After securing food and a lantern on short notice, the player enters the pyramid with hopes of finding and relying on additional equipment abandoned by earlier expeditions.

Traps are less likely to be triggered and sleeping animals are less likely to be woken when walking at slower speeds, but it consumes more food and oil.

[4] Once this task is accomplished, an exit is revealed, yet players can choose to continue playing if they wish to risk death and increase their scores.

Once a player picks up the Scarab, mummy-like Guardians immediately began their hunt, delivering an electric shock upon contact.

When the player wins or quits, their character attains a rank based on "prestige points" accrued during the game.

Macworld named the Macintosh version of Scarab of Ra the "Best Egyptian Adventure and 3-D Maze" as part of its Shareware and Public Domain Game Awards in 1987.