Need for Speed Payback hasn't enjoyed the most positive response since its November release, owing to a pretty far-reaching set of flaws that range from an iffy story to a questionable microtransaction-ed progression system (that's already been altered). But EA are promising a free update featuring one of the community's most requested features.
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Online free roam is coming to the game this year, free to everyone who owns Payback.
Online Free Roam coming 2018, Happy New Year from everyone at Need for Speed! pic.twitter.com/Ht8cRsvQQA
— Need for Speed (@NeedforSpeed) January 1, 2018
A multiplayer free roam option has been a staple of open world racers since the days of Burnout Paradise, but Payback's offering in that regard is currently limited to driving around with friends while waiting for a race lobby to fill up. This should provide a more robust option for any car related shenanigans you'd want to get up to with friends or strangers.
That won't fix the game's more fundamental issues, but it's scarcely worth complaining about a free update. On Reddit, Ghost Games confirm that the mode has already been in development, and that the "date will come when we're 100% certain."