In Crimsonland, the enemies appear and move toward the player as they are positioned in the centre of the map. The goal is to defeat the adversaries before they lose all of their health. The player will get experience points for each opponent they defeat. As the player levels up, they can choose from a variety of special perks, such as quicker reload times, faster firing speeds, faster movement, status effects like radiation (which surrounds the player and destroys any foes in its area of influence), poison bullets, and many others. When an enemy is killed, they may drop bonuses at random. These bonuses can include extra points, momentary invulnerability, firing bullets, slowing time, and a variety of others.

Crimsonland also has local multiplayer for up to four players on the re-release and two on the original version. All players in a multiplayer Game have access to the same features and benefits, but they are also free to employ any weapons or bonuses that may be available.

Game modes

There are four Game modes in Crimsonland. A puzzle mode is a hidden extra; however, the developers have never revealed what happens when you solve the puzzle.

Quest mode

There are 50 stages to finish, each with its beginning weapons and enemy arrangements. The player can access new weapons and benefits as they complete each Quest.

Survival mode

The player strives to hold out as long as they can against waves of adversaries. There are no restrictions on the perks or weapons that have been unlocked.

Rush mode

Without any benefits or boosts, the player must survive as long as possible while carrying an AK-47.

Typ'o'Shooter

The player is armed with a shotgun and stays still in the middle of the map. There is a word lingering over the adversaries as they move closer to the player. The player must input the comment and hit Enter to fire at the specific adversary. The words that emerge above the enemies last longer than the player lives.

Quest

Sixty levels must be completed, each with unique objectives and weapons. While eliminating all enemies is the main objective, there are different ways to do this. A lot of quests do not allow the player to use other weapons. Additionally, perks can be turned off in the Game's options menu to increase difficulty. The player can choose between three different difficulty levels, and if they finish a task with all of their health, a star will appear on the Quest in the Quest selection screen. Most of the Game's weapons and perks are unlocked in the Quest mode.

Survival

While waves upon waves of opponents spawn at an escalating rate, the player must hold out for as long as they can. This Game mode offers access to all unlocked perks, items, and bonuses.

Rush

Monsters and spiders are approaching the player from the left and right sides of the screen, respectively, and the player is armed with an AK-47 rifle. Perks or bonuses are absent from this mode.

Nukefism

In this Game mode, the player is not armed. Instead, the player must collect bonuses from defeating the foes. Perks and point-based benefits are absent from this mode.

Weapon Picker

There are no reloads; the player has the ammunition found in the weapon they pick up. The map contains a random distribution of weapons.

Blitz

Similar to survival mode, but with more difficulty. To make the playtime significantly shorter than in Survival mode, the number of monsters has increased. This Game mode offers access to all unlocked perks, items, and bonuses.

Gembine

Crimsonland contains a secret Game called Gembine. The puzzle Game 2048 and this one are incredibly similar. The player is given a 4x4 grid, and their task is to use the arrow keys to combine the smaller gems to form larger jewels. The player scores points for each gem combination. To start the Game, choose the credits from the main menu and type "gembine" on the keyboard or, if using a gamepad, use the right d-pa, the d-pad, left, up, and up buttons. (For PlayStation controllers, press "square" (three times), then "triangle" (once), in that order.) (To use an Xbox controller, press "Y" once, "X" three times, and then "Y" three times.)