Grotnik Wars is a space shooter played from a first-person perspective. The player flies through space and moves a crosshair across the screen with the aim of shooting down a number of enemy fighters. To complete a level the player has to destroy all but three fighters and the number of fighters occupying the galaxy increases with each new level. The player's ship has a limited amount of shield energy which is depleted when getting hit. It is possible to go into hyperspace to quickly escape enemy attacks but this might also deplete energy. In addition to the fighters there are other enemy ships that can be destroyed for extra points. These are in many enemies taken from well known science fiction franchises and include Doctor Who's TARDIS, Star Trek's Enterprise and Star Wars' Death Star.