[3] Deep Rock Galactic is set on the alien planet of Hoxxes IV, whose caves are rich in minerals but filled with hostile wildlife and hazardous environments.

The player controls a dwarf miner employed by Deep Rock Galactic, an intergalactic mining corporation that sends employees into the caves of Hoxxes IV to extract resources.

Players can team up with up to three other dwarves on missions into the planet, where they must navigate procedurally generated caves and complete objectives while fighting alien swarms.

[5] Upon landing in a cave via an orbital drop pod, players must complete a mission objective, such as mining resources or repairing abandoned equipment.

[7] By working together to take advantage of how these different capabilities interact, teams can more efficiently navigate a cave, complete objectives, and fight enemies.

[8] The game features various progression systems, such as new weapons, equipment upgrades, and cosmetics, that can be purchased using credits and crafting minerals obtained from missions.

[6] By completing challenges, players can also acquire perks; these give dwarves additional abilities, such as increased running speed.

[15] Deep Rock Galactic entered early access on February 28, 2018, where it stayed for two years prior to its full release in 2020.

[9][16][17][18] Ghost Ship Games used the early access model to get community feedback in order to determine which features to prioritize.

[11][22] The early access version of Deep Rock Galactic was received positively by critics, who praised the game's atmosphere and challenging levels.

[32] Phil Iwaniuk, writing for PC Gamer, enjoyed the tension that the exfiltration phase brought to each mission, and the persistent upgrades that let the player customize their dwarf.

Much like the original, it will be a co-op procedurally-generated first-person shooter, but with rogue-lite elements in place of standard progression, focusing on a four-dwarf squad assigned to investigate the loss of mining activity within Hoxxes' core sectors.