The original Myst is revamped for the new millennium, in 3D: dynamic and fully interactive with day and night condition cycles, changing weather, and real-time lighting effects. Unlike in the original version, with its "screen by screen" navigation and pre-rendered images that represented locations, Real Myst allows the player to physically explore the game's world and includes a fully rotatable camera.

The remake also adds a fifth "Age" (a world created by the power of human imagination), called the Rime Age, and a new available ending.