Final Fantasy Explorers is an action role-playing video game featuring single-player and multiplayer modes. The player starts the game on an island featuring various locations, but can access other areas beyond the island on foot. The main aim of the player is to collect crystals scattered across the world. Unlike other narrative-driven entries in the Final Fantasy series.

Final Fantasy Explorers follows a quest-driven structure similar to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Capcom's Monster Hunter series. Quest difficulty can be manually adjusted. Unlike previous entries in the series, chocobos, a recurring galliforme bird in the series, will not be available for riding. Player characters engage in fights with classic Final Fantasy enemies and summons including Ifrit and Bahamut.