It is frequently described as a cross between tag and capture the flag, but the playing field is a maze-like grid which the players can manipulate to an extent.

Players can either compete against each other in one-on-one matches or take on a series of AI opponents in the game's story mode.

[7] The protagonist Axxel and his partner Tara, a pair of freelance space adventurers, are sent on a mission to the Gridonion Asteroid Field, a path between Earth and the Nether-Planets, to find out why ships have been mysteriously disappearing.

According to Virgin Interactive Entertainment producer Stacy Hendrickson, the developer Radical Entertainment thought of Grid Runner as a "fun, original alternative two-player game" that would be neither a fighting or a sports title about a decade before the game was finally made, and that they also put "a lot of work on the AI" of single-player enemies.

[21] Reviewing the PlayStation version, Next Generation opined, "While not particularly innovative, Gridrunner offers its share of fun, especially in multiplayer modes.

[9] While remarking that the graphics are not as sharp as the PlayStation version's, GamePro's Tommy Glide was pleased with the variety of stages, tight controls, and combination of intense chases with strategic maze navigation.

[23] GameSpot staff summarized, "Like Bomberman, Tetris, and Face Ball, Grid Runner is a gamer's game that pulls you in and never lets go."

... Well, whatever it was we bet you didn't buy a Saturn to play a space-age version of Tag, and that's pretty much what you're getting in Grid Run."