The gameplay is very similar to past games by Namco like MotoGP (PS2) and MotoGP 2 (PS2). MotoGP 3 is based off the 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season but with the introduction of four stroke bikes the gameplay has some slight differences. The new 990cc 4-stroke bikes are faster but tend to be a bit of a handful while the 500cc 2-strokes are less faster but slightly better to handle.