Burnout Paradise has undergone significant changes since its initial release. These have been implemented through several free patches and downloadable packs. The first major update, codenamed "Bogart", fixed several glitches and was released on April 24, 2008.

The "Cagney" update was released on schedule on July 10, 2008 for PlayStation 3 and on August 4, 2008 for the Xbox 360. The update introduces three new Freeburn multiplayer modes: Online Stunt Run, Marked Man and Road Rage. Online Stunt Run involves up to 8 players who simultaneously compete for the highest stunt score within 2 minutes. Road Rage features two teams; one must race to a checkpoint while the others tries to stop them through takedowns. Marked Man is like a game of tag, with one player as the Marked Man who cannot see the other players and has no boost. In addition there are 70 new online challenges. These new challenges are different from Free Burn challenges, being timed. Timed challenges start once all players gather at a point of interest. The players then must all complete an objective within a certain time, such as jumping a ramp. "Gagney" also brought custom soundtracks and 1080i support to the PlayStation 3 version.

Although initially excluded, Paradise was updated to add time-of-day as well as motorcycles. On April 23, 2008 it was announced that motorbikes and night-day cycles would appear in the Bikes Pack (originally codenamed the "Davis" update), along with tailored locations, challenges and game modes. Criterion Games announced on August 5, 2008 that the update would also feature a new dynamic weather system, two starter bikes in the player's junkyard, 70 new bike-only challenges, and special "Midnight Rides" challenges that appear only at night. The Bikes pack was released on September 18, 2008 on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

On September 25, 2008 another update was made available which introduced support for the PlayStation 3 trophies system. Criterion Games originally stated that the trophies could be awarded retroactively to players who had already made certain achievements. However when the update was released they stated that this had proved to be impossible and that users would have to start a new game in order to achieve some of the goals. On February 5, 2009, Criterion released the free 1.6 update, which includes the addition of an in-game browser for the PC and PlayStation 3 versions, which gives users access to the Criterion Games Network. An in-game store was also added to all versions which allows users to purchase content from within the game.

Paid content

In addition to the free updates, Criterion has released several optional, premium packs that add content like new cars, areas and modes. The first update was announced as the "Burnout Party Pack" and launched on February 5, 2009 in North America and the United Kingdom. It focuses on single-console multiplayer gameplay, which offers a Freeburn Challenge-like setting but for players on the same console, who pass a single controller between players to complete challenges. The challenges are split into 'Speed', 'Stunt' and 'Skill' with up to 8 rounds and up to 8 players can play at once. Criterion in addition also announced the combo pack "Burnout Paradise - The Ultimate Box" that launched around the same time which contains the original game, plus the Cagney, Bikes, Party pack and Update pack all in the same package which contained "a mountain of new refinements".

On November 7, 2008 Criterion announced the first premium content pack called "Legendary Cars". The pack features four cars inspired by famous vehicles from film and television. The Jansen P12 88 Special (based on the DeLorean from the Back to the Future films), the Hunter Manhattan Spirit (based on the Ecto-1 from the Ghostbusters films) the Carson GT Nighthawk (based on KITT from the television series, Knight Rider), and the Hunter Cavalry Bootlegger is (based on The General Lee from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard). The Legendary Cars pack was released on February 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, and later in 2009 for the PC.

On March 5, 2009, Criterion announced the release of the "Toy Cars" pack. It features a collection of new vehicles designed with a "toy car" aesthetic, although modelled as full-size cars. The Toy Cars pack has been released in three packs. The full pack offers all toy cars along with the Nakamura Firehawk; a toy motorcycle, while the others split the content into two parts, minus the Firehawk.

On March 12, 2009, the "Boost Specials" pack was released. It featured two cars: the Carson Extreme Hotrod and the Montgomery Hawker Mech. The Carson was described as the fastest car in the game and featured a 'locked' boost; the car continues to boost until it is brought to a stop in any manner. The vehicle dynamics system were rewired so that the Carson performs more realistically than any other car in the game. The Montgomery Hawker Mech also featured a unique boost system, which allows the player to willingly switch between the three different boost types at the touch of a button.

On February 6, 2009, via the Criterion Games Network, Criterion announced the "Cops & Robbers" pack, which was released April 30, 2009 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The content does not involve AI Police patrol cars but instead borrows from the Cops and Robbers modes of older Burnout games, notably Burnout 2: Point of Impact. Players are split into teams, the Cops and the Robbers. Teams attempt to return gold bars to their respective bases to score points. Every Paradise car (except Carbon and Premium DLC cars) receives a Police livery with the content.

Originally announced as the "Eastwood pack coming in Fall 2008", the expansion known as "Big Surf Island" was released June 11, 2009. Design for the island was guided by the principle of "If you can see it, you can drive it". The island puts emphasis on the playground aspect of Burnout. The developers mentioned that in their telemetry they noticed that players congregate in areas of Paradise City that lend themselves to stunt-driving, and so the idea was to create an entire island to accommodate player desire. Big Surf Island also features new vehicles, which includes the Carson Dust Storm buggy, a car tailor-made for stunts. In addition to the Dust Storm buggy two specially featured cars, the Hunter Olympus "Governor" and the Carson Annihilator Street Rod are also included. The unlockable cars also include toy versions of all four "Legendary Cars" pack vehicles and a special Jansen P12 Diamond awarded once all 500 freeburn challenges were completed. It features several new events, billboards, smash gates, and mega jumps. New Trophies and Achievements were also added along with a new 'Big Surf Island License' to obtain.