Need for Speed Heat (stylised as NFS Heat) is a 2019 racing video game developed by Ghost Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It is the twenty-fourth installment in the Need for Speed series and commemorates the series' 25th anniversary. Set in Palm City, a fictionalised version of Miami, Florida, the game's single-player campaign revolves around the player character partaking in the "Speedhunters Showdown", an exhibition held in the city that promotes legal street racing, while getting involved with siblings Lucas and Ana Rivera as they interact with the city's police force, led by authority figure Lt. Frank Mercer.

Heat received mixed reviews from critics, who mostly found the game to be an improvement over the 2015 reboot and Payback, but not enough to be a full return-to-form for the franchise. It would be Ghost Games' final entry; both for the Need for Speed franchise, and as a head studio. In February 2020, EA shifted development of the franchise back to Criterion Games (the developers of the Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted revivals). Ghost Games would be reverted back to their previous name of EA Gothenburg, and became an engineering studio for the Frostbite engine.

Heat would be succeeded by Need for Speed Unbound, which was released in December 2022.

Need for Speed Heat is a racing game set in an open world environment called Palm City, a fictionalised version of Miami, Florida, and its surrounding areas. However, the in-game map features diverse geography, including mountainous areas, dense forests, and open fields. The game can be played offline, which features a single-player storyline. Unlike Need for Speed Payback, the game does not include a 24-hour day-night cycle, but players can switch between day and night. During the day, players can take part in sanctioned race events, which reward players with cash to spend on new cars and upgrades. During the night, players can take part in illicit street racing, which rewards REP. Players can smash neon flamingos hidden within the map, which rewards them with a small amount of money or rep depending on the time of day. They can also find graffiti, referred to as "Street Art" in the game, and send it to the livery editor to use it on their cars. Lastly, they can complete activities around the open world such as smashing billboards, beating scores on drift zones, getting the highest speeds passing through speed traps, and going the longest distances when performing long jumps. Players may complete "Crew Time Trials" which allows them to complete short timed events in an attempt to get the #1 spot on the leaderboard in their crew.

Racing during the night will attract the attention of a rogue police task force that patrols the streets of Palm City, who are tasked with shutting down street racing in the city, which can lead players to risk their earned rep against the police or lose their earnings in handcuffs. Pursuits in Palm City can take place during day or night, but the PCPD's response to a pursuit differs depending on the time period. Additionally, their response will increase the higher the heat level, with faster cars, spike strips, roadblocks, killswitches, helicopters, and armored vehicles appearing in higher levels. Players earn rep from participating in pursuits, with greater amounts offered during night than day. Each heat level also equates to the amount a player's earned rep for a current night session will be multiplied by, should they successfully reach a safehouse or garage. The player is busted when the driver stops and is close to a PCPD unit for a certain amount of time, is completely immobilised during a pursuit, or has depleted their strength bar. Players busted by the PCPD will not have an impound strike applied to their vehicle or any other form of marks that would result in them losing their vehicle, unlike the system used in Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005). Being busted will reward the player with any rep they have earned during the current night session, but will not be multiplied based on their heat level. They will also have to pay a fine using bank and have their current night session consequently concluded.

The game features 127 cars from 33 manufacturers, with Ferrari returning after being absent from Payback due to licensing issues. The ability to swap engines from other cars has been added, which increase the car's performance. After criticism of Payback's upgrade system, which revolved around loot boxes, EA revealed those would not be included in the game; they are unlocked by earning REP and winning races. The only pieces of downloadable content that was released for the game was a time saver pack, which reveals collectibles on the map, and the McLaren F1 as a downloadable car.

Ahead of the game's release, Electronic Arts released the NFS Heat Studio app for iOS and Android devices. Users can collect and customise their cars which can be imported into the main game upon release. The app would eventually be retired and removed from the iOS and Android app stores.

The game added feature support for cross-platform play starting in June 2020 as part of the game's final patch.