Monster Truck Madness received a massive following, and video game publications generally praised its gameplay, graphics, and physics.

[4][5] Drag focuses on traditional monster truck events set in arena and stadium venues[6][7] like BC Place[3]: BC Place description  and Tacoma Dome;[3]: Tacoma Dome description  the player qualifies to participate in knockout races that involve jumping over rows of cars.

[3]: Tournament menu  Checkpoints,[8] multiple hidden shortcuts (like a broken bridge),[5] and objects (such as cacti, road signs, and fences) commonly appear in the tracks.

[5] In the garage, the player modifies the truck's tires, suspension, and acceleration-to-speed ratio to account for terrain surfaces such as mud and grass.

[4][5] The game includes multiple camera angles like blimp and cockpit, as well as the ability to watch and save replays of the events.

Both products received mixed reviews for their similarities to Terminal Velocity and Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger.

[18] They designed it to accurately simulate monster truck events such as drag tracks and enclosed circuit races, and replicate the titular off-road vehicles on land, when jumping, and during collisions.

The developer hired announcer Armey Armstrong[c] to perform sports commentary, resulting in lines such as "Bigfoot is doing it in the air!"

[2][1] Monster Truck Madness was one of the first titles to provide force feedback and Direct3D support and required a video card for smooth, quickly processed graphics.

Jeff Lundrigan, a review editor for Next Generation, praised the game being able to manipulate the capabilities of Windows 95, since it can achieve high frame rates without 3D graphics accelerator cards.

[19] While GameSpot's Rebecca Anderson perceived monster truck racing as immature, she enjoyed playing the game and praised Armstrong's commentary.

[6] Reviewing the game for PC Gamer, Colin Williamson was enthused over the design of the trucks and enjoyed its gameplay, but criticized Armstrong's work and felt more tracks would be a good idea.

[5] Rob Smith of PC Games commented on the trucks' slowness and noticed that their big tires allow them to bounce when "stray[ing] from the beaten track".

[39] Its sequel 4x4 Evo 2 introduced Adventure Mission mode, where the player performs treasure hunts and rescue operations to obtain additional money.