Brides of Dracula is a two-player split-screen game similar to Spy vs. Spy in gameplay. Each player (human or CPU) controls either the vampire hunter Van Helsing or Count Dracula. Van Helsing is summoned to the Bistritz village to kill Dracula and his brides. His goal is to find thirteen tools to kill Dracula, bring them back to Helsing's home and store them in the cupboard. For Dracula, the objective is to create thirteen brides by finding women, biting and leading them back to the crypt, where thirteen coffins are lined up waiting for their recipients.

Both characters can be killed by certain hazardous environments and non-player characters (NPCs). Some of these dangers may effect only one of the characters (ghouls only attack Van Helsing, while priests and villagers only harm Dracula). Each player starts with three lives. Collected objects and women are displayed at the bottom of the character window, along with the health bar. The game takes place in the church cemetery and the adjacent village.