Carrier Command: Gaea Mission is the successor of Carrier Command and shares the basic mix of strategy and action. The game is set in a future where two factions, UEC and APA, fought almost destroyed Earth. Now both factions fight for control over the moon Taurus, a big ocean with many islands. The center of control is the faction's carrier from which everything is managed. However, unlike other real-time strategy games, the player only controls up to eight units: four walrusses (tanks) and four mantas (aircraft). Each unit has its own function, including a hacking computer necessary for taking over enemy buildings.
The majority of the game is spent in tactical assaults to conquer islands. There's also a resource management component as each island provides resources for defense, mining, or manufacturing. It's essential to use these resources wisely to manufacture equipment or bring in replenishment from far away.
Damages on the carrier itself may cause certain functionality to be disabled, so repairs must be kept in mind too. Each vehicle, including turrets to defend the carrier, can be directly controlled by the player to participate in combat.