Based on the arcade game Rayforce, Galactic Attack is a vertical scrolling space shooter in which the objective is to destroy the con-human forces that have overrun Earth. Players are equipped with a space fighter containing standard forward lasers and a lock-on laser that homes in on enemies. These weapons can both be increased in strength throughout the game by power-ups. Galactic Attack contains six stages of combat, with the final stage being an assault on the source of the con-human forces: the Mother-Core. Purists can turn their televisions sideways and turn on the "Arcade Mode," which rotates the picture 90 degrees to match the vertical orientation of the original arcade monitor.