Midtown Madness is distinct from other racing games of its time, especially those influenced by the Need for Speed series, in providing an open environment rather than a closed circuit.[1] Project director Clinton Keith said that an open world makes the gameplay more diverse and adds "element[s] of discovery" such as finding shortcuts.[1] Gary Whitta described the game as open world racing. "[Y]ou still have checkpoints to hit, [but] you don't have to follow the A-B-C-D standard to do it."[2]