As soon as a police chase begins, the licensed music is often interrupted by an orchestral, drum-heavy score that ramps up in tension as the Heat level rises. Critical Reception and Gameplay Impact
The licensed portion of the soundtrack includes 34 tracks across genres like Dubstep, Electro House, and Indie Rock. Many of these can be found on playlists curated by users like MarkF or the official NFS Rivals playlist. Pompeii (Kat Krazy Remix) Linkin Park Castle of Glass (M. Shinoda Remix) Knife Party EDM Death Machine Electro House The Naked and Famous Bright Lights Indie Rock Madeon Technicolor (Club Extended) Electro House Gary Numan Industrial Brick + Mortar Bangs / Locked In A Cage Indie/Alt Rock X Ambassadors Shining / Love Songs Drug Songs The Role of Vanesa Tate’s Original Score Need For Speed Rivals Soundtrack Spotify
Reviewers and players on platforms like Reddit have mixed feelings about how the soundtrack is implemented. As soon as a police chase begins, the
The music is praised for establishing a "dark and edgy" vibe that fits the high-stakes, risk-versus-reward gameplay of Rivals . Pompeii (Kat Krazy Remix) Linkin Park Castle of Glass (M
A critical distinction in NFS: Rivals is the transition between licensed "Radio" music and the composed score by Vanesa Tate .
Critics from PopMatters argue the game is "at war" with its own soundtrack because the frequent police chases constantly cut off the licensed songs, making it difficult to hear the full tracks during gameplay.