Avenger is a scrolling shooter with an overhead view. The player moves the aircraft with an eight-way joystick and fires using the action buttons; a separate bomb/special weapon attacks a wide area. Enemy units appear in waves from the edges of the screen, and the player must dodge enemy fire and collisions while destroying targets.

Keep the aircraft near the center of the screen to leave room for emergency dodges. Learn the enemy wave patterns and destroy the edges of a formation before moving inward. Save the bomb/special weapon for moments when the screen is filled with bullets, and do not hold a bomb too long once you are surrounded.