Bally/Midway's classic top-down car combat game gets a 3D face-lift with SpyHunter for next-generation consoles. Players once again drive through deadly streets behind the wheel of a gadget-equipped super car known as the G-6155 Interceptor. Familiar elements include a Weapons Van that outfits the car with the latest in high-tech weaponry, the return of enemy vehicles "The Enforcer" and "Mad Bomber," and Henry Mancini's classic Peter Gunn theme, re-recorded by rock group Saliva.

Players will also be able to use machine guns and missiles on offense as well as oil slicks and smoke screens on defense to elude enemies in pursuit. New weapons include flamethrowers, which leave behind two streaks of fire, a rail gun, and an EMP gun, which instantly shuts down electrical equipment, such as bombs. Another new feature is the game's more structured design, consisting of a series of missions with multiple objectives instead of the unending play found in the 1983 original.

Missions are divided into two objectives: Primary and Secondary. Completing the primary objectives allows players to advance to the next mission, while secondary objectives help unlock additional missions. Goals typically involve destroying a certain number of targets and reaching a destination within a specific amount of time. To help complete certain missions, the G-6155 can transform into a motorcycle, watercraft, or speedboat with a press of a button.

Three multiplayer modes allow two players to compete against each other on a split-screen: Head to Head, Globe Trotter, and Chicken Hunter. All involve racing from point A to point B as quickly as possible, but the latter two modes challenge players to collect items called SATCOMs or run down chickens to earn more points than their opponent. The GameCube version includes Saliva's "The Spy Hunter Theme" music video.