Bubble Shooter Arena is a bubble-popping game that uses popular Zuma mechanics. It also features a competitive element. In a dry, desert region, the player destroys trains on tracks made of rolling bubble balls while journeying past ancient structures and watering holes. The player attempts to earn the most points and coins possible and special achievements. On boss levels, they also attempt to beat the times of other players and climb leaderboards.
The player receives a frog shooter and crosshair targeting line that allows them to make precision shots. In the shooter, they receive a primary bubble ball projectile in the frog's mouth and a secondary one in its head. To never waste a shot, they can swap these two projectiles at any time. If no match exists on the train, they can also shoot a projectile off to the side away from it.
The game only permits the player to pop clusters of three or more matching bubble balls that include the projectile. When a cluster pops, the bubble balls in front of it usually stop rolling forward. If the balls in that half match the front of the back half, the game rolls the front into the back and pops the connected matching bubbles automatically.
Bubble Shooter Arena ends play if the player allows the train to reach a swirling portal at the end of the track. That said, it helps the player pop the bubble balls faster with power-up boosters. With coins or ad views, the player can use explosive black bombs and fireballs, streaking rockets, and time-stopping snowflakes.
