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.