Cookie Run: Kingdom is a free-to-play role-playing and city-building battle simulator. The game is mainly played by building the player's Cookie Kingdom and collecting Cookies using the game's gacha to fight in various game modes.

In the kingdom, players place production buildings to produce goods and materials, which are mainly used for upgrading buildings and game aspects or can be traded through various facilities for rewards. Players are free to decorate their kingdoms with a catalog of decorative items which can be acquired with the game's currency or with real money. New facilities and land expansion are unlocked by upgrading the Cookie Castle.

The game modes include PvP and Guild systems, various PvE challenges, seasonal and event game modes that add strategy and variety to the team-building mechanics, and Special Episodes that feature side stories, with some that tie into major side characters. The main story mode, World Exploration, includes two worlds, Crispia and Beast-Yeast, both giving different rewards.

The game features over 153 Cookies obtained in the gacha, with high-tier rarities (Legendary, Dragon, Ancient, Beast). In addition, non-playable Guest Cookies and MyCookie can be placed in the kingdom.