The game plays similarly to its predecessor: it's a kart racer with heavy emphasis on maneuvering in order to collect turbo energy for boosting and getting ahead of rivals. There are several game modes, including Master Level Events , which features boss battle mode, and Playground , where you complete various challenges in a hub world. The game has an achievement system called "Skill Checks". After completing a certain amount of them, you unlock new cars and stages.
The game features a variety of characters from the third movie, as well as characters from previous movies. Some stages return from the previous game, such as the Oil Rig or the Tokyo Airport stage.