In Scotland Yard, one of the players takes on the role of Mr. X. His job is to move from point to point around the map of London taking taxis, buses or subways. The detectives — that is, the remaining players acting in concert — move around similarly in an effort to move into the same space as Mr. X. But while the criminal's mode of transportation is nearly always known, his exact location is only known intermittently throughout the game.
Scotland Yard: Tokyo features the same gameplay as Scotland Yard, but with the detectives and Mr. X running around Tokyo instead of London. When only 1-3 detectives are on the board, an extra "police" figure is placed on the board that does not require tickets for movement.
Scotland Yard: Tokyo appears to have been produced in conjunction with the Japanese game retailer Sugorokuya.