Career mode puts the player in the role of Max Axel, who is tasked with winning the coveted Drome Championship.

Preceding each Multi-Challenge series is a qualifying drag race, where victory is determined by a good start and proper gear-shifting.

Max Axel is aided by other such Team Nitro members, such as Shicane, who handles car upgrades, and Rocket, who gives advice.

The arcade mode presents players with Normal or Time Attack racing through a variety of courses, weather conditions, and routes.

The Quick Race option allows for instant action by randomly selecting any pertinent variables, including cars and tracks, for either one or two players.

[5][6][7][8] Most critics voiced that the gameplay was mediocre, with Ryan Davis of GameSpot saying of the PC version, "What little originality it has, like the qualifying drag races, is seriously underplayed, and most of the experience comes off as generic.

[29] The Game Boy Advance conversion of Drome Racers scored slightly higher than its PC and console counterparts.