The game is set in a post-apocalyptic version of the United States and centres around a racing car driver on his quest to obtain the Eight Great Cups of Ultimate, which are scattered throughout the country.

[3] The game is presented in a top-down perspective and involves driving around America to collect the eight trophies whilst avoiding natural hazards and kamikaze cars, which attempt to crash into the player.

The overworld has an invisible border which causes the player's car to reverse automatically to ensure that they do not cross the game's boundaries.

Lane also added that the game did not reward the player enough for collecting all of the cups, displaying just a short congratulation message before inviting him or her to begin again.

[6] Tranz Am reached number one on the ZX Spectrum charts compiled by WHSmith replacing Ultimate's first game Jet Pac.