Players control one of nine fighter jets and shoot enemies, collect power-ups, and defeat bosses to advance through the game.

In Bakraid, it is easier to graze bullets and survive than in Batrider since the player sprites are larger in comparison to their hitbox.

The capitalist nation of Randa has long had a history of excellence in the creation of aircraft, attracting the best of engineers in aerodynamics, artillery, and structuring from the world over.

Once, even this interest had waned, until the creation of the air show Bakraid, in which the capabilities of the fighters could be demonstrated outside of simulations for all to see.

Around the time of the seventh Bakraid, a nearby nation, Deneb, had attained an expansionist attitude, forcibly subjugating and annexing several of its neighbors with the assistance of the Shtarterra Security Council.

However, the council secretly contacts the other Bakraid participants, offering even more prize money than normal if they will perform in a special version of Bakraid—genuine war conditions.

Battle Bakraid served as the last work of Shinobu Yagawa at Raizing, before leaving the company after development was completed to join Cave and work alongside Tsuneki Ikeda on projects such as Ibara and Muchi Muchi Pork!.