The police. The fuzz. Five-o, the boys in blue… whatever you want to call them, they’re here for us. In the loosest terms, they’re here to maintain peace, justice, and all that other jazz that stops us from breaking the law. At least, that’s what they’re meant to do in the real world.
In video games, however, it’s a whole different ballgame. Whilst it may be “realistic” to pull you over in a sandbox game, read you your rights and whatnot, it’d be boring. What players want is excitement! Thrills, spills, chases and crashes, that’s what makes it fun. Thankfully, plenty of games deliver on that front. Here are some that protect that thrill and serve up some damn fine police chase spectacle.
#8 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition
- Developer: Grove Street Games
- Publisher: Rockstar
- Released: 2021
It wouldn’t be fair to leave out the series that brought open-world police chasing carnage into the mainstream, would it? However, it’s only so far down on this list for the poor way that the seminal trilogy was ported.
That being said, when it works, the absolute carnage that the police will bring upon Claude, Tommy or Carl is why gamers love Grand Theft Auto. A small amount of wanted stars will garner a few squad cars and maybe some gunfire. Continue the criminal intent, though, and the cops will bring down pure hellfire and disregard yours, their, and civilian safety to catch you. That makes for entertaining and tense gameplay all in one.
#7 The Crew 2
- Developer: Ivory Tower
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Released: 2018
In terms of scope, The Crew 2 takes the mantle of the largest game on this list. Driving, flying and boating about a scaled-down version of America is a sight to behold and a vast improvement over the first game. However, the bigger the scale, the bigger the hunt from the law.
We can’t stress this enough: they will chase you across states if they need to. Legalities be damned, the boys in blue (or whatever state color) will cross any border to run those naughty street racers off of whatever course they’re on.
#6 Need For Speed Heat
- Developer: Ghost Games
- Publisher: EA
- Released: 2019
The most recent of the long running Need for Speed series, Heat does a good job of reminding players about the glory days of Underground and its ilk. Sure, it’s not exactly like Underground, but at least it’s trying.
What it does bring to the formula is the pressure the player gets from the police during a race–as it should, considering the game revolves around the whole “illegal street racing” thing. Cops are relentless, the metaphorical heat in the title, and will not hesitate to make a racer’s life harder on each run.
#5 L.A. Noire
- Developer: Team Bondi
- Publisher: Rockstar
- Released: 2011
Onto the other side of the badge now, L.A. Noire puts players in the shoes of the always-shouting detective, Cole Phelps. Whilst the main gameplay tenet here is the investigations of crime scenes and questioning witnesses, L.A. Noire offers some high-stakes car action too.
It’s important to remember that this is the 1940s; there won’t be any high-performance drifting or nitro boosts here. That being said, it’s still pretty intense winging some clunker of a car around corners chasing a perp whilst your partner tries to shoot out the tires.
#4 Watch Dogs: Legion
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Released: 2020
Just because the crime on display in Watch Dogs: Legion is on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, it doesn’t make it any less of a threat. Whilst London is a twisty labyrinth of confusing one-way streets and alleys, it doesn’t stop the police from giving it their all.
Given the police state/anarchic sensibilities of the events in Legion, it’s not surprising that the cops here will do their best to take players out. They don’t want you hacking their secrets or exposing Albion, after all. So be wary; you raise those wanted levels, those narrow alleys can become your tomb as you’re rammed to death in one.
#3 Burnout Paradise Remastered
- Developer: Criterion
- Publisher: EA
- Released: 2018
Whilst Paradise may not have captured that insane, over-the-top wrecking action that Takedown brought to the table, it still made for some great arcade-esque racing. With a remaster comes shinier graphics, and what better way to highlight that than by luring the law into any available hazard.
There’s nothing more satisfying than quickly sliding into a corner as a cop mistimes it and crashes into a barrier, or better yet, clipping the tail end of a car and watching it careen out of control as you take the lead in a race. The game itself may seem like a time capsule of the early 2000s “extreme-ness,” but it’s still entertaining to this day.
#2 Grand Theft Auto V
- Developer: Rockstar North
- Publisher: Rockstar Games
- Released: 2013
If The Definitive Edition was the rough and ready nostalgia trip, Grand Theft Auto V is the infinitely more polished modern-day experience. Released nine years after San Andreas, Rockstar had plenty of time (and other sequels) to hone their police-pursuing craft.
Much like the older games, the wanted system in GTA V is just as madcap as them all. A few misdemeanours? That’s just a shootout, nothing personal. Cause more chaos and as before, all manner of etiquette goes out of the window. Cars, riot vans, and pretty much every cop from here to eternity will be on the player in a heartbeat. They’ll defy gravity, spawning from nowhere just to run you off the road into an early grave.
#1 Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered
- Developer: Criterion Games, Stellar Entertainment
- Publisher: EA
- Released: 2010, 2020 (remastered)
So far, we’ve covered how annoyed the police get if you run pedestrians over, how they’ll chase players across states if need be, and how they’ll run them off the road without a thought. Now, for the second time, we’ll look at being the police and getting revenge. Cole Phelps did the minimum to lessen casualties, whereas in Hot Pursuit, anything goes.
Rather than just dabbling as police, however, Hot Pursuit puts as much emphasis on them as the racers. The high-performance cars have speed, but the law has force which players are encouraged to fully utilise in their hot pursuit of those dastardly racers. No holds barred is an oft-used phrase, but here, it’s very true. The spectacle, especially in the remaster, is one of greatness as the vehicular carnage flies on screen.
