Driver: Parallel Lines is an open-world action-adventure game set in New York, spanning two distinct eras: 1978 and 2006. The game emphasizes driving mechanics while incorporating shooting elements. This installment marks a return to the core gameplay seen in earlier Driver titles, after the less favorable reception of its predecessor Driv3r, which featured problematic on-foot segments.
Diverging from previous Driver games, Parallel Lines takes place in just one city, New York, instead of multiple cities, but in the middle of the story you change to different eras of the city - 1978 and 2006. Due to the underwhelming performance of Driv3r, particularly the often-derided on-foot sections, Parallel Lines returns to the formula used in earlier games in the series, focusing on driving, although shooting remains in the game.