For a current-stage hidden race, follow its SMS region clue and look for the event in free roam. To recover missed races from an earlier completed stage, use Garage > World Map. On PC, oldman777's Show All Hidden Races script offers a third route: reveal the 33 targeted events on the map instead of guessing their street positions. Choose the method below that fits your save and platform.
PC option: reveal the author's complete 33-event set
Show All Hidden Races by oldman777 includes 33 event edits: one intro Circuit, four Stage 2 events, eight Stage 3 events, ten Stage 4 events and ten Stage 5 events. Its script sets IsHiddenEvent to False and increases each stage's per-type map display limits to eight. You need Binary, the author's linked requirement. Before changing files, locate and back up your profile using the save-location guide. This is an author-provided reveal method, not a new street-coordinate list or a console solution.
- Close the game. Back up your career saves and the installation's GLOBAL folder, especially GLOBALA.BUN and GLOBALB.LZC; the installer lists those files and the event edits target GLOBALB.LZC. Use the save-location guide if you need help locating your profile.
- Download the script ZIP from oldman777's NFSMods page and extract it with its MOD subfolder intact. Download Binary from the author's linked requirement, NFSMods mod 1638.
- Follow the author's instructions: open Binary v2.8.3, select User Mode, and select Show All Hidden Races.end. Do not select MOD/AllHidden.end as the entry script.
- Select your Underground 2 installation directory and save when Binary asks. These steps modify local game data; they are not instructions to import or replace your save.
- Open your career and check the currently available map events against the stage checklist below. The script reveals hidden flags; it does not establish that future-stage events or completed events will all be selectable at once.
- If events do not appear or your modded setup behaves differently, stop and restore the backed-up GLOBAL folder. Keep your save backup too. The author-page comments include an unresolved UG2.net compatibility report, so do not assume compatibility with every overhaul.
NFSU2.net read the author page, README and installer script; it did not install or play-test the mod. The author claims compatibility with existing mods, but this guide does not treat that as a tested guarantee. You can instead keep an unmodified game and use the SMS or completed-stage replay methods below.
Stage 1-5 search and recovery checklist
| Career point | During the stage | After advancing |
|---|---|---|
| Intro / Stage 1 | Before returning Rachel's 350Z, use the Fort Union Square alley route below for the author's one intro Circuit (STAGE_0). After choosing your own car, the Stadium Drift and Scenic Ride routes below provide early-career examples; they are not extra Stage 1 IDs in the 33-event script. | Check the earliest completed-stage entries in the garage World Map rather than looking for an internal ID on the street map. |
| Stage 2: four script targets | Follow the current SMS area clue, or use the PC reveal method. Check Circuit, Drag, Sprint and STREET targets; opening Beacon Hill does not mean all four events are there. | Review uncompleted Stage 2 events in Garage > World Map. |
| Stage 3: eight script targets | Check one Circuit, two Drag, two Drift, one Sprint and two STREET targets. Search the area named in the message, not only the newly opened Jackson Heights roads. | Review the completed Stage 3 list by event type, including both Drag and both Drift entries. |
| Stage 4: ten script targets | Check two targets of each type: Circuit, Drag, Drift, Sprint and STREET. Use the SMS clue or PC map reveal; the Observatory tip below does not establish a specific Stage 4 event. | Review uncompleted Stage 4 entries in the garage map. |
| Stage 5: ten script targets | Again check two targets per type. Follow the active message or revealed map marker; a Stage 4 location is not proof of a Stage 5 trigger. | Use the final-stage list if your completed save exposes it. Completed-stage replay is not a guarantee that every final-stage entry is available before finishing. |
Recover a missed race through the garage
- Return to your Garage and open the career World Map, not the map opened while driving.
- Choose a stage already completed and inspect its uncompleted races. EvilGames explicitly describes this method for completed stages.
- Select the race and start it. EvilGames and Ludo Part 4 say garage-entered races normally do not pay a purse; for a previously uncompleted event, pause and restart once before winning to obtain the free-roam reward behavior they describe.
- If the current-stage event is absent, return to free roam and follow its SMS clue, or use the optional PC reveal method. For a progression block, check the sponsor and DVD requirements on the career-stages page.
| Game stage cross-reference | Event types and IDs in the author script | What this establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Intro / Stage 1 (script ID uses `STAGE_0`) | 1 circuit: `STAGE_0_CIRCUIT_0` | IGN describes one early hidden circuit before returning Rachel's 350Z; NFSMods' script labels its target Stage 0. This is an index-name cross-reference, not a claim that the game's career UI calls the intro Stage 0. |
| Stage 2 | 4: `S2_H_CIRCUIT_6`; `S2_H_DRAG_3`; `S2_H_SPRINT_5`; `S2_H_STREET_5` | Four targets in the mod script; internal IDs do not provide road directions or rewards. |
| Stage 3 | 8: `S3_H_CIRCUIT_13`; `S3_H_DRAG_6`, `S3_H_DRAG_8`; `S3_H_DRIFT_8`, `S3_H_DRIFT_11`; `S3_H_SPRINT_10`; `S3_H_STREET_7`, `S3_H_STREET_10` | Eight targets in the mod script; event-type names follow the ID fields. |
| Stage 4 | 10: `S4_H_CIRCUIT_14`, `S4_H_CIRCUIT_23`; `S4_H_DRAG_15`, `S4_H_DRAG_17`; `S4_H_DRIFT_13`, `S4_H_DRIFT_17`; `S4_H_SPRINT_13`, `S4_H_SPRINT_19`; `S4_H_STREET_13`, `S4_H_STREET_17` | Ten targets in the mod script; the source does not reveal their street positions. |
| Stage 5 | 10: `S5_H_CIRCUIT_32`, `S5_H_CIRCUIT_35`; `S5_H_DRAG_21`, `S5_H_DRAG_24`; `S5_H_DRIFT_20`, `S5_H_DRIFT_24`; `S5_H_SPRINT_20`, `S5_H_SPRINT_28`; `S5_H_STREET_20`, `S5_H_STREET_26` | Ten targets in the mod script; the source does not reveal their street positions. |
The counts above are an author-script inventory, not an in-game completion audit. The IDs do not disclose street coordinates, message order, rewards, or whether every target is available on every regional build. Do not use them as a substitute for a stage-by-stage route guide.
What the sources actually say
There are two different map views in the guides: Ludo Part 3 says the on-road World Map shows known races, not hidden ones; Part 4 says the Garage's career World Map lists hidden/unentered races. EvilGames specifically describes using it for races from completed stages. These accounts do not establish the same availability rule, so use the Garage list as the guide describes it but do not assume every current-stage event is always selectable. Later hidden races are also reported as SMS prompts, with examples such as an Observatory fire road. These are guide/player reports, not a test by this site. District progression is summarized on the map page.
| Example | Directions stated by the guide | Evidence limit |
|---|---|---|
| Intro hidden Circuit near Fort Union Square | IGN's PS2 guide: after the two minimap races and before returning Rachel's car, find the Fort Union Square sign; take the first street right, then left into an alley. | One console-guide example; no coordinates or reward listed. |
| Stadium Drift 1 | Ludo Part 11: from the Car Lot go west; take the left into the shortcut on the right to reach the hidden Drift event. | The guide supplies a walkthrough route and $250 purse, not a map coordinate. |
| Scenic Ride hidden Circuit | Ludo Part 11: after the Stadium Drift route, follow the shortcut to the street, go northeast and take the first left; after the Megalow-area turn sequence, look to the left of the first right-hand road. | Guide prose only; not independently retraced in-game for this page. |
| Observatory fire road | GameFAQs players identify the little fire road by the Observatory as a later-stage example. | Player report; the exact trigger, stage, and reward need independent checking. |
Search a current-stage SMS
- Check the active stage and sponsor contract requirements in the career menu.
- Use incoming SMS as a trigger clue; the cited reports describe later hidden races as message prompts.
- Check the Garage's career World Map for hidden/unentered events; the guide descriptions differ about whether availability is limited to completed stages, so confirm the event appears in your save.
- Match any walkthrough route to its stated stage and event name; do not infer a street location from an unlabeled clip.
What is and is not located here
The optional PC script supplies an executable way to reveal its full 33-event set; the original-game methods cover SMS searches and completed-stage replay. The written routes above locate individual published examples. A complete unmodified-game, turn-by-turn route and reward table for all five stages is not established by these sources, and internal IDs alone do not supply it.
Continue with Stage gates.
Questions people ask
Are hidden races the yellow shop dots?
No. Yellow points identify Car Specialties shops, not every shop type. Hidden races are separate event triggers: use the race message and event type rather than a yellow shop dot.
Can I drive to the icon?
Distinguish the on-road World Map/radar from the Garage's career World Map. Ludo says the on-road map shows known races, not hidden ones; its Garage section says hidden races can be selected there. EvilGames specifically describes revisiting races in completed stages. The guides do not establish one universal stage-availability rule.
Why can't I find stage 4 or 5 races?
GameFAQs threads describe them as SMS-triggered, with examples like the observatory fire road. If the message has not arrived, the stage may be the blocker.
Can the World Map start a hidden race from the current stage?
The walkthrough evidence checked here specifically describes using the garage World Map for hidden or missed races from stages already completed. Do not treat it as proof that every current-stage hidden race is immediately selectable.
Sources checked 2026-10-24
- oldman777: original installer ZIP, README and 33-event script — accessed 2026-10-24
- Ludo NFSU2 guide — accessed 2026-10-23
- Ludo: World Map and SMS — accessed 2026-10-23
- Ludo: Garage World Map and sponsor requirements — accessed 2026-10-23
- GameFAQs: stage 4 and 5 hidden races — accessed 2026-10-23
- Fandom: Bayview — accessed 2026-10-23
- NFSMods: Show All Hidden Races (author script and stage IDs) — accessed 2026-10-23
- EvilGames: NFSU2 guide (World Map limitation) — accessed 2026-10-23
- IGN: PS2 hidden-event route example — accessed 2026-10-23
Checked on 2026-10-23. Prices, player counts, and store listings are snapshots from that date.