[1] Beatmania IIDX tasks the player with performing songs through a controller consisting of seven key buttons and a scratchable turntable.

[2] Hitting the notes with strong timing increases the score and groove gauge bar, allowing the player to finish the stage.

Neil Foster of Hardcore Gaming 101 called the game "a rocky start" for the Beatmania IIDX series, since it had music from Beatmania's first two iterations (1st Mix and 2nd Mix) paired with new songs and remixes.

According to Foster, many players were initially not impressed with performing old songs on upgraded hardware, so they switched to Beatmania 4th Mix.

Bemani developed several updates to the game after its release, including Beatmania IIDX Substream.