Moto Racer 4 is a title in the long-running arcade motorcycle racing series that was started in 1997. It keeps the core element of letting players race with heavy bikes on asphalt tracks, along with slower but more technically challenging dirt bike off-road races, but it also introduces a lot of new elements. Multiplayer is supported against another player locally through split-screen and online with up to ten players for multiple game modes. Quick races consist of a championship, hot lap, a single race, and time attack.
Progressing through the game to unlock everything is done in the career mode. It has events such as Catch-up, Ghost Bike, Golden Helmet, King of the Road, Last Man Riding, Single Race, and Wolf Pack. In Catch-up opponents get a head start and the player needs to catch up and overtake them to reach the first place with a limited amount of time. Ghost Bike also starts at the back of a pack, but here the player has to reach a specific position without going off the track or bumping into other racers.
In each event up to three stars can be earned based on the performance. Stars are needed to keep progressing and unlocking new events. There are ten riders to choose from, each with two types of bikes (street and dirt) with different statistics for acceleration, handling, max speed and the T.U.R.B.O boost module. Upgrade points can be earned to improve the statistics and there are different colour schemes for customization.
Style points are earned through moves such as tricks in the air, drifting, high speed, staying in a slipstream, brushing other riders or traffic, and doing wheelies. Boosts are also earned by doing perfect landings on two wheels. Later on more advanced tricks can be unlocked. The game has various environments to race in, ranging from the Bay Area to Asia, with multiple routes and shortcuts.