The game is fully 3D, mapped by an invisible grid; vehicles tilt to meet hilly terrain, and projectiles can be realistically blocked by obstructions. The camera is free-moving and can zoom in and out, rotate, and pan up or down while navigating the battlefield. In the game, the usual RTS elements such as base building and resource gathering are followed, but Metal Fatigue differs from the other titles by offering players to do battle with giant high-tech Mech-style juggernauts called Combots. Combots can be customized by four main combot parts: a torso; a single pair of legs; and two separate pieces of arm (excluding the combot pilots). The game also allows players to salvage destroyed enemy Combots and their various parts. In-game, units are unable to raise in rank through experience. However, after a completion of a single player mission, the player is given points, that could be used to upgrade combot pilots, vehicles or structures. The game also places an emphasis on multi-level warfare. The battlefield is divided into three layers of combat, an orbital level, a surface level and an underground level.