LEGO Racers is a kart-style racing game that pits both your driving ability and LEGO skills against the computer and friend alike. Players can select between preset cars or can use LEGO blocks to build their own racers, customizing the number of tires (4 or 6) as well as the color and overall look of the vehicle. You can even design your own LEGO driver, choosing several different heads, bodies and hair types. None of this customization affects the actual gameplay of the title.
Once you've created your specialized car, you can take it onto the tracks. The tracks themselves are based on various LEGO sets available in stores, with themes such as pirates, medieval castles, and deep space. There are 25 different tracks in LEGO Racers, although many of them have to be unlocked in Circuit mode. In this mode, you will race over several similarly themed tracks, shooting for a first-place finish so that you can move on to other circuits. You will also unlock different pieces for your LEGO car by going through this mode. Other modes are Single Race, which lets you choose from the tracks you've unlocked and race them individually. There is also a Versus Mode, which allows two players to compete via the Link Cable.
Once in the race, players will attempt to run to the head of the pack, and to help or hinder them, they'll have several LEGO blocks of diverse color. These blocks serve as the game's power ups, and offer upgrades such as invincibility or a speed boost.