Worms is a turn-based strategy game. It features up to 4 teams of 4 worms, aiming to destroy the others on a generated terrain. Each worm has 100 hitpoints and dies when his hit points fall to 0. Upon death, a worm explodes, causing damage to everyone around.
Gameplay is turn-based. Each turn, the player can control one specific worm from their team. The worm can crawl left and right or jump. However, there is a time limit to make a move; also, if the worm falls from a great height, it loses health and the turn ends immediately; and if a worm falls into water or offscreen, it dies. Each turn, a worm can also make a single attack: the player can aim up and down, choose a weapon and then fire it. After attacking, the turn ends.
There are many weapons available - the standard ones as bazookas , which are affected by the (random) wind settings and gravity, and grenades. Other options include Fire Punch, dynamite, airstrikes, and utilities such as ropes and girders.
The game features 10 different terrain styles, ranging from forests and deserts to Candy land and the moon, with affected gravity. Shots leave craters in the ground, and complex tunnels can be formed.