Outback is based on the arcade game Pooyan and sees you play as Boss Roo trying to save nine Joeys from the clutches of Swagmen over three levels. The game is viewed from the side with the levels shown on one screen as your hero stands in an elevator powered by a pulley system on the right of the screen, moving up or down. 32 Swagmen must be killed to move onto the next level. Before you play the game you have a number of options that can be selected which are number of lives (3-5), difficulty (1-3) and points for extra lives (30000 - 50000). The joystick or keyboard can be used to control Boss Roo.

The first level sees the Swagmen jump from the top of the screen from a tree and float down by a balloon. You must shoot the balloons to make the Swagmen fall and kill themselves because if they land safely they will take a Joey, shown in the left hand bottom corner in a cage. Some Swagmen will shoot back and if you are hit then you lose a life and if you are playing in two player mode, then the next player takes their turn. The game is over when all Joeys or lives are gone.

The second level is like the first one except the Swagmen now parachute from a helicopter and when they reach a certain height, a gust of wind will blow them to the left. The third and final level now sees the Swagmen float up to the top of the screen from the ground by a balloon. Their aim now is to reach a platform at the top of the screen to push a huge rock of the edge on the right to crush you. Each Swagman making it to the platform will push the rock a small distance. Once all three levels are completed then you start from level one again but this time with zig-zagging Swagmen and more of them will shoot back.