In Mississippi Queen, players race their paddle wheelers down the Mississippi, picking up passengers along the way. But onboard coal supplies are limited, so each ship's acceleration and maneuvers must be carefully planned. The twists and turns of the river are unknown at the start of the game and are revealed only as ships progress downstream, so captains need to be alert at the wheel and ready to change course.

The game has basic rules that more or less reflect gameplay in the original game, along with advanced rules that introduce elements such as floating logs and sand bars that were included in The Black Rose expansion.