Desperado is a topdown shooter where we embody a lonely gunman who intends to save the city of Hicksville, in the heat of gold, from a group of gangs known as the Wingates. Each level has a distinctive enemy, although its minions must also be eliminated.

The screen moves at a constant speed, and the enemies appear from all sides, to be shot or avoided. You can catch different powerups along the way. Finding a horse will allow you to receive two impacts before you die, instead of one. There are scenes where you go up a river or where you use the railroad tracks.