In StarDriven: Gateway, 1-4 players each control their own starship and crew while determining the fate of distant colonies near an ancient alien gateway. The game can be played competitively, co-operatively, or in solo mode depending on which episode you select at game set-up.

Your objective is to be the most renowned and respected Crew by gaining the most points. You gain points by increasing your reputation with the Council Worlds, promoting your Crew, researching Anomalies, recruiting Freelancers, and completing Missions. All of these brave endeavors will score you points and lead to your victory. Running your starship entails assigning crew to different stations on your ship board, which allows you to assign dice to those stations to activate ship actions. Move and explore space, encounter raiders, face anomalies, and use your crew abilities and skills to fulfill mission requirements and activate their bonuses. Manage your ship's power, weapons, and shields, and recruit and promote crew members to enhance your ship and achieve objectives to ensure your side prevails.

Each round of the game, each player takes a turn in clockwise order. On your turn, you must take 2 actions (and any free actions that you want) before ending your turn by passing or spending 1 to recruit a freelancer or promote a Crew on your ship. The round ends with each player Activating the Warbound. When any end game condition is met, players calculate their final score to determine who wins.

—description from the designer