A visually enhanced update of Top Gun: Firestorm on Game Boy Color, Firestorm Advance is a mission-based shooter played from an isometric perspective. Structured similarly to games like Desert Strike and Jungle Strike, the game has players taking out various land-based and aerial threats in a series of 12 free-roaming levels covering four distinct types of terrain: arctic, desert, forest, and ocean. As players embark on each mission, they will have to monitor two horizontal gauges indicating fuel and damage. An aerial map is also available to help players isolate targets while in flight.