The player pilots a futuristic vehicle which can exceed 900 mph, through various tunnels and courses with changing environments, hazards and enemies.

Runner uses polygonal graphics for the vehicles and track, and is based on an evolution of Atari's Hard Drivin' hardware.

The final goal is to reach the "Ultimate Challenge", an endless race filled with surprises, where the player must simply get as far as possible in the allotted time.

Markers on the Ultimate Challenge course show the names of the five players who have traveled the farthest, who are tracked independently of the game's traditional high score table.

[5][failed verification] The Lynx version was programmed by D. Scott Williamson, an employee of Atari who went on to form the development group Solid Software.