Wangan Midnight is a racing game based on the Wangan Midnight manga. In the main Story mode, the game weaves together races based on the manga's plot. It follows the life of young racer Akio Asakura, his rivals, and his love interest. All the street races take place in Tokyo with licensed cars from manufacturers Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, RUF, Subaru, and Toyota. Akio's story is one of ten available scenarios, including two at the start and eight unlocked gradually.
The game modes include Time Attack for time trials, Free Run where you can drive anywhere on the Shuto Expressway, One Match for a quick race against another character, and Wangan Connection for online multiplayer up to four players. Two additional modes can be unlocked later: Maximum Speed and Survival. In Survival mode, you must beat a set number of rivals without losing.
Several characters and cars can be unlocked from the manga as well as from Genki's Tokyo Xtreme Racer Shutokō Battle series. Cars have customization options tied to a card system used to tune the car and unlock additional vehicles, game modes, and character scenarios. The Ability cards provide customization in five types: Body, Engine Resistance, Miscellaneous, Setting, and Tuner. There are 128 cars to collect, with upgraded parts provided through the cards and cosmetic tuning allowing you to alter your vehicle's appearance.