The game's reception had been mixed when it was first released on the Nintendo Switch, but the PlayStation 4 version was better received one year later.

[1] Players control two dragons, Bub or Bob, that can trap enemies in bubbles and pop them in order to eliminate them from the screen.

[2] When eliminating an enemy, a fruit is generated that can be collected as a reward to increase the player's score.

[8] Regarding the version released later for the PlayStation 4, called Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back, it received 75 out of 100 points on Metacritic, based on 5 reviews.

[10][1][11] Britt Roberts of Nintendo Life praised the gameplay, describing it as fluid and fun, and highlighted the timelessness of the formula adopted by the game since the first version.