Aero Fighters 3 is a vertically-scrolling shooter in the same vein as 1942 and similar games. It supports up to two players and has 10 different aircraft to choose from, each equipped with unique primary and secondary weapons. Power-ups upgrade the look, power, size and shape of the shots. Bombs activate a special power that usually wipes off the enemies on the screen. The game has a total of 8 stages placed on several countries (Japan, Germany, Libya, Egypt, Pacific, U.S.A., England, France, Panama, Thailand, Ukraine, Atlantic and Space), all of them with a boss battle.