DriveClub is a road racing game that combines offline and online racing with a global experience level for both. The game's focus is on forming an online racing club with up to six racers in total. Each club member can race with a different car, but they can share emblems and decorations to distinguish themselves as a club.
The gameplay mixes arcade elements with simulation, as players are rewarded for being patient, learning corners and takeover opportunities, and following the ideal racing line. However, bumping into other cars and cutting them off is also possible. Next to the offline single races against AI-controlled cars there is a single-player tour. It is a campaign with about fifty events divided over five levels unlocked gradually by completing challenges and earning stars by reaching a top place, doing a cornering challenge, maintaining a certain average speed or beating a certain time.
The game features licensed cars divided into five classes: Hot Hatches, Sports, Performance, Super and Hyper. Cars are unlocked gradually by reaching a new driver level. They are based on four main statistics: acceleration, top speed, handling and drifting, but tuning is not possible except for determining the colour, coating and manual or automatic transmission. The tracks are inspired by locations around the world and generally there are three types of events: time trials, regular track races and drifting challenges.