Atari's Battlezone puts the player behind the controls of a futuristic tank fighting in a barren landscape.

In the arcade, a player must place his face up against the viewfinder to view the action, and place his hands on two bidirectional joysticks which control the forward and reverse movement of the left and right tracks of the tank.

Viewed from the first person perspective, the player sees a valley surrounded by mountains and an active volcano. Various geometric shapes dot the valley providing either protection or movement hindrances for the player. The game employs black and white vector graphics along with color overlays to make the playfield appear green and the radar appear red.

There are four different enemies to destroy. Tanks, Missiles, Super Tanks, and Saucers. Enemy tanks move at about the same speed you do and are the most common enemy. Missiles fly over the horizon, land on the ground and zero in on you with remarkable speed. Super Tanks are speeded up Tanks that are also smaller and harder to hit. Saucers pose no threat to you, but are worth a lot of points.

At the top of the screen, a circular radar centered on the player's tank reveals the location of the enemy. The radar will also tell you where the enemy is in relation to your tank (front, rear, right, left) and let you know if your movement is blocked by an object. ~ Michael Schwartz/Joan Dykman, All Game Guide