Tearaway is an action-adventure game set in a world made entirely of paper, where players control either Iota or Atoi, a messenger tasked with delivering a message to the sun. The player's character, "the You", is also present in the game and represented by the sun showing their face using the Vita camera. The core gameplay involves exploring, completing puzzles, and defeating enemies known as Scraps while navigating through a 3D world. Players can interact with the environment using various techniques, such as pushing through objects with their fingers or blowing wind to influence the game world. The character can also collect items, unlock new abilities, and customize the messenger's appearance.
Throughout the game, players can collect confetti to unlock decorations and customize the messenger. They can meet characters who provide quests for rewards, design new items using a pencil and paper mechanic, and take pictures of themselves or characters in the game with different filters and lenses available on the rear camera.
Additionally, players can access papercraft plans through the Tearaway website, which can be printed out to create real-life items from the game world. The rear camera also uses the real world environment as a layer for the bottom of the game world and allows players to take pictures of real-life items as skins for objects in the game.