Crime Crackers is a a first-person action shooting game. The player controls the Pink Dolphin team as they explore each area, defeating enemies and collecting useful items. Combat is real-time, but the player must switch into attack mode in order to attack enemies. This gives the player an aiming cursor, but reduces movement to only left and right strafing. To make up for reduced mobility the player can also block incoming attacks. Each stage culminates in a boss fight at the end, and between stages there are short dialogue scenes that drive the story, as well as an opportunity to buy and sell items.

There are many stars out there in the vastness of space...and where there are stars, there are also crooks who make a living in outer space! These worthless no-goods steal and plunder and cause trouble whenever it is possible. However, where there are crooks, there are also police. In an effort to stop intergalactic crime, the "Galaxy Police" were born and they are also known as GG, or the Galaxy Guard. While the GG is somewhat successful in their efforts to prevent criminals from plundering the valuable resources of the universe, some jobs are just too big for them to handle. Here's where you come in; you control the team of wacky heroes who take care of the jobs that even the GG can't deal with. Flying through the Milky Way in a Pink Dolphin space craft and donning the title of Crime Crackers, you control the Pink Dolphin team, which has six members in it.