The introductory cut scene of the game details the game's plot. It begins with the Turtles watching a TV newscast on a Sunday evening, with April O'Neil reporting from Liberty Island. Suddenly, Krang flies in using a giant exosuit (seen occasionally in the animated series) and steals the Statue of Liberty, moments before Shredder hijacks the airwaves to laugh at the Turtles.

The Turtles jump into action in downtown New York and pursue the Foot to the streets and the city sewers (then to the Technodrome in the SNES version), where Shredder sends them through a time warp. The Turtles must fight Shredder's army in both the past and the future in order to get home.

The original music of the game's soundtrack was composed by Mutsuhiko Izumi a TMNT veteran who also composed the music for the previous arcade game in the series. It was arranged for the SNES version by Kazuhiko Uehara and Harumi Ueko, both of whom went on to produce several Konami games, including the following TMNT game, Tournament Fighters. In addition to an original musical score, the attract mode of the arcade game is noted for featuring the song "Pizza Power", which was taken from the TMNT live concert known as the Coming Out of Their Shells Tour. The game's music was released as part of the compilation album Konami All-Stars 1993 ~ Music Station of Dreams, published by King Records in 1992.

The 2005 version of the game included in Mutant Nightmare features new music and voices, updated to match the new TMNT series. The same would apply to Turtles In Time: Re-Shelled.

Super Nintendo

The Super NES version was retitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time in North America, Australia and Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles IV: Turtles in Time in Europe in order to tie it to the first three Ninja Turtles games for the NES, although the third NES game was never released in Europe; for the Japanese release, the game retained its original arcade title of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. Like the NES version of the first arcade game, the SNES version of Turtles in Time is not a direct port of the arcade original, as it did present some notable differences in presentation and gameplay. While the SNES version is missing some animations and graphics effects from the arcade version, it made extensive use of the SNES's Mode 7 forward scrolling effect, in the "Neon Night-Riders" level, the option to give unique skin tones for each turtle and most memorably in rendering the throw move which involved footsoldiers being thrown directly at, and hitting, the screen. The first fight with Shredder in the Technodrome level was altered to show off the Mode 7 effect by having the player aim to hit a foreground Shredder with the throw move. The SNES version is also missing certain voice samples for both the turtles and boss characters. In addition, the arcade version's title theme song, "Pizza Power", was replaced with an instrumental version of the cartoon theme song.

Various alterations were made to the SNES version's gameplay. While the original arcade game was set in the year 1991, the SNES version opens a year later, in 1992. "Sewer Surfin'" and "Neon Night-Riders" were changed to bonus levels and a new Technodrome stage was added. Five new bosses were also added: Slash (who replaced Cement Man), the Rat King, Battletank Shredder, and the duo of Bebop and Rocksteady (who replaced Tokka and Rahzar, with those two moved to the new Technodrome level). The game also replaces the final boss with Super Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (who previously appeared in the NES game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project). The SNES version also adds two regular enemies: Roadkill Rodneys (which replaced the boxing robots) and Mousers. The game also features a time-trial mode and a two-player versus fight mode. Like the arcade version, each turtle was given unique attributes in areas such as speed and strength. In addition, the move to throw enemies off-screen can now be performed intentionally, instead of just randomly.

Unlockable Version in Mutant Nightmare

The original arcade version could be unlocked after completing the first batch of missions in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare. The game is mostly the same as the arcade, but it lacks a score counter, features an entirely new soundtrack (likely due to rights issues with the original soundtrack), features re-recorded voices, and has a slightly choppy frame rate compared to the arcade. Additionally, this version requires the controller to be inserted into a particular slot to play as each character. This means that if one plays the game on a PS2 without a multitap, it is not possible to play as Donatello or Raphael, as the default PS2 only features two controller slots.

Remake

The 2009 remake, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, features new graphics and sounds. The graphics were remade completely in 3D, with players now moving in and out of a true 3D camera. The opening and closing cinematics were remade with a stylized 2D look. The vocal quips of the arcade version return, re-recorded by the cast of the 2003 cartoon. The music has also been re-done for every stage.Re-Shelled is based on the original arcade machine rather than the SNES version, meaning that the extra stages and enemy characters from the earlier home version are excluded. The gameplay remains similar, except that players can now attack in eight directions. The game can also be played online with up to four players. This version also features a Survival mode, Quickplay mode, multiple difficulties and achievements/trophy support.

Following its release, Turtles in Time became Konami's best selling arcade title. Although critics found that the second game was largely similar to the previous arcade game, they felt that it was a net improvement over its predecessor on all points, including graphics, music and gameplay. Overall, the game was hailed for staying true to its source material.

The SNES version was praised for its additional stages and gameplay modes. Like the arcade version, the SNES game has been lauded for its visuals, which replicate the cartoon's art style. The game's music and sound effects have also been praised. However, the game has been criticized for its repetitive gameplay and short length. Despite these criticisms, Nintendojo called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time the best Ninja Turtles game of all time.

Unlike the SNES version, the 2009 remake Re-Shelled has met with mixed reviews. IGN gave the game a 5.9 out of 10, stating that Ubisoft has not improved enough upon the original game to justify the remake's comparatively high price point. It also criticizes how there is no option to play the original arcade version of the game.Gametrailers gave the game 6.1 out of 10, saying there is not enough to warrant more than one or two plays. ScrewAttack included the game on their Top Ten Busts lists, giving it 8th place saying it took out all of the fun of the original. Screwattack also included the game on their Top 10 Worst Remakes/Reboots, giving it 6th place criticizing the colors, music, and gameplay. http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/hy3731/screwattack-s-top-ten-top-10--worst-reboots---remakes