Nuclear Strike is a helicopter-based game, with strategy elements added to the action gameplay. The plot concerns an elite special force – the player's allies – pursuing a nuclear-armed rogue spy through a fictionalised Asian setting. It retains the earlier game's engine but added several modifications to improve graphical performance and make the game more accessible. The game features 15 playable vehicles, a large increase from previous games. In addition to the main fictionalised Apache, there are secondary helicopters, jets, armor and a hovercraft. The player also commands ground troops in occasional real-time strategy sections.