Need for Speed: Undercover is a 2008 racing video game, and is the twelfth installment in the Need for Speed series. Developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts, it was released on November 18, 2008, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS,[4] and a number of mobile phone platforms.[5][6][7] An edition of the game for iOS was later released on April 27, 2009. The game sees players conducting illegal street races within the fictional Tri-City Area, with the main mode's story focused on the player operating as an undercover police officer to investigate links between a criminal syndicate, stolen cars, and street racers. Gameplay operates on the same manner as previous entries such as Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Need for Speed: Carbon, now including a larger selection of licensed real-world cars, and RPG-styled system in the game's main story mode. Upon its release, the game received mixed reviews, many of which criticized the game's difficulty, story, setting, and repetitive elements, with some editions receiving lower scores due to severe issues. It was later succeeded by Need for Speed: Shift in 2009, and Need for Speed: World in 2010. As of 2021, Undercover is no longer available for purchase in any online stores.