WWF Royal Rumble is a wrestling game based on the rules and featuring characters from the World Wrestling Federation. There are two modes in the game, Exhibition and Royal Rumble. In the Exhibition mode, the player selects a main wrestler and a partner who participate in a series of singles matches. The partner can be controlled indirectly by the player, who assigns commands to him. Partner moves must be recharged before they can be used again.

The Royal Rumble mode involves one multi-wrestler match. Up to nine wrestlers can be seen on the screen at the same time. The player's goal is to eliminate a set number of opponents within a time limit. There are thirty WWF superstars available in this mode.