Hot Pursuit's gameplay is set in the fictional Seacrest County, which is based on the American states of California, Oregon and Washington, in which players can compete in several types of races. Players can compete online (except in the Wii version), which includes additional game modes such as Hot Pursuit, Interceptor and Race. The game features a new social interaction system called "Autolog", which is a network that connects friends for head-to-head races and compares player stats for competition. The game also features paid downloadable content in the form of new cars, new race and pursuit events, and new trophies and achievements.
Hot Pursuit was well received by critics at E3 2010 and was most notably awarded with "Best Racing Game" from the 2010 Game Critics Awards as well as several other media outlets. It won several Best Racing Game awards, including Best Driving Game at the Spike 2010 Video Game Awards. The game also won a BAFTA Award for its Autolog multiplayer component.