Before discussing the compressed file, let’s acknowledge why people are still searching for this game nearly two decades later.
Even if the file is clean and installs correctly, users often face technical issues with highly compressed versions: nfs carbon highly compressed 500mb updated
While the original game is no longer for sale digitally, "Updated" versions often bundle community fixes to keep it running on modern hardware: Before discussing the compressed file
if you want to relive the canyon battles on a cheap laptop, a Steam Deck, or an old office PC with only 2GB of RAM. a Steam Deck