The game is viewed from a third-person perspective behind the vehicle. Story missions involve tailing suspects, escaping police, protecting allies, delivering vehicles, and completing timed objectives across four cities.

Tanner can drive cars, trucks, buses, and other vehicles, leave his current vehicle, and commandeer another one. A separate Take a Ride mode provides free driving, while Checkpoint and Survival modes offer score-based challenges. Progression comes from completing the structured Chicago, Havana, Las Vegas, and Rio missions.

Learn each city before attempting difficult missions, especially routes with sharp turns, bridges, and narrow streets. Avoid unnecessary collisions during tailing missions, because losing the target is often more dangerous than driving slowly.

Use vehicle changes strategically. A damaged or slow car can usually be abandoned for a better nearby vehicle, but leaving the car at the wrong moment can fail an objective. In survival and checkpoint events, preserve speed through wide turns and use shortcuts only when they are already familiar.