It features one of the first 3D polygon driving environments[6] via a simulator cabinet with a haptic vibrating steering wheel and a custom rendering architecture.

[7] Players drive a sports car in a first-person perspective, navigating one to two laps around a stunt track for their best time while avoiding hazards such as vehicles and obstacles.

The player's driving progress is tracked by invisible waypoints, denoted by flags on the course map when the game ends due to time running out.

Development of the 3D computer graphics arcade hardware that was eventually used for Hard Drivin' began in the mid-1980s, several years before the game was released.

After Atari and Namco separated, each company developed its own arcade system in the late 1980s, based on the same prototype.

[7] The engine, transmission control, suspension, and tire physics were modeled in conjunction with Doug Milliken who co-authored the book Race Car Vehicle Dynamics, and is listed as a test driver in the game credits.

[1] In Japan, Game Machine listed Hard Drivin' in its June 1, 1989, issue as the second most successful upright/cockpit arcade cabinet of the month.

[23] Nick Kelly of Commodore User reviewed the arcade version and said: "Hard Drivin' is exactly what its name suggests — difficult.

[5] Zzap!64 magazine regarded the Commodore 64 port as one of the worst C64 games of all time—criticizing the monochrome graphics, painful slowdown, and the lack of instant replays in the other 8-bit conversions.