Set in the fictional Metro City, the player controls one of three characters—former pro wrestler and newly elected mayor Mike Haggar, his daughter's boyfriend Cody, and Cody's best friend Guy—as they set out to defeat the Mad Gear gang and rescue Haggar's young daughter Jessica.

Set in the fictional Metro City, the player controls one of three characters—former pro wrestler and newly elected mayor Mike Haggar, his daughter's boyfriend Cody, and Cody's best friend Guy—as they set out to defeat the Mad Gear gang and rescue Haggar's young daughter Jessica.