Robotech: Battlecry tells the entire Macross saga of Robotech, from the first contact with the Zentraedi invasion force over the skies of Macross city, to the final battle between human and Zentraedi in the scorched ruins of Earth. The player takes the role of Jack Archer, an ace Veritech pilot in the SDF. His missions range from hunting down and destroying Zentraedi Lieutenants in destroyed cities to defending shuttles traveling through deep space wreckage fields. Characters from the show, voiced by the same actors who did the voices in the Robotech cartoon, will make cameo appearances throughout the game.

As the game progresses Jack will gain access to new Veritech models, which have different stats but mostly the same abilities. In Fighter mode the Veritech can fire a rapid fire Gunpod bullets or homing missiles as well as drop a decoy pod that will attract enemy missiles. Guardian mode is slower than Fighter mode and loses the ability to drop decoy pods, but can aim Gunpod bullets, gains more powerful missiles, and can pick up mission critical items. Battloid mode can not fly or fire missiles, but can rapidly aim the Gunpod and automatically shoot down enemy missiles. Battloid can also go into sniper mode and hit enemies at a distance with a very powerful charged Gunpod shot. Each mode can be switched between instantly and whenever desired. Medals are awarded for achieving milestones in the game, such as shooting down enemy units or winning boss battles, and these can unlock new Veritech models, paint jobs, and arenas for two-player mode.