Daytona USA is a racing video game developed by Sega AM2 and released by Sega. at the time of its release, was considered the most visually detailed 3D racing game. Compared to the flat-shaded polygons of its predecessor Daytona's 3D-world was fully texture-mapped, giving it a more realistic appearance. Daytona was one of the first video games to feature filtered, texture-mapped polygons, giving it the most detailed graphics yet seen in a video game up until that time. In single-player mode, Daytona maintained a consistent 60fps rate, even with multiple opponents on screen.

The player is put behind the wheel of a stock car known as the Hornet, where the car has a lot of similarities with the NASCAR Chevrolet Lumina, with the choice of tracks as well as an automatic or manual transmission. The player's objectives are to outrun the competing cars, and complete the race before time runs out.