The player views the park from an overhead, angled perspective and uses the touch screen to place attractions, paths, scenery, food outlets, and facilities. Visitors enter the park, choose attractions, spend money, and react to prices, cleanliness, queues, and the overall layout.

The main objective is to develop a successful park. The player manages finances, researches or obtains new attractions, hires workers, and adjusts admission or shop prices. Progress comes from earning money and improving the park rather than completing a fixed action sequence.

The DS release is designed for solo play. Its level structure centers on building and expanding parks while balancing visitor happiness, operating costs, maintenance, and long-term profitability.

Start with a compact layout so visitors do not spend too much time walking between attractions. Place essential facilities near busy paths, including food, drinks, toilets, and seating.

Monitor queue lengths, litter, ride breakdowns, and staff workload before buying expensive attractions. Raise prices gradually and compare income with visitor satisfaction; a cheap, well-maintained park is usually stronger than an oversized park with poor services.

Keep spare cash for repairs and research, and expand only after the existing park is consistently profitable.