Many real-life dirt bike gear brands are extensively featured throughout the game, such as Bell Helmets, Alpinestars and No Fear.

The player can also tilt the bike to the side while in the air, to adjust the angle at which they hit the turns, and can sideswipe their opponents.

There are also several other mini games such as a Stunt Course, Hill Climb, a Soccer game with a giant human sized soccer ball, and an "infinite, randomly generated" Desert Track where the player needs to put out ten campfires by driving over them, which Nintendo Power called "one of the coolest concepts ever".

Using the N64's Rumble Pak allowed the player to feel these game experiences, as well as such things as making a hard landing.

[14] N64 Magazine mentioned the low quality of other similar games released around the same time and said: "After the lackluster efforts of Jeremy McGrath and Supercross 2000, we now have an intelligent racer.

"[3] IGN commended the game for its "fantastic 3D engine, delightfully realistic physics, intuitive control, brilliantly detailed graphics, ingenious subtleties and tons of options".

"[16] Michael Wolf of NextGen said, "With all the secrets and special tracks, not to mention the realistic physics that'll make you wince during crashes, this is one motocross racing game that will entertain for hours on end.

"[25][d] In another GamePro review, Dan Elektro said, "While you can't help but feel that Excitebike 64 is a few tweaks short of greatness, it's still a quality, enjoyable ride.

[29] Nonetheless, the game ultimately went on to sell approximately two million units, according to information provided by former employees of Left Field Productions.