California Speed has players race against other players and multiple computer-controlled opponents on point-to-point races set in many cities and rural areas across the state of California. Players can race with several different cars,[2] with automatic or manual transmissions. Courses include "civilian" traffic and other hazards that must be avoided, and provide opportunity to perform stunts such as flips and wheelies. The gameplay has been compared to that of the contemporaneous Cruis'n series co-produced by Nintendo and Midway's Chicago studios.