Gals Panic 4 is a variant of the classic puzzle game qix where the player works to uncover the highlighted area of the play space to reveal a girl. Players select one of seven girls at the start of the game. Each girl has three stages with each stage featuring a different background image to uncover. Players are given bombs to attack the enemies with and are rewarded with more bombs if they reveal a large section at one time. When a player reveals 80% of a girl the stage ends and the player is shown the entire background image. When a player reveals 100% of the girl in a stage, he is rewarded with a 'Showtime' interlude. Unlike in later games, 'Showtime' sequences involve no nudity, they just show the girl in a bikini. The 'Showtime' image is the same for each level featuring the girl.

There is also a 2-player vs. game where both players work on separate images on a split screen and work to reveal their image first. When a player uses a bomb in this game, instead of attacking the enemy, it sends a sub-enemy to the other player's side.