Inversion is a third-person shooter set in the near future and the fictional Vanguard City. Players control the cop Davis Russel when the city is invaded by an unknown enemy called the Lutadore and his daughter Leila is kidnapped. The game starts at the end of the story, when he is captured and about to be executed, and the preceding events are then played as separate episodes in a flashback, leading up to the final moment. The game starts at the beginning of the invasion when Russel patrols the city and the first sightings are called in. The gameplay is similar to classic third-person shooters with various weapons, cover-based movement, and AI-controlled allies that provide assistance but cannot be controlled directly. A key feature is the manipulation of gravity, which can be used to lift obstacles, objects, and opponents, as well as grab objects and hurl them at enemies.
The technology has limitations, as it only applies to some items and not all environments can be transformed. The player must use cover-based tactics while navigating the environment with a gravlink device that allows for 90-degree rotation of gravity or zero-gravity zones where Russell can float and move forward.
Multiplayer includes various game modes, including Survival, Hourglass, Gravity Slaughter, and King of Gravity. In these modes, players must work together or compete against each other to achieve objectives, with the added twist of gravitational manipulation.