The game's tracks combine both road and off-road surfaces and can be played in different weather conditions, including night, fog, rain, and snow.

The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the technical aspects of its graphics and its fluid yet challenging gameplay.

Top Gear Rally is a racing game where players must drive cars on tracks that combine both road and off-road surfaces.

[1] Tracks are relatively open and may include hidden shortcuts,[2] and each of them can be played in sunny, nocturnal, foggy, rainy, or snowy conditions.

[3][4] Before starting a race, players can custom paint their car, select different tire grips, adjust the suspension stiffness and steering sensitivity, and choose either a manual or automatic transmission.

[8] Although the demonstration was developed on Silicon Graphics workstations that were more powerful than the Nintendo 64 and included vehicles that were modeled in 15,000 polygons, Boss was confident that their finished game would be very similar, stating that technical aspects such as lighting effects could be ported easily.

[9] Boss spent between two and three months developing the programming tools for the game, including a physics engine with a functioning suspension that reacts to a variety of challenging terrain.

[9][11] A level editor, which would let players create their own tracks, and a Battle Mode similar to the combat-based races of Super Mario Kart, were originally planned to be included in the game.

[11] Top Gear Rally was presented at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Atlanta in June, where attendees could play a demo.

[19] Top Gear Rally received generally positive reviews from critics,[20] who considered it superior to MRC: Multi-Racing Championship—another Nintendo 64 game that shares similar features.

[24] In a less positive review, GameSpot felt that the game was too realistic and may frustrate players, but praised the graphics, physics, and track design.

[4][6][10][23][25] GameSpot remarked that "backgrounds and foregrounds seamlessly blend in an effect that's nearly photorealistic" and that the game's high frame rate "creates an impressive illusion of speed".

[3][6][10] The music and sound effects were considered weak,[1][6][10] with Nintendo Power stating that the soundtrack does not suit the game's fast pace.

[7] Many critics agreed that, although the Championship mode starts off slow and the controls require some practice, the game gradually becomes more fun and challenging as players unlock more powerful cars.

[28] Unlike the Nintendo 64 version, Boss Rally features three more cars and an additional track, and comprises three gameplay modes: Championship, Time Attack, and Quick Race.