a tidal wave of adrenaline. Frantic, brutal and spectacular, an arcade blow-off that doesn't give you a second's respite.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Plowing into oncoming traffic and setting off spectacular pileups pushes the series' delicious risk-taking even further. Stringing together takedowns and shortcuts to swell your score constantly renews the urge for a better run. The formula wears a bit thin quickly, but this torrent of speed and crumpled metal keeps a stubborn intensity.
A spectacular sequel from Criterion, Burnout Revenge adds the cathartic Traffic Checking to the series' supercharged races and grandiose crashes. Become rare on Xbox, especially in its Asian pressing, its interest lies in this rise in intensity of a cult line as much as in this physical scarcity. A prime piece for fans of aggressive arcade racing.
Is Burnout Revenge still worth playing in 2026?
This 2005 follow up extends the Takedown formula by letting most same direction traffic become a weapon rather than a hazard, a choice that still polarises long time fans. Speed, the expanded Crash modes and the staging of collisions remain top tier, and the urban tracks bring welcome variety. Road readability sometimes buckles under the chaos and the difficulty curve rises sharply once events series in. Today it is an excellent entry point for anyone who wants to discover Burnout without the harsh edges of the previous game, and for fans of chaotic arcade racing.
