How to Install Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012) on PC

For the 2012 PC edition of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, install it through the storefront account that owns the game: EA app, Steam, or Epic Games. EA’s product page identifies the 2012 release and the platforms it lists; check that the store is offering the 2012 PC edition before buying, because the title can also refer to the 2005 game. EA’s product page does not establish a current official purchase route for the 2005 edition.

Install it through the store where you own the game

EA lists the 2012 game for the EA app, Steam, and Epic Games. Your existing ownership determines which launcher to use. Availability can vary by store and region, so confirm the release year and PC edition on the store page before purchasing.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Need for Speed: Most Wanted	$54.25	Buy on Amazon
2		Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Xbox)	$99.88	Buy on Amazon
3		Need for Speed Most Wanted (Criterion) [Japan Import]	$35.00	Buy on Amazon

How to install Need for Speed: Most Wanted with the EA app

1. Install the EA app. Get the installer from EA’s official EA app page and run it. EA currently requires a 64-bit PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11 for its Windows app.
2. Sign in to the owning account. Open the app and log in to the EA Account that purchased or redeemed the game.
3. Find the game in your Library. Open Library and select Need for Speed: Most Wanted. EA says digital purchases made through the app are added to the Library.
4. Choose the install options. Select the download or install control, confirm the installation location and language, then choose Next.
5. Accept the terms and download. Read and accept the EA Terms of Play, select Download, and follow progress in Download Manager.
6. Launch the installed game. When installation finishes, start it from the EA app’s Library or installed-games area.

EA describes the app as the place to find, install, and play EA games on a computer. Its full installation guidance is on EA’s install and update help page.

Install the Steam or Epic Games version

If your copy belongs to Steam or Epic Games, sign in to that storefront’s launcher, open its Library, select the owned game, and use that launcher’s install control. The exact prompts can differ by launcher. EA lists both platforms for the 2012 game, but store availability and transaction terms may vary; verify the edition on the individual store listing.

#1 Best Overall

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

• Open World Action - Lose the cops - your way. Hit jumps and shortcuts, lay low, or shake the cops in surroundings that play to your car's unique strengths. Freedom is everything. Drive anywhere with your friends, discover hidden gameplay or utilize your knowledge of the city to beat them in a never-ending supply of challenges.
• Non-Stop Multiplayer - Pick a car, hook up with friends and jump into a non-stop playlist of tight, competitive events. No lobby screens means the action never stops. Score big, rank up and earn endless rewards and upgrades. Keep the fierce rivalries going between events with endless opportunities to race, battle and explore in a huge open world.
• Beat Your Friends - Autolog 2 ratchets up the intense competition with personalized race recommendations and feeds broadcasting all of your most newsworthy scores, speeds and times to your friends. Earn Need for Speed points at all times on any system as you try to outdrive your friends and become the Most Wanted.
• Racing Without Rules - It’s survival of the fastest as "Need for Speed Most Wanted" fuses the franchise’s, authentic "real car" feel with the intense speed and aggression of Burnout. Power down, slide out, and battle your way past cops and rivals using pure driving skill, and heavy doses of nitrous.

$54.25

Buy on Amazon

Check the PC requirements before downloading

EA’s published requirements for the 2012 game are legacy specifications, separate from the current EA app requirement. A PC needs to run both the selected launcher and the game. In particular, the game’s old Windows Vista minimum does not mean the current EA app can run on Vista.

These game specifications are published by EA for the 2012 edition, not results from performance testing. Steam’s support page also lists these game requirements and says the Steam client has supported Windows 10 and later since January 1, 2024: Steam’s Windows support notice. The EA app’s separate Windows requirement is a 64-bit PC with Windows 10 or 11, according to EA.

Rank #2

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Xbox)

$99.88

Buy on Amazon

Fix common EA app download problems

• Download fails or behaves unexpectedly: In the EA app, open Help > App Recovery > Clear Cache, then try again. EA also recommends checking your connection and server status when installation fails.
• Download stalls at 4 GB: Check the destination drive’s file system. EA says this can happen when the drive is formatted as FAT32, which cannot handle individual files larger than 4 GB. Use a suitable drive or file system for the installation.

See EA’s download and installation troubleshooting guide for the related connection and server-status checks.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

$54.25

Bestseller No. 2

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Xbox)

$99.88

Bestseller No. 3

Need for Speed Most Wanted (Criterion) [Japan Import]

$35.00

Rank #3

Need for Speed Most Wanted (Criterion) [Japan Import]

$35.00

Buy on Amazon

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.