Need for Speed: Undercover is the 12th installment of the series and puts the player in the shoes of an undercover cop who needs to infiltrate and destroy an international crime syndicate by getting to their leader - a man crazy behind the wheel and a very fast driver. So the player enters the city with the goal to earn enough reputation and respect in the syndicate to get to him.
The gameplay revolves around freely roaming the big city in his cars and accepting missions at every corner. These range from simple races to Destroy as much as possible-inspired goals. A completely new mode is the Highway Battle, where the player needs to put 300 meters between him and his opponent with the main enemy being the incoming rush hour traffic. Other missions require the player to bring a specific car in the best possible condition to a garage.
The player's life as an undercover cop becomes more difficult as the wanted level of the car increases, with police always watching his every move. Successful races not only earn the player reputation to unlock new challenges and new parts of the city but also bring cash which can be invested in new cars or in the tuning of old ones. Additionally, one of the ten stats of the character automatically advances granting him more money for a win or increasing his ability to brake.
Need for Speed: Undercover was released on the Xbox 360 console on November 21st, 2008.