8 /10 18

Burnout Paradise Remastered resurrects Criterion’s 2008 arcade masterpiece with graphical polish and 60fps stability across modern consoles. The open-world Paradise City becomes a playground for high-speed destruction, where traffic smashing and rival takedowns trump lap-perfect precision. Originally criticized for removing track-based structure, the remaster doubled down on chaos, bundling every DLC car from its seven-year post-launch cycle. For players seeking pure speed thrills and wanton destruction, Paradise Remastered delivers in ways Gran Turismo and Forza cannot—though its decade-old design shows cracks.

How to Play Burnout Paradise Remastered

Burnout Paradise Remastered abandons traditional race menus for dynamic open-world events. Drive to any intersection and honk to initiate races, marked man challenges, and stunt runs. The Burnout meter fills with aggressive driving—ramming traffic, drifting, driving against oncoming cars—creating a risk-reward cycle that rewards recklessness over consistency. Takedowns of rival cars trigger cinematic crash sequences.

1. Controls – Arcade-focused handling with immediate throttle response; button holds initiate drifts; 30-minute learning curve for takedown techniques
2. Progression – Unlock new vehicles by dominating rivals in race events and crashing specific vehicles in marked man events
3. Combat/Mechanics – Traffic ramming fills Burnout meter; drifting extends chains; smashing through billboards and fences earn bonus points; rival takedowns are cinematic apex moments
4. Tips – Ram traffic continuously to maintain Burnout meter boost; learn shortcut routes through city; aggressive driving beats line precision; use traffic as moving obstacles against rivals

Who Should Play Burnout Paradise Remastered

Paradise Remastered targets speed junkies and destruction-seekers, not simulation purists. Casual racers love its forgiving mechanics and cinematic chaos. Competitive online players will struggle with latency and outdated netcode. Perfect for those who hated Gran Turismo’s sterile precision.

• Speed Enthusiasts – Unmatched sense of velocity and adrenaline; traffic ramming feels gloriously cathartic
• Open-World Fans – Paradise City encourages exploration and discovering shortcuts; player-driven event locations
• Casual Racers – No track memorization required; mistakes are celebrated rather than punished
• Skip if – You demand realistic physics, weather systems, or competitive online integrity

Burnout Paradise Remastered Platform Performance

Burnout Paradise Remastered achieves 60fps across all platforms, the only consistent 60fps open-world racer of its generation. PS4 Pro and Xbox One X support 4K checkerboard rendering at 60fps. Switch version runs 720p handheld and 1080p docked, maintaining 30fps. PC performance unlocks at 60fps but physics tie to framerate, making higher framerates impossible without engine modification.

Burnout Paradise Remastered System Requirements

PC requirements are refreshingly accessible. Minimum specs target a 2012-era i3 and GTX 450. The game runs on integrated graphics at lower settings, though high-end 4K requires at least a GTX 750 Ti or better. Storage footprint is modest at 8GB, making it practical for slower internet connections.

Similar Games to Burnout Paradise Remastered

Few games replicate Paradise’s philosophy of chaos-driven progression. Need for Speed: Heat and Payback offer similar open-world structure but emphasize police chases over destruction. GTAV shares the open-world framework but grounds itself in criminal narrative. Forza Horizon series mirrors the spirit with festival progression but retains track-based racing structure.

• Need for Speed: Heat – Similar open-world structure; police chases replace destruction; more customization depth
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012) – Criterion’s follow-up; more aggressive cops and destruction; less exploration freedom
• Forza Horizon 5 – Open-world racing with dynamic events; more structured progression; Mexico setting
• Grand Theft Auto V – Open-world chaos but crime-focused; vehicle destruction secondary; story-driven

Burnout Paradise Remastered vs Competitors

Burnout Paradise Remastered positioned as the antithesis to sim-racing’s precision, delivering destruction that contemporary racing games abandoned. Need for Speed diverged into police chases; Forza maintained circuit structure. Paradise’s remaster bundled all DLC, making it the most complete version ever released—a stark contrast to microtransaction-heavy competitors.

Burnout Paradise Remastered Story and World

Paradise Remastered ditches narrative entirely, letting Paradise City be the sole character. The golden-hour aesthetic bathes highways in sunset glow, while the soundtrack pulses with licensed rock and metal that transforms reckless ramming into cathartic rhythm. Day-night cycles bring subtle lighting changes, though weather remains absent—a legacy limitation from 2008 design that Forza and Horizon have since perfected. The city layout encourages memorization of shortcuts and jump locations. Takedown sequences use slow-motion cinematics, celebrating destruction as art rather than accident. Without character arcs or mission stakes, progression becomes pure mechanical addiction—the Burnout meter’s satisfying depletion and replenishment becomes gameplay’s emotional core.

Burnout Paradise Remastered Multiplayer and Online

Burnout Paradise Remastered’s multiplayer remains outdated by 2025 standards, capping lobbies at 8 players versus Forza’s 16-car races. Modes include standard races, marked man (players hunt each other), and stunt runs (combo chains). Netcode relies on peer-to-peer rather than dedicated servers, causing lag and rubberbanding in high-traffic matches. Cross-platform play doesn’t exist; PS4 players can’t race Xbox competitors.

• Race Mode – Standard circuit races across Paradise City; dynamic AI traffic increases difficulty
• Marked Man – One player hunted by seven others; takedown mechanics reward aggressive ramming
• Stunt Runs – Solo cooperative challenges requiring combo chains; leaderboard integration
• Cross-Platform – No cross-play; PC, PS4, Xbox, Switch communities separate

Burnout Paradise Remastered DLC and Expansions

Paradise Remastered bundles every DLC pack released between 2008-2015, including legendary cars (Assassin’s Creed, Batman, Criterion’s in-house designs) and toy cars exclusive to online multiplayer. The remaster consolidates 78 base vehicles plus 17 DLC car packs—no additional paid content beyond launch. Paint jobs and cosmetics remain unlockable through gameplay only. The 2020 Switch port included all DLC in base purchase, a customer-friendly decision rare in EA’s modern portfolio.

• Legendary Car Packs – Assassin’s Creed, Batman Tumbler, Criterion Special Editions; included in remaster
• Toy Cars – Tiny diecast vehicles with different physics; nostalgic additions
• Paint Jobs – Earned through challenge completion; no cosmetic marketplace
• Free Updates – Delisted from purchase in 2021, returns to storefronts periodically; no new content post-remaster

Burnout Paradise Remastered Community and Support

Burnout Paradise maintains passionate but aging communities across Reddit (r/Burnout), Discord, and fan-run speedrunning forums. PC modding community has reverse-engineered save files to unlock DLC cars for players without online access, though Criterion Games provides no official mod support. No official Steam Workshop or content creator program exists. Server maintenance remains minimal; the 2025 infrastructure mirrors 2018 architecture with no feature additions beyond graphical patches.

• Official Forums – Criterion Games community pages largely inactive post-delisting; EA support directs to social media
• Reddit/Discord – r/Burnout maintains 50K members; Discord speedrunning servers track world records for stunts
• Mod Support – Unofficial save game mods unlock DLC vehicles; physics mods unsupported; ENB reshading allowed
• Updates – Final patch arrived 2021; infrastructure unchanged; leaderboards purged periodically for fresh data