The demo for Criterion's Need for Speed Hot Pursuit launches on October 26 in North America for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Europe can expect the PS3 demo on October 27.

The demo will allow players to "chase as a cop in the Dark Horse Hot Pursuit event, speeding through the coastal highway and mountainous ridges of Seacrest County." Also featured in the trial is the game's internal social network feature, dubbed "Autolog," which allows players to constantly track and compete with their friends.

Downloading and playing the demo will also net players 500 bounty award points, which can be used to unlock events and vehicles in the full game.

According to the press release, the demo "ends" on November 9. It's unclear if this means the demo will no longer be available after this date, if the trial "Autolog" features will cease to function after November 9 or if the demo itself will stop working. Shacknews has contacted EA for clarification and to ask whether PC gamers should expect a demo to crash through their monitors anytime soon.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit will be released on November 16 in the US (November 19 in Europe) for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. A Wii version will also be released; however, it will not include an "Autolog" feature.