In Shock Troopers, players control a character equipped with a default gun and a limited stock of special weapons, and must fight their way up the screen killing all the enemy characters and vehicles. The game can be played in either Lonely Wolf or Team mode. In Lonely Wolf mode, players select one character to control during the entire game, while in Team mode players select three characters and can switch between them during the game. Each character has an independent special weapons pool but share the same health bar. Characters have access to special weapons like explosive boomerangs, rockets and grenades. Additionally, all characters have a roll technique that allows them to evade bullets.
After selecting one or more characters, players must then choose one of three paths. All three paths arrive at the same final destination, but the scenery and levels that players will encounter depends on the path they choose. Players can fight their way through the jungle, valley or mountain routes. During the course of levels, players can collect health power-ups, special weapons and more powerful guns with limited ammunition. These can be uncovered by destroying crates or by killing enemy soldiers at close range.
Players start the game with a health bar that gets decreased every time they are hit. Picking up food or medical kits increases the health bar. Once the health bar is empty, the character dies and the game is over.