The gameplay has two main themes: reenactments from each of the first three Star Wars movies, consisting of two missions each; and bonus battle missions against either Darth Vader or Boba Fett. Normal gameplay involves the player moving a cross-hair around the screen using a joystick and pressing the fire button atop the joystick to shoot. A "special event" button lights at certain points of the game and when pressed, triggers an event to happen onscreen. The game puts the player in several key battles of the Star Wars films with one mission for each original Star Wars film. The player selects which film's mission to play first and each mission has three parts.
The A New Hope mission reenacts the final space battle at Yavin as Luke Skywalker piloting an X-wing fighter confronting TIE fighters. The second part of the mission involves flying along the Death Star's surface, shooting TIE fighters and XX-9 heavy turbolaser turret guns, and confronting Darth Vader's TIE fighter. The third part of the mission pits the player within the battle station's trench, using proton torpedoes aimed at the exhaust port to destroy the Death Star.
In The Empire Strikes Back mission, the player reenacts the film's opening battle on Hoth. The first part of the mission involves shooting AT-ST walkers and probe droids, and helping other snowspeeders to take down the giant AT-AT walkers. The second part of the mission reenacts the escape from Hoth, running through corridors of the rebel base, shooting snowtroopers and wampas while traveling to the Millennium Falcon. The third part of the mission takes place in the hangar, again shooting snowtroopers and one last wampa before escaping.
The Return of the Jedi mission begins with a reenactment of the speeder bike sequence on Endor from the film, where the player must shoot scout troopers on their own speeder bikes. The second part of the stage has the player moving towards the Empire's base on Endor, shooting any enemies on the way. In the third part of the mission, the player must rapidly fire a blaster at an AT-ST walker.
The game's final mission directs the player as an unnamed X-Wing pilot, to destroy the second Death Star.
The game features two bonus boss stages that become available only once after completion of both conventional stages, although the player is not required to win either to finish the game. In the first boss battle, which is achieved by completing the first two stages, the player uses a lightsaber to reflect Boba Fett's blaster shots back at him, in order to knock Fett into the Sarlacc pit behind him. The second, which is after the third stage, involves the player dueling Darth Vader on the second Death Star.