Bolt is based on the animated movie of the same name. It stars the dog Bolt, who plays a dog with super powers on a TV show, and his owner Penny. However, the movie does not follow the story of the movie (Bolt starts to believe his super powers are real), but completely takes place within the fictional TV series. The plot is about rescuing Penny's father, who was kidnapped by the evil Dr. Calisto.

While playing through the 25 missions, the control regularly switches between Bolt and Penny. Bolt's sections are focused on melee combat: Bolt use both super powers (limited by an energy bar) and regular attacks while fighting against multiple enemies at once.

Penny's missions are divided between platforming and stealth segments. During the linear platform levels, Penny jumps over gaps and uses her Wheelbar (a pole with wheels on both ends which is used to attach to certain ledges). When stuck, the player can activate Penny's enhanced vision which shows where the Wheelbar needs to be used. During stealth, the goal is to reach certain points unseen. Guards can either be taken out instantly with a stealth attack from behind (the enhanced vision helps by showing the guards' cone of sight) or, if Penny is caught, by solving a quick-time event. Sometimes Penny also has to hack computers with a mini game (which can also be started separately from the main menu): she controls a probe and shoots other drones. The controls use the known dual-stick-shooter style