The Cold War goes hot and erupts into World War III in World in Conflict, a real-time strategy (RTS) game that takes place in an alternate 1980s. The Russians invade half of Europe and ultimately launch a full-scale invasion on the United States. Players take the role of Lt. Parker, who previously fought in campaigns across Europe, and now must defend his homeland against the Soviet invasion. Amid the fighting and tactical maneuvering, the game addresses the brutalities of war, and how there are no "right" sides in such conflicts.

Unlike many RTS games, World in Conflict has no resource management system. Instead, players get allocated a set number of points to purchase units with. They input the units they want to order, designate an area within occupied territory as a drop zone and wait for the delivery to arrive. Points get refunded over time if a unit is destroyed in battle. This system puts heavy pressure on players to make quick decisions and preserve what they have. There's no worse feeling than being backed against the wall, desperately waiting for reinforcements. The game intensifies the pressure with time-sensitive secondary objectives that could make missions easier if achieved. But most of the time, it's a struggle standing one's ground against overwhelming odds using only a small handful of units, so it becomes doubly difficult to lend any troops out to pursue secondary goals.

The game puts players' mettle to the test by throwing a seemingly endless stream of Soviet troops at them. In order to take Command Points, like a gas station or bridge, units get placed on multiple control circles located around the area. Yet these circles are usually set far enough apart so that it becomes impossible to completely fortify a single area, or reinforce one without weakening the other. Standing on a strategic point long enough will automatically build stationary defenses, but they don't last very long against a heavy assault. Players must rely heavily on calling in Tactical Aid such as an artillery barrage or air strike in order to turn battles around. They can help cut off a choke point, defoliate an area using napalm or even carpet bomb an area, hoping for the best. Tactical weapons only damage a targeted area and take the form of a circle or a strip. There's a time delay before artillery or air strikes hit, and it's very possible for enemies to move out of the targeted area before the strike hits. Players then need to press on, destroying enemy units and taking Command Points to earn enough points toward calling in another strike. Those that have surplus Tactical Points can order up to three simultaneous hits on the same position, causing massive damage. However, these weapons are indiscriminate, and friendly units will need to wait until the fires die down before moving in.

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