Xbox Original

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The game's story takes place in the fictional Tri-City Bay region, consisting of four boroughs: Palm Harbor, Port Crescent, Gold Coast Mountains, and Sunset Hills. The region's design was heavily influenced by Miami, alongside locations visited by the development team across the Gulf Coast and California Coast, with the open world map consisting of around 109 miles (175 km) of road. Players take on the role of an undercover police officer for the Tri-City Bay Police Department (TCBPD), called in by their superior Lt. Jack Keller (Paul Pape). The player is joined by Inspector Chase Linh (Maggie Q), a federal agent of the FBI, who wants to bring down an international criminal syndicate involved in smuggling stolen cars. The player poses as a new street racer, getting recruited into a gang run by Hector Maio (Kurt Caceres) and his brother Zack (Joshua Alba), and befriending Carmen Mendez (Christina Milian). Later, the player works with a crew operated by Gregory "GMAC" McDonald (David Rees Snell), Rose Largo (Heather Fox), and Brad "Nickel" Rogers (Lawrence B. Adisa), and eventually confronts Chau Wu (Jack Yang), the Triad leader of the syndicate. The story culminates with Chase Linh revealing herself to be a corrupt federal agent working with Chau.

In Their Own Story

The player, an undercover police officer for the TCBPD, is called in to Palm Harbor police station by Lt. Jack Keller. The player is informed that their investigation into the underground street racing world is to be joined by Inspector Chase Linh, an FBI agent who wants to bring down an international criminal syndicate smuggling stolen cars. The player is instructed to pose as a new street racer and join major illegal street races to gain entry into the syndicate. The player is recruited into a gang run by Hector Maio and his brother Zack, and befriends Carmen Mendez. The brothers assign the player to steal cars for them. Upon completing jobs, Chase instructs the player to arrest the gang. The player is then sent to Sunset Hills to get recruited by a crew operated by GMAC, Rose Largo, and Brad "Nickel" Rogers. The player is instructed by GMAC to steal a car from Chau Wu. When confronted by Chau, he offers to overlook the theft in exchange for help recovering a car he lost. The player eventually arrests GMAC's crew. Carmen contacts the player, revealing that Zack and Hector unknowingly stole the missing car from Chau, and asks them to get rid of it. Chau contacts the player, revealing he knows they are a police officer and that he has kidnapped Chase to coerce compliance. Upon delivering the car, Chase reveals herself to be a corrupt federal agent working with Chau.

Reader's Guide

In Career mode, players complete Racing Events and Pursuit events to progress the story. Events earn money, experience (Wheelman Rep), and a special performance bonus. Earning enough experience levels up the player's Wheelman level, unlocking larger performance bonuses, new cars, upgrade parts, and additional events including Jobs—special story-based missions. The player's Wheelman level directly impacts how aggressive the police are during pursuits; the higher the level, the more tactics and vehicle types used. Players can freely select events from the game's map or use a hotkey to move to a highlighted event. The game features licensed real-world cars divided into three tiers of performance and four classes: Exotic, Tuner, Muscle, and Sport. Cars, upgrades, and customization are done at the player's safehouse. Multiplayer mode varies across platforms—online multiplayer is possible on Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and DS editions. Online events include Sprint racing, Highway Battle, and a team-based event called "Cops and Robbers." As of 2021, Undercover is no longer available for purchase digitally, and online play was shut down on September 1.

Did You Know?

• The game's open world map consists of around 109 miles (175 km) of road.
• The Tri-City Bay region's design was heavily influenced by Miami, alongside locations across the Gulf Coast and California Coast.
• The game features voice actors including Maggie Q as Inspector Chase Linh, Christina Milian as Carmen Mendez, and Paul Pape as Lt. Jack Keller.
• Online play for Undercover was shut down on September 1, and as of 2021, the game is no longer available for purchase digitally.
• The game includes new event types such as 'Outrun' and 'Highway Battle,' the latter similar to Carbon's 'Duel' and Underground 2's 'Outrun' event.