APB

About

APB casts you as a rookie cop driving through a neon-lit city, issuing tickets for speeders and red-light runners while chasing more dangerous targets. The game blends driving and action elements as you switch between a patrol car and a personal jetpack, navigating traffic and gunfire. Each level escalates the stakes, pushing you from mundane traffic enforcement to high-speed chases culminating in arrests. The top-down perspective and split-screen design let you track objectives while managing your vehicle’s speed and firepower. The game’s 1980s arcade roots show in its aggressive difficulty and limited player lives, but the mix of mechanics keeps the gameplay from feeling repetitive. With a focus on law enforcement tropes of the era, APB leans into chaotic crime-fighting more than simulation. Its blend of racing and shooting mechanics, paired with a retro aesthetic, makes it a curious time capsule. Released in late 1987, it’s a product of a time when arcade cabinets tried to pack every genre under one roof.