"Break the Ice" received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its lyrics, production, Spears' vocal performance and deemed it a strong electronic song from the record.

He explained that the creative process was not difficult at first since he was "left to do pretty much whatever I wanted to", and "if she felt it, she was gonna ride with it.

"[2] Spears began recording the track in Las Vegas in August 2006, while she was seven months pregnant with her second child, Jayden James.

Recording continued at Spears' house in Los Angeles, California, three weeks after she gave birth.

[4] "Break the Ice" was chosen as a single by a poll on Spears' official Jive Records website.

[10] It opens with Spears singing the lines "It's been a while / I know I shouldn't have kept you waiting / But I'm here now", which serve as an apology for being gone so long from the music industry as well as away from her love interest in the song.

[12] After it, Spears stops the song and sings "I like this part / It feels kind of good", mimicking Janet Jackson in "Nasty" (1986).

[7] The music changes, as described by Tom Ewing of Pitchfork Media, to "[something that] sounds like spacehoppers [are] bouncing in slow motion round a padded cell".

[7] Eric R. Danton of The Hartford Courant deemed it as a "crunk-style thumper", while calling it one of the "killer tracks" off the album along with "Radar" and "Hot as Ice".

[9] Nick Levine of Digital Spy called it "a booming slice of multi-layered electro R&B" and said that it, along with "Radar", is "as avant-garde as pop gets in 2007".

[15] Jennifer Vineyard of MTV said the song "might have been a stronger album leadoff track than 'Gimme More', [...] since [Spears] re-introduces herself at the top and apologizes for being gone for so long.

"[7] Kelefe Sanneh of The New York Times said the song was "nearly as good" as previous singles "Gimme More" and "Piece of Me", and described it as a "rave-inspired flirtation".

"[18] In the United States, "Break the Ice" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100 on the issue dated March 15, 2008.

Two weeks later, it peaked atop the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs, becoming the third consecutive single from the album to reach the top position of the chart.

Spears ends up gaining access to a highly secured laboratory and walks through aisles of clones held in liquid cocoons.

[38][39] According to rehearsal videos published at Spears' social media accounts in late 2018, "Break the Ice" was set to be performed at her planned residency Britney: Domination prior to its cancellation.