Aimed at a hardcore gamer-style audience, Shift reverts to the touring-car simulation style of its 2007 predecessor, NFS ProStreet. Although the gameplay of these two titles are similar, Shift recreates car handling much more realistic than ProStreet, and does not contain a story. Upon starting the career mode, the player must do a lap of the track to decide on car settings. Once completed, the player is welcomed to the 'NFS LiveWorld Series', and must earn stars in races to earn money, and unlock new races.
There are 60+ cars which are divided into 4 tiers. Tier 1 refers to average cars, tier 2 refers to performance cars, tier 3 refers to supercars like the Lamborghini Gallardo, and tier 4 refers to hypercars like the Bugatti Veyron. The car customization options include cosmetics as well as performance mods and is more in depth than previous games, affecting aspects such as alignment, aerodynamics, tires, brakes, differential, and gears. Nitrous is also an option for tuning, but different from previous Need for Speed games as it is simulated more realistically. There are body kits and weight reduction, which affect the aerodynamics. There are visual customization options like rims, vinyls and paints.
There are 19 tracks in total including real world circuits such as Brands Hatch, Nurburgring Nordschleife, Road America, Spa, Silverstone, Willow Springs, Donington Park and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
