Conflict Desert Storm is a first-person/third-person shooter (the perspective can be switched by pressing a button), in which the player controls a squad of four soldiers from either the British S.A.S or American Delta Force during the first Gulf War. It has ideas borrowed from the book Bravo Two Zero and other real missions from the war.

Missions are performed behind enemy lines and have specific objectives (infiltrate a base, destroy a SAM site, assassinate an opposing general, ...). Team members can be sent orders (attack, retreat, follow, stay, ...) or controlled individually. On the team is Bradley, the team leader, Conners, the heavy weapons man, Jones, the explosives and anti-tank expert, and Foley, the team sniper. Each soldier has different skills that improve as they kill more enemies and gain experience. This results in them doing a better or faster job (Foley will have more stable aiming or Jones will plant C4 faster as their skills increase). In some missions, the player drives tanks or jeeps around while other squad members man the guns on the vehicle. At the end of each mission, the soldiers can be awarded medals for their bravery

The game also features up to four-player co-op, each player controlling a soldier in the squad.