Bust-A-Move 4 is a puzzle game that continues the series' tradition of releasing colored bubbles to match and disappear. The game has new characters to choose from, as well as a Story mode where players can win Tarot cards after completing each stage. In this mode, players see the story unfold as they defeat each CPU-controlled character, whose difficulty changes depending on the chosen character.
Gameplay involves releasing colored bubbles and matching them to make them disappear, with the goal of winning as many games in a row against the computer in the Win Contest mode. Completing certain puzzles quickly earns players access to the Challenge mode, where speed and technique are judged. Those who succeed can unlock the Edit mode, allowing them to create their own puzzles and compete with other players.