Raiden V Directors Cut is a vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up from the long-running Raiden series, putting players in the cockpit of a fighter craft battling waves of enemy ships and screen-filling bosses. A shield gauge absorbs damage instead of relying only on traditional lives.

Players choose weapons before a sortie and can switch between them during play, shifting between wide spread fire and focused damage. A story told through in-flight dialogue accompanies the arcade action. This edition adds extra content, including local two-player cooperative play.