The gameplay involves choosing from three game modes: single race, time trial, and challenge, and selecting one of three difficulty levels: beginner, experienced, or advanced. As players progress through the game, they can unlock new characters, boats, tracks, and race classes by collecting stars. Power-ups such as extra lives, power boosts, and nutritious items like red donuts, green puffs, and yellow triangles are also available to aid in gameplay.
Players can drive over speed stripes to boost their boat's speed and collect weapons like carrot missiles and pumpkin bombs. However, using an invincibility shield disables the use of these weapons against other players. The game features adjustable sound and music settings, as well as options for controls and save slots, with a total of eight available.