The Airport Syndicate - This gang has the motto of quantity over quality, they are a group of airport workers tired of the bad payment and being always the lowest in the chain, they compete to gain money and power. Only their individual ambition for power can be a problem.
Vehicles: their vehicles are mainly airport support cars, small tanker-trucks and pick ups, all other kind of vehicles commonly found at an airport. Their armor are low and due to this they tend to be the weakest gang.
Notable cars: Tanker (can spawn up to 2 of this guys only), TM4 create a car pick ups.
Construction Guys - Their leader is Simon Whitlebone with Buster Cubb as his second in command, their cars have great armor but they tend to be too slow. They are sick of Twisted Metal destroying their buildings.
Vehicles: their number are composed of construction vehicles.
Notable cars: Mr. Slam, Auger and maybe Crusher.
Protect and Serve - Jamie and Carl Roberts lead this team of cops, medics and firemen. They want to end Twisted Metal once and for all and bring Calypso to justice.
Vehicles: they have really versatile vehicles including police cars, ambulances and fire trucks.
Other drivers: Agent Stone from TMB.
Notable cars: Outlaw, Outlaw 2, Outlaw SUV from TMB, Meatwagon.
The Skulls - Their leader is Mr. Grimm from the 2012 version, he wants to bring back his father, but due to some accident he had with his bike as a teenager, he is slowly beginning to think he is death reincarnated and lead his motorbike gang to catch new souls.
Vehicles: Their main strength are bikes and some monster trucks. Again, due to poor armor in general, they can spawn only 2 monster trucks maximum.
Notable cars: Reaper, Hammerhead (TM2012), Slayer (smaller version).
The Holy Men - Their leader is Jedibiah, a preacher who think God has chosen him to end Twisted Metal once and for all. But our priest is also tormented by Minion who is a demon that speaks to him in a demonic voice. Our priest is slowly becoming delusional by the "two voices" that torment him.
Others drivers include Mortimer (TM2), Raven (TMB), priests and nuns.
Vehicles: Their cars are composed mostly of what they can find and use.
Notable cars: Preacher, Shadow, Road Boat.
The Hood - Bruce Cochrane is tired of his people to suffer the most and receive less than the others. He want his neighborhood to be clean from drugs dealers and violence. Along with his homie Vinnie, they teamed up with John Doe, a white supremacist who despite accepted a truce to fight in the tourney, he has his own ambitions and plans to treason him.
Vehicles: they have a really versatile sort of cars too varied in power and armor. Includes lowriders.
Other drivers include Angel (TMHO), Dave & Mike (TM1), Gene Ruttish (TMHO), Catfish (TMHO), Angela Fortin (TM1) and Billy Ray Stillwell (TMB).
Notable cars: Thumper, Pit Viper, Roadkill from TMB, Hammerhead from TM1 and TMHO, ATV and Junkyard Dog.
The Clowns - Needles Kane, the killer clown, leads this cult of insane followers whom see him as a god of sorts. Needles wants to find Marcus Kane, a man who is rumored to be his "good side" and kill him to finally be free from the burden of his existence. He also wants to find his lost daughter Sophie, she is "the only one that got away", she must continue his legacy. His gang is mostly composed of insane clowns.
Notable cars: Sweet Tooth, Death Warrant.
The Government - Agent Shepard of the FBI (TMHO) and Commander Mason (TM1) from the US army lead this coalition to destroy Twisted Metal. The FBI agent secretly wants to steal the main source of Calypso's power for the Government.
Other drivers include the Colonel Hall (TMHO), Orbital (TM4), Quattro (an experimental cyborg from the area 51, rumored to be an alien, it plans to treason them when he can and escape), Captain Spears (TM1).
Their vehicles are mostly army vehicles like jeeps.
Notable vehicles: Warthog TM2 & TMHO, Crimson Fury from TM1, Orbital from TM4.
The Dolls - Krista Sparks wants to be the most beautiful model of the world, she wants to shine but the other girls always "steal her moment". She leads a group of renegade models and beauty queens, her second in command and devote follower is a drag queen called Petunia (TM4) who suspects that the Watts Sisters (Amanda & Miranda) plans to betray Krista. But miss Sparks secretly plans to dispose of all her girls, no one can be the best model, not even her drag queen friend.
Other drivers include Amber Rose (TM III).
Vehicles: Mostly composed of sports cars and trucks.
Notable Vehicles: Kamikaze, Crimson Fury from TM2012, Darkside, Drag Queen, Twister, Limo, Juggernaut.
The Old Geezers - A faction whose leader is Charlie Kane, an old taxi driver who is the father of Needles Kane, he enter the tournament to stop his son from killing more people, his second in command is Marcus Kane, a sort of hobo who was "adopted" by Charlie as his son. Marcus is rumored to be the "good side" of the insane killer clown.
Others drivers include a diverse sort of people who united Charlie to stop the clown like Thrash Man, Granny Dread, Frank McCutcheon (No-Face)
Vehicles: Mostly their work cars.
Notable Vehicles: Yellow Jacket, Roadkill from TM2, Vermin, Thrash Man truck, Crazy 8.
The Punks - This particular gang has no leader, but they were recruited to fight by Mike & Stu, a couple of high school dropouts bored of a simple life. They gathered a team of teenagers as bored and fearsome as them. They don't know what to wish if they win, but they plan to think about it as the tournament goes.
Other drivers include Krista Sparks (TM2), Chuckie Floop (TMHO), Conner Nazang (Pízza Boy), Club Kid (TM III).
Notable Vehicles: Grasshopper, Spectre (TMHO), Pizza Boy car, Club Kidd car, Hammerhead (TM2).
The Homicides - This group of psychos and lost causes is leaded by Cage, a man that every time he kills someone, he breaks and cry like a baby. He leads his gang like a family of his own, always determined to best himself. His ultimate wish is to have the feelings of remorse removed from him so he could beat Needles Kane, the best killer ever existed.
Other drivers include The Joneses (a family of psychos), Bloody Mary (a maid who killed her friend because of jealousness), Mr. Grimm (from TMB, a cannibal) and Damien Coles (from TM III, a pyromaniac).
Notable Vehicles: Warthog (TMB), Family Wagon, Spectre (TMB), Mr. Grimm (TMB) and Firestarter.
Apocalypse 9 (unlockable after winning the game with all the gangs) - Axel, a man who spent all his life suffering trapped in a Two-Wheels vehicle, leads this gang alongside a bald man who calls himself "the soul of Syndicate 9" who acts as a second in command with his two underlings. Axel believes that all his pain and misery must have a secret meaning, fate surely has chosen him for something better and deeper that just simple pain. He wish to know the truth behind all that pain.
Notable Vehicles: Axel and Minion (TM1).
Bosses
Minion (The Punks, The Airport Syndicate, The Hood, Construction Guys and The Clowns storyline) - a massive Tank Trucker who is aided by several small Tankers. The winner of the first tournament, he is determined to maintain his bloody throne.
Primeval (Protect and Serve, The Government, Apocalypse 9 and the Holy Men storyline) - Primeval is rumored to be a demon only loyal to Calypso, he rides his unique and deadly car with the only objective of protecting his evil master. He is aided by a group of helicopters (several Talon from TM2012).
Dark Tooth (The Dolls, The Homicides, The Old Geezers and The Skulls storyline) - the ultimate challenge to beat the homicidal clown, a big and reinforced version of Sweet Tooth ice cream truck. Painted in black with pink dots instead of white paint. He is deadlier than ever and with help of the Sweet Bots, the custom ice cream trucks of his followers.