The gameplay in Cars 3: Driven to Win is similar to its predecessor, with a focus on maneuvering to collect turbo energy for boosting and getting ahead of rivals. The game offers various modes, including Race, Battle Race (racing with weapons and power-ups), Takedown (a mode where you try to take as many cars as possible in order to get the highest score), Stunt Showcase (a mode where you get scores by performing stunts), Best Lap Challenge (time attack mode), Master Level Events (boss battle mode) and Playground (a sandbox mode where you complete various challenges in a hub world). The game also features an achievement system called "Skill Checks", which unlocks new cars and stages after completing a certain number of them.
The game includes characters from the third movie, as well as characters from previous movies. A few stages return from the previous game, such as the Oil Rig or the Tokyo Airport stage.