In Combat Cars, the player races against other cars and can use various kinds of weapons and gadgets to damage their opponents. Each character has his/her own strengths and weaknesses (speed, car handling, etc.), as well as unique weapons. The characters and their vehicles which are equipped with weapons include a shotgun, glue spots that they can leave to slow other cars, homing missiles, mines, and others. There are 24 different tracks available in the game. The player earns money for winning or placing in races, and this money is used to calculate their score. As the player spends this money on upgrades for their vehicle, their score lowers accordingly.