Electronic Arts has confirmed that Need for Speed: Rivals will lose its multiplayer functionality on October 7, 2025. The update was first flagged by Delisted Games after fans noticed the title listed on EA’s official service termination roster.

Originally released in November 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, the game later arrived on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in late 2014. The shutdown specifically targets these last-gen consoles and their backward-compatible successors (PS5, Xbox Series X/S), cutting access to all online features post-October 2025.

While multiplayer remains a key attraction for racing titles, Rivals retains an offline campaign for solo play. This contrasts sharply with titles like Anthem—a live-service game EA plans to disable entirely in 2026—leaving players with no way to experience purchased content.

Such closures have fueled debates around digital ownership, championed by the Stop Killing Games initiative. The movement, now backed by over 1 million supporters, seeks legal safeguards against publishers revoking access to purchased games. Major studios counter that stricter regulations would inflate development costs for online titles.

Minecraft’s Markus “Notch” Persson recently criticized the industry’s licensing model, stating, “If owning a game isn’t truly ownership, then piracy ceases to be theft.” His remarks highlight growing frustration over publishers treating purchases as revocable subscriptions rather than permanent acquisitions.