A telephone-like keypad to the right of the steering wheel gave players the option of choosing a PIN and allowed them to earn points to unlock new cars and tracks.

The arcade version was an eight-player game (but more commonly bought in pairs), a sit-down machine with force feedback steering wheels, gear shifts, and three pedals (gas, brake, and clutch). The game's soundtrack mostly comprises big beat, breakbeat and drum and bass. The single-player race mode encourages exploration of high difficulty off-track shortcuts, creating a risk and reward structure to the gameplay. Various car types and upgrades are unlockable throughout the game, though cheat codes offer instant achievement of these elements. There are six race tracks, four stunt arenas, eight battle arenas, and one unlockable obstacle course named 'The Gauntlet'. The game also includes a multiplayer deathmatch battle mode and race mode for up to four players. As with previous titles in the franchise, Rush 2049 features a stunt mode in which the player scores points for complex mid-air maneuvers and successful landings. This feature is a product of the science fiction setting and as such is not seen in other entries in the Rush series. Cars have the ability to extend wings from their sides, allowing for mid-air adjustments.

Tracks are based around a futuristic representation of San Francisco. The game features an arcade-style physics engine. The Dreamcast version was later re-released as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube and later Windows as part of Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition.

It also serves as the final game for the Atari Games label, which was retired shortly after the arcade release. It is also the last game in the Rush series to be set in the city of San Francisco, and the last released on a Nintendo console.

It is the third game in the Rush series and the sequel to San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing and Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA. The arcade machine was released in 1999 home versions followed in 2000 on September 7 for North America and November 17 for Europe. It was ported to the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, and Dreamcast by Midway Games. San Francisco Rush 2049 is a racing video game developed and manufactured by Atari Games for arcades.