Midnight Club is similar to the Midtown Madness series (previously developed by Angel Studios), with a focus on competitive street racing in open world urban environments.

Throughout the series, players race through condensed depictions of New York City, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit.

It is also the first game in the series to feature licensed vehicles and allow players to customize their cars and bikes with performance and visual upgrades.

The name derived from a partnership between Rockstar and DUB Magazine, which features heavily in the game in the form of DUB-sponsored races and DUB-customized vehicles.

Licensed cars and bikes return, including new models and brands such as Ford and Mazda, which were not seen in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.

In January 2010, Rockstar had stalled plans for a future Midnight Club installment, and the development team was slowly dismantled.