Mantis Burn Racing is a top-down racing game with a single-player career and multiplayer races. The single-player career consists of seven seasons, each with multiple races that need to be completed to unlock the final race of a season. To progress, players must collect gears by winning races, which can be done using various cars, each classified into three categories: dune buggies, road racers, and trucks.
The gameplay focuses on acceleration, breaking, and drifting through obstacles on the tracks, taking into account surface and elevation. Cars do not have a damage system, and players must fill up a boost meter to activate a speed boost. The game features eight types of races, including accumulator, endurance, knockout, lap, sprint, overtake, time trials, and weekly challenges.
Players can upgrade their cars with various upgrades such as boost, engine, gearbox, suspension, and tyres. These upgrades can be applied or combined to enhance the car's performance. Each car has a limited number of slots for these upgrades, which become available after upgrading. Players must balance performance and costs when selecting upgrades.