The gameplay revolves around Marcus' daily life as a street-level cop, where he has to deal with various tasks such as stopping street fights, defusing bombs, frisking people on the street, and issuing tickets to speeders. Players also have the option to engage in corrupt activities, such as extortion, planting evidence, or acquiring illegal weapons.
With nearly every building in New York City accessible to Marcus, players have a great deal of freedom to choose how they want to rule the city. Will they be a beacon of morals or a shady figure in the underworld? The choice is up to the player.