Bust-A-Move is a puzzle game that takes place on a screen divided into squares, filled with colored bubbles. The player controls a catapult at the bottom of the screen that shoots these bubbles, which then bounce around in various directions. When three or more bubbles of the same color touch together, they disappear, and any remaining bubbles fall away from the ceiling, side walls, or other attached bubbles. However, if a bubble touches the bottom edge of the screen, it's game over.
The gameplay involves clearing pre-set patterns on the screen by popping the bubbles in the correct sequence. The game consists of 100 levels, with new and varied challenges each time. Some special features include explosive bubbles that destroy nearby bubbles when hit, lightning bubbles that move horizontally across the screen, water bubbles that burst and recolor everything around them, and even a boss fight at the end. Players can also compete against each other in two-player mode, or test their skills in endless Challenge mode to achieve the highest score.