There are 5 permanent rides that are open to the player immediately. Two special zones each contain 5 rides and require the player to perform certain tasks before they can enter them. Players construct their own roller coaster in the Lightning Racer mini-table, and the Nighttime Fantasy mode even includes fireworks. Some Hershey's tie-ins can be found in Hide and Seek mode which requires players to find Hershey characters. The 3D graphics are wonderful and realistic, as are the movement of the ball, flippers, and bumpers.
Players can even simulate bumping the machine with their hands using special keys.
The flippers can be controlled using either the keyboard, mouse or a gamepad. Up to 4 players can play the game at once for extra fun. For competitive souls, players can look up the top 100 scores over the Internet and get theirs posted if they make the cut. There are 3 different levels of difficulty that are pre-defined, but users can adjust all these settings to create their own unique rules, bonuses and milestones. The same winning formula from previous 3D Ultra Pinball editions is carried forward to Thrill Ride.