The D-pad steers your vehicle while button 2 accelerates and button 1 brakes. By accelerating, braking, and holding left or right on the D-pad all within the same calculated maneuver, you can perform a drift, handy for conquering sharp curves on the track without sacrificing speed. Hold the drift for too long, however, and you'll skid out of control, dropping a Ring (if you have any) in the process. The tracks themselves are obstacle-free, but slip off the beaten path and you'll suffer a drop in speed. If that isn't enough to quell your wandering spirit, the sidelines are also dotted with obstacles such as palmtrees, billboards, columns, etc - smash into the scenery and you'll be jolted to a complete stop and robbed of a not-so-precious Ring.

   Off-road dangers aside, the vigilant driver will also keep an eye on his three opponents, who (theoretically) won't play fair. While each has their own sneaky methods of sabotaging fellow racers, they're generally too stupid to put them into action and mostly just drive around the track like zombies making little effort to impede your progress. The biggest danger is smacking into one of them on the narrow track... bump into a booty and you'll be slowed down or jolted to a complete stop.

   As you zip along your merry albeit uninspired way, you'll encounter power-up items sprinkled haphazardly around each track:

	Ring (リング) -- Collect 2 of these and press up on the D-pad to perform your character's Special Power.
	jump spring (ジャンプバネ) -- These springs catapult you into the air, which is mostly useless unless there happens to be a big, fat, road-hogging opponent blocking your path. (Note that springing instantly nullifies any other power-ups that may be in effect.)
	High Speed (ハイスピード) -- Drive through the red monitor and you'll dash down the track with a momentary burst of speed.
	Muteki (無敵) -- Drive through the blue monitor and you'll become temporarily invulnerable to obstacles (but you can still spin out). The BGM during invincibility is based on "Sonic - You Can Do Anything" from Sonic CD.

   There are four playable characters, each with a unique albiet utterly indiscernable vehicle and his/her own set of strengths and weaknesses. The three players you don't choose automatically become your rivals.

	Sonic the Hedgehog (in the Cyclone) -- Good acceleration and speed, but poor cornering. His Special Power is a quick dash maneuver (same effect as the High Speed boxes).
	Miles "Tails" Prower (in the MTP-01 Whirlwind) -- A solid racer with good cornering but low max speed. His Special Power is a flying leap (same effect as the Jump springs).
	Dr. Eggman (in the Egg Typhoon) -- Poor acceleration, but high speed. He has the ability to toss mines that halt and knock a Ring out of whoever runs into them.
	Amy Rose (in the Breeze) -- Good acceleration but low max speed. She has the ability to toss hearts that confuse and reduce the speed of opponents.

   The main 1-player game is the Chaos GP, which encompasses all 6 tracks. Points are awarded at the end of each round based on your finishing position: 3 points for first place, 2 for second, 1 for third, and a big, fat goose egg for fourth. The character who has amassed the most points at the end of all 6 races is the winner. There are three separate tournaments to play (Green, Yellow, and Red) for a total of 18 tracks in 6 different graphical backdrops (based on the original Zones from Sonic 1). You're congratulated with a bonus screen for winning the Green and Yellow tournaments, but only completing the Red tournament in first place will access the ending and credit roll.

Green Chaos GP

Yellow Chaos GP

Red Chaos GP

   In addition to the Chaos GP, there's a Free Run mode for honing your skills on any one of the tracks. The three best course times and the single best lap time are recorded. (To exit the Free Run midway, pause the game and press buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously.) If you happen to have a so-called Taisen Cable (Gear-to-Gear Cable in the West), a spare Game Gear unit, and an extra copy of the game, you might also engage in a 1-on-1 Versus match. Load the Options menu to access a sound test and toggle between Normal and Hard difficulty settings. In Hard mode, your opponents are blessed with a bit of extra speed (but no extra intellect).