[2] Unlike previous iterations of Rock Band, Blitz was not sold with any special instrument controllers, and was designed to use regular console controllers to match notes in a song, using gameplay mechanics similar to Harmonix' previous titles Frequency (2001), Amplitude (2003), and Rock Band Unplugged (2009).

Due to music license expirations, the game was delisted from the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live storefronts on August 28, 2017.

Songs are broken down into sections with checkpoints; at these points, the game will increase the level cap up to 3x higher than the current lowest lane multiplier.

When full, the player will move faster along the tracks until they miss a small number of notes, while gaining an additional scoring bonus.

Overdrive powerups include a 2x scoring multiplier, the ability to have the computer play one track for a period of time, and others that involve launching a bottle rocket, sending out a shock wave, or launching an out-of-control car down the track, scoring points for each note hit.

[4][6] Players' performances are tracked through online scoreboards which can be accessed in-game or through the Rock Band World Facebook application.

To counter this, the team is including loading screen tips and tutorials to allow players to explore the open-ended nature of the game.

[10] They recognized that the game would be strictly limited to a single-player mode, but sought means to bring in social elements to simulate the experience of playing and challenging others.

[10] The conversion process is able to use lighting and presentation cues that are already built into the tracks for Rock Band 3 and use them to describe the look and feel of the city as the player progresses through a song.

[5] Harmonix announced that they would be delisting Blitz from the PSN and Xbox Live storefronts in August 2017 due to the expiration of music licensing agreements, and do not have plans to make the game backwards compatible on the newer consoles.

[15] Rock Band Blitz has received generally positive reviews, comparing the game to Harmonix' earlier Frequency and Amplitude, with many pointing out that the enjoyment of the game is directly tied to the number of previous Rock Band tracks the player can access within Blitz.

[22] Ryan Davis of Giant Bomb considered that while the game's social hooks could have been better implemented, players with a large library of existing Rock Band tracks would readily enjoy the title.

[20] Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead echoed this, noting that the constant drive to find high-scoring opportunities "means waving goodbye to that amazing synaesthetic feeling you get with a guitar in hand, where you inhabit a song, feeling the music and seeing the shape of it as the notes tumble towards you; hands, ears and eyes in perfect coordination".