Crater Raider is a multi-screen action game. The object of the game is to destroy a giant asteroid that is on a collision course with the planet Earth. The player must guide Raider Rick over the surface of the asteroid, jumping over craters and avoiding flying meteorites (and aliens, in the later stages). The player starts with three lives and will lose one if Rick falls into a crater or is hit by a flying object. Rick's supply of oxygen is limited, but more oxygen can be obtained by picking up canisters that are strewn about the asteroid's surface. If Rick runs out of oxygen, the game will end. When the 20th screen is reached, a bomb must be dropped in the large crater. Once the bomb is dropped, the player has only three minutes to guide Rick back to his ship before the bomb explodes. If Rick's mission is successful, the player will earn an extra life and proceed to a more difficult asteroid. The game has nine levels of difficulty.