Riot City is a side-scrolling beat-em-up for one or two players who take on the roles of 'Paul' or 'Bobby', two talented fighters who are given the task of breaking a drug syndicate known as "MID". It has also been discovered that Paul's girlfriend has been kidnapped by the syndicate and must be rescued.

MID's hideout is located on Riot Island, an island full of abandoned, run-down buildings that has since become a slum. Locations include apartments, a hospital, a factory and a casino.

Riot City is practically a direct copy of Capcom's superb 'Final Fight', with both gameplay and graphical style heavily copied from the 1989 classic. One gameplay difference is that Riot City does not allow players to pick up and use weapons as they can in Final Fight, although bonus items found in various containers can be collected.