American Gladiators is licensed from the popular TV show of the same name. It features a series of events testing players' strength, speed and skill against a trained team of ten 'Gladiators', five male and five female. The female characters are Ice, Gold, Lace, Blaze and Zap, most of whom are known for their bodybuilding achievements. Main male characters are Turbo, Nitro (who was featured in several television commercials for American television), Gemini, Thunder and Laser (Mr. Montana of 1986).

In total there are seven events, all viewed from third-person views. The final one is the Eliminator assault course, in which you compete directly against an opponent.