The game features an open-world map, which the player explores by walking, climbing, swimming and gliding as necessary. Many objects and places of significance are spread throughout the map.[6] Players can control up to four of their characters at any one time. By completing quests to advance the story, the player is able to unlock a total of 24 playable characters. A similarly styled multiplayer mode is available. The game features cross-platform play as well as cross-save options.

Each character has two unique combat skills: a normal and a special skill. The normal skill can be used at any time except for the cooldown period immediately after use, while the special skill has an energy cost, requiring the user to amass sufficient elemental energy first.[7][8]

Characters have control over one of seven natural elements: Cryo, Dendro, Pyro, Hydro, Anemo, Electro and Geo, which correspond to ice, life, fire, water, air, electricity, and earth, respectively. These elements can interact in different ways, for example if a Hydro attack is followed up by a Cryo attack, it will inflict a frozen status, so the target will be unable to move or perform actions temporarily.