The world has gone up in flames, and Mad Max must survive this new apocalyptic land. With an intro taken from the 1981 movie, players begin with a car and some gas and must navigate Max through six levels that include "road war" and "arena." Stages are cleared by eliminating enemies and finding keys to unlock new areas. In "road war" stages, players can find supplies in caves, blow up opposing cars with dynamite, and earn food and water to pay for an arena pass and vehicle modifications. In the "arena" stages, gamers must destroy a specified number of cars and find the exit before their gas runs out, which will end the game.