The player takes the role of Kyle Travers, an underground pit fighter and brother of Cody Travers from the original Final Fight series. Cody has been kidnapped and, as a new drug plunges modern day Metro City into chaos, Kyle must rescue his older brother.

The game itself is non-linear 3D beat-em-up. Unlike the previous games, players can interact with NPCs as well as pursue new side missions. An all-new combo system has also been incorporated in which the player can buy new moves to expand Kyle's moveset as the game progresses. Like the previous games, players can pick up various objects like pool cues, shotguns, and lead pipes to use in combat.