The player embodies Dig Dug, dressed in white and blue, and capable of digging tunnels (to dig means digging in English, dug being the preterite form of the verb). The objective of Dig Dug is to eliminate monsters living in the basement. The player uses a pump to inflate them until they explode. It can also make rocks fall on them to crush them. There are two kinds of enemies: the Pookas are red and round monsters, inspired by tomatoes, wearing yellow glasses; the Fygars are green dragons who spit fire. The hero dies if he gets caught by a monster, burned by a Fygar, or crushed by a rock.

It takes four shots of a pump for a monster to explode. If the monster is not fully inflated, it will deflate and return to its normal size after a few seconds. The player can also inflate enemies halfway to make sure the monster stays under a rock. Dig Dug can also cross an enemy who deflates. It should also be noted that the last enemy on the screen is still trying to escape to the top left, so that the player can not have maximum points at the end of the table.