Gameplay can be customized by choosing any combination of Gear, Note, or Effectors.

Main article: DJMAX Portable/Customization Free Style or Unlimited Play: Described in-game as 'Unlimited Mixing Stage', the player has the freedom to choose the songs they want to play, as well as the difficulty and number of buttons.The number of buttons used and the difficulty of each stage depends on the course chosen. Each Club has a unique theme that the courses adhere to, such as electronic music or jazz. Unlike the previous modes which allowed the player to choose different songs for each stage, Expert Mode consists of various pre-made courses, sorted into groups called Clubs. Club DJing (Expert Mode) or Repertory Play: Described in-game as 'Dynamic Sound Creation'.This mode is unavailable until the player has accumulated 2800 MAX (DJMAX Portable's in-game currency). This mode is identical to the previous modes, except that every song is played using eight buttons (adding the L and R buttons to the six buttons used in Normal Mode). Master DJing (Hard Mode): Described in-game as 'Master Solution for DJ Mixing'.This mode is identical to Easy Mode, except that every song is played using six buttons (Left, Up, Right, Square, Triangle, and Circle). Pro DJing (Normal Mode): Described in-game as 'Advanced Sound Design'.Every song is played using four buttons (Left, Up, Triangle, and Circle). Rookie DJing (Easy Mode): Described in-game as 'Easy Sound for Novice', the player completes four stages consisting of increasingly difficult songs.

Djmax portable gameplays