The player controls a minuscule character who takes command of squads of Pikmin to explore various areas, fight enemies, secure treasures, and solve puzzles.

[3] Pikmin can be directed to perform various tasks, such as carrying objects and fighting enemies, and have individual weaknesses and strengths.

Treasures collected in different areas contribute to a resource known as Sparklium, which is needed to expand the number of maps the player can explore.

In addition, players can redeploy their transport craft and the Onion to previously discovered landing sites to deploy Pikmin quickly and speed up the acquisition of treasures and combat spoils.

In Dandori Battles, which are also featured in single-player, the player must secure as much spoils and treasures in an arena before their opponent can; both sides can collect Pikmin to help them and have their own Oatchi partner.

The player takes control of Olimar prior to the events of the main story, shortly after crash-landing on the planet, and must collect the S.S. Dolphin's 30 missing ship parts.

Seemingly diverging from the events of the prior installments,[a] Captain Olimar travels to PNF-404, an Earth-like planet, aboard his ship the SS Dolphin.

[11] Upon reaching the planet, the recruit encounters Shepherd's rescue pup, a dog-like creature called Oatchi, who bonds with them.

The figure, known as a "leafling", is exhibiting an unknown condition that has caused them to become hairy and sprout leaves from all over their head, and also given them the ability to breathe oxygen, which is normally poisonous to those stuck on the planet.

On the surface, the Rescue Corps work to find ingredients for a new cure while searching for more castaways, particularly the veterinarian Nelle from Koppai.

Exploration soon turns up a giant dog, the Ancient Sirehound, who is similar in species to Oatchi and Moss, and which Yonny thinks can provide a key ingredient for the cure.

In Pikmin 4, the team aimed to appease fans of both gameplay types by trying to mix both styles into one, as well as make a highly approachable and accessible game, considering the series' relative lack of success in reaching general audiences.

[23] GamesRadar+ and IGN reported that fans were purchasing 15-second slots on billboards in New York City's Times Square to advertise the game less than two weeks before its release.

[26] Writing for Nintendo Life, PJ O'Reilly praised the game's level design, graphics, and performance in both handheld and docked mode.

[35] Andrew Webster of The Verge enjoyed the nighttime excursions and puzzles present in Pikmin 4, writing "With the clock ticking down, these more focused challenges are a nice change of pace from the laid-back standard gameplay, even if I don't quite understand why they exist narratively".

[41] While liking the laid-back nature of gameplay, Ars Technica's Kyle Orland criticized the lack of navigation tools, writing that it made multitasking cumbersome.

He writes, "The most notable omission is a mini-map; without it, I found myself constantly jumping into the pause menu to figure out how to find and manage distinct groups of Pikmin spread around the complex layered environments".

[42] Emily Price of Polygon felt that the title framed the world in an exciting way, making ordinary objects seem "wonderous".