Pickups can be found spread across various courses allowing players to obtain additional nitro boost and money which can be used towards upgrading the player’s vehicle.  Using the money earned from racing upgrades can be purchased to improve the player’s vehicle.  Upgrading the car’s engine will allow the vehicle to accelerate faster and reach higher speeds.  Upgrading the nitro makes nitro boosts stronger, upgrading the gearbox increases the car’s top speed and improves the car’s fuel economy while upgrading armor allows the car to take more damage.  The addition of weather elements forces players to change from dry to wet tires to be competitive.  Upgrading can be made to the tires to improve the vehicle’s traction and turning performance.

The objective of the game is to become the fastest driver in the world by racing other drivers across 16 territories (Australasia, Britain, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Scandinavia, South America, Spain, Switzerland and United States).  The game contains 64 tracks spanning the 16 territories, each of which contains four races.  Players earn points and money based on the position they finish each race which goes towards the territory’s overall ranking.  Players must be at the top of the territory’s leader board at the end of the four races in order to qualify to advance to the next territory.

The success of the game on the Super Nintendo spawned the creation of a port for the Sega Genesis and Amiga in 1994.  Gremlin Interactive decided to continue the series and developed a third game in the franchise.  Top Gear 3000 released for the Super Nintendo in 1995 turning the series into a trilogy.