In comparison to previous entries, there are several new and improved features, such as a prestigious car lineup, new control schemes, including the autopilot mode called "TouchDrive", allowing the player to select their route without actually steering the car, and race modes, and the "Adrenaline" nitro reimplemented as "nitro shockwave" (previously known as "nitro pulse") from Asphalt 6: Adrenaline (2010).

For each new star, the car's top speed, acceleration, handling, and nitro efficiency are increased.

Upon unlocking a car, the player is allowed to choose from a few official stock colors or designs.

Once the car has been starred up at least once, the player can create custom paint job colors to the body, rims, and brake calipers for most models.

Introduced in the 2019 Summer Update, several cars like the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 may also be customized with special tires, rims, and bodywork modifications, earned through rare 'customization packs'.

Also new to the series are "clubs", where up to 20 players can collaboratively score "reputation points" to acquire exclusive rewards.

The more reputation points the club scores, the better rewards, ranging from credits to blueprints for cars.

Drive Syndicate events have been subject to criticism due to their numerous paywalls and high requirements, having the player complete a series of missions to accumulate points towards the rewards track, which goes up to approximately one million points to unlock certain cars.

However, the events run on a separate "energy" system, which only allows players to play a certain number of races irrespective of the car's fuel.

A game mode titled "Takedown", restricted only to specific events, made its first appearance in Drive Syndicate 5.

Finally, a new Multiplayer gamemode called "Team Pursuit" was released shortly after the name change to Asphalt Legends Unite.

In Takedown, players drive police cars and are tasked with taking down racers from the Syndicate.

These police cars use a unique boost system, rather than the game's regular nitro, charging up on a timer and being used up all at once for a quick burst of acceleration.

The game features a number of race tracks set in new locations; Cairo (including Giza), the Himalayas, Wyoming (named U.S. Midwest), Scotland, the Caribbean, Osaka, Auckland (featuring race track-inspired aesthetics), Buenos Aires, Greenland, Tuscany and Norway.

It also brings back several locations from previous games in the series: San Francisco, Rome, Shanghai, New York, Nevada and Paris.

[3] The game was first released for iOS as a soft launch on February 26, 2018, in the Philippines, then in Thailand on March 22, 2018.

[12] However, Gameloft announced on July 16, 2024, that the Nintendo Switch version of Asphalt Legends Unite initially delayed due to unforeseen circumstances,[13] and later released on August 19, 2024.

[14] Asphalt 9 received positive reviews upon release, with the new graphics and visual design being almost unanimously praised as a major improvement over the series' predecessors, but there were mixed responses to the progression system, including its hostile monetization and “energy” systems.

"[18] Nick Tylwalk of Gamezebo also praised the graphics, but wrote that the "blueprint system can be a mixed bag and there are times when you feel stuck, progression-wise."

Vishal Mathur of News18 mentioned "every time you run a wheel off the road, the dust that gets thrown up is finely detailed.

This is slightly difficult, and we feel that element has been added to ensure that players remain active for longer on the game, in the pursuit of their favorite car.