Dino Wars is an arcade-style fast-action game, where the two players (there is no single player mode) control two battling dinosaurs via joystick control. Each player tries to position his Dino in front or behind the other for a quick roaring bite attack for a knock down, reducing the score of the other player's Dino by 20 points.

The playing field scrolls to the left and right, but also contains some depth of field, both near and far. This allows for dodging to avoid your opponent’s parallel attack. Once you have successfully reduced your opponent's score to zero, his Dino will run off into the distance yelping due to his wounds.