Although the game is called The Simpsons Arcade, this game is not a port of the well-known coin-op game of the same name. Instead, it is an homage to it, retaining the same beat-em-up gameplay, but featuring new characters from later seasons of The Simpsons, such as Chief Wiggum, Bumblebee Man and Mayor Quimby. Players attack enemies with punches and kicks, and can find power-ups in the form of other Simpsons family members, who appear on-screen briefly to give assistance in beating up foes.