Burnout is a street racing game focused around speed and crashing. Unlike many games which focus on closed course driving, you get to drive through cities with real traffic and city infrastructure. Designers have built an entire city and surrounding areas, and implement the race courses throughput the countie's streets. As a result, many times certain parts of race-courses interlace with other parts of other races. As well, instead of encouraging strategic driving and safe driving, Burnout strongly encourages offensive driving. Driving on the wrong side of the road, barely missing passing traffic, drifting, and jumps all add to your boost "burnout" meter. Speed boosts and jumps aid your attempt to dive past buses, trucks and anything else that gets in the way. The more offensive and dangerous your driving is, the more boost you get!

Burnout is a street racing game focused around speed and crashing. Unlike many games which focus on closed course driving, you get to drive through cities with real traffic and city infrastructure. Designers have built an entire city and surrounding areas, and implement the race courses throughput the countie's streets. As a result, many times certain parts of race-courses interlace with other parts of other races. As well, instead of encouraging strategic driving and safe driving, Burnout strongly encourages offensive driving. Driving on the wrong side of the road, barely missing passing traffic, drifting, and jumps all add to your boost "burnout" meter. Speed boosts and jumps aid your attempt to dive past buses, trucks and anything else that gets in the way. The more offensive and dangerous your driving is, the more boost you get!