Hay Day is a freemium mobile farming game. The player's uncle is unable to take care of his farm any more, so he hands over the responsibility of caring for the farm to the player. The game starts with a scarecrow teaching the player about harvesting wheat. By selling crops/products, the player earns coins which can be used to buy production buildings, pets and decoration items. By doing so, they also earn experience points (XP), with which they level up. As the game progress, the player is introduced to Angus, a friend of the player's uncle who teaches about fishing.

Players form into "neighborhoods", wherein the members can assist each other when in need and also chat with each other.