CrimeWave takes place in the fictional futuristic city of Mekeo, plagued by rampant crime and chaos. To combat this crimewave, the corrupt mayor has privatized the city's police force and offers bounties to anyone that takes out a wanted criminal, effectively turning the police into bounty hunters. The player takes the role of a member of the Mekeo Vehicle Police patrolling the city with their heavily armed police car to take out criminals and collect bounty money while simultaneously fighting off rival cops that are out for the same bounties.