Monster Rush is a fighting runner that has elements similar to Pokémon. The player must collect monster balls and monsters on a track filled with obstacles. They then compete individually and as a team in a battle arena against other trainers and monsters.
The player's primary goal is to evolve and strengthen their monsters enough to win every trainer-against-trainer battle and battles with boss-level monsters. They make their monsters stronger by running them through gates designed to increase their strength.
The player's trainer has spikey black hair, a green shirt and blue vest, blue jeans with folded up cuffs and an orange backpack. During gameplay, they can upgrade the character's appearance and unlock and buy new monsters by collecting purple gemstones on the track and receiving gemstones as gifts. They can also collect keys to open treasure chests filled with gems.
Once the player reaches the end of the track, they should have enough strength in their single monster or team to fight. If they win, their opponent falls back onto a multiplier section of track. If they lose, their trainer and monster or team die.