Pogo Joins The Circus takes the role of the eponymous Pogo Joe, a boy on a pogo stick. To complete a level, Pogo Joe must jump on every barrel. Holding the joystick button lets Pogo Joe jump over a barrel or empty space the width of a barrel. Falling off is impossible.

• Play 65 levels with three maps of variations
  
• Jump to all barrels the s and avoid the enemy to go to the next level
  
• Barrels type:
  
  • White: The default state.
    
  • Red: The barrel has been jumped on.
    
  • Cyan: The barrel has been jumped on twice (required on some levels).
    
  • Purple: The barrel has been jumped on three times (required on some levels).
    
  • Flashing Green: A "smart bomb" barrel. Jumping on this kills every enemy on screen, and creates the barrel to red.
    
  • Flashing Black: A teleport. Pogo Joe falls into the hole and rises onto the linked black flashing barrel. This action repeats, going from black-tipped barrel to black-topped barrel until Pogo Joe jumps away.
• Some enemies change red barrels back to white when jumping on them. These enemies are not fatal to Pogo Joe.