In Zeppelin Rescue the player is the pilot of a blimp that has to pick up stranded people and bring them to safety. The setting is Los Angeles which is made up of five side view screens which the player flies between. The blimp is moved around with joystick but the manoeuvrability is limited by its size as well as the gravity. There is no reverse so it needs to be turned around to change direction.

In total there are 48 people waiting to be rescued and they all need to be brought to the home base where a space ship is being built. It's important to pay attention to the fuel gauge and refuel before it gets too low. There are also obstacles such as clouds, bridges and buildings that have to be avoided since any crash will lead to all passengers getting killed and the player losing a life.