Legend of Success Joe puts players in the role of Joe, a young boxer aspiring to make it up the ranks of the boxing world. But all is not well in Joe's world, and between boxing matches he may have to contend with street thugs out for his blood.

The game is viewed from a side 2D view, and Joe can move up and down within the backgrounds as well as forwards and backwards. Fighting consists of using the four basic boxing punches, the straight, the hook, the body blow, and the uppercut, to take opponents down. During boxing matches each boxer has three health bars on screen, with the second smaller than the first and the third smaller than the second. When a boxer's health bar is drained he gets knocked down, but can get back up. When the third health bar is drained that boxer is knocked out and loses the match.