Need for Speed: Underground is a 2003 racing video game and the seventh installment in the Need for Speed series. It was developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. Three different versions of the game were produced: one for consoles and Microsoft Windows, and another for the Game Boy Advance. An arcade version was additionally developed by Global VR, and was published by Konami with assistance from Electronic Arts.

Underground rebooted the franchise, ignoring previous Need for Speed games that featured sports cars and exotics. It was the first game in the series to offer a career mode that features a comprehensive storyline, and a garage mode that allowed players to fully customize their cars with a large variety of brand-name performance and visual upgrades. All races take place in the fictional Olympic City. Rather than exotic cars, Underground featured vehicles associated with the import scene.

Underground was critically and commercially successful, and was followed by Need for Speed: Underground 2 in 2004.

The player begins the game in a circuit race set in Olympic City, driving a white Honda/Acura Integra Type R that sports a unique set of vinyls and a wide body kit. They dominantly win the race; only to be awakened from a daydream by a woman named Samantha.

Samantha is the player's contact in Olympic City, touring him across the import culture scene and illegal street racing therein. She helps the player buy their first car, although later pokes fun at the player's choices regardless of their preference, saying "ouch, that's seriously weak, dude". She kickstarts the player by introducing them to local street racers such as Jose (who offers Circuit events), Klutch (who offers Drag events) and Dirt (who offers Drift events). In event #7, she introduces him to T.J., a mechanic who rewards him with numerous performance upgrades and parts, provided he wins his time trials challenges. Samantha also issues time trials to the player, her rewards being unique visual modifications instead.

Eventually, the player draws the attention of The Eastsiders, after racing their members Chad, Kurt and Todd to climb up the racing ranking boards. Eddie, the leader of the gang and his girlfriend Melissa take notice of the player. Eddie is the current best underground racer in Olympic City - unimpressed by the player, he insults them for their racing skills, going as far as demanding they "take a taxi home so that he can get home faster" while throwing cash in front, and signaling for a taxi cab to pick up the player in an event.

In time, the player develops too much reputation and hype to be ignored by Eddie, who proceeds to challenge them into racing Samantha in order to continue upward in the ranking boards. She gets infuriated upon the player's acceptance and loses after she totals the engine of her Honda Civic Si during the race. Her car is taken by T.J. for himself thereafter. Deeply saddened by the player's willingness to race her and the loss of her car to T.J., Samantha distances herself from the player, but he continues receiving race offers nonetheless.

Building up to the endgame, the player faces and defeats Chad, Kurt, Todd and Dirt for the #1 rank of their respective boards, then faces T.J in Samantha's vandalized Civic in a pink slip race. He wins the car back and returns it back to Samantha, rekindling their friendship. Samantha rewards the player with a unique body kit choice.

Eddie then challenges the player to a sprint race and loses; before the player's crew are able to celebrate, an unidentified racer in a grey Nissan 350Z challenges the player to a final 6-lap circuit race. The player accepts their challenge and wins, solidifying their status as the best underground racer in Olympic City. As the player's crew celebrates their victory, the driver of the 350Z is revealed to be Melissa.