The Lion King is a single-player side-scrolling platform game. The game follows the story of Simba, the young lion prince of the Pride Lands, whose carefree childhood is shattered when his father Mufasa is killed and his uncle Scar takes the throne. Banished from his homeland, Simba must survive in exile, grow into adulthood, and eventually return to challenge Scar for his rightful place as king. The levels loosely follow events from the Disney animated film, presenting stages that reflect key settings such as the Pride Lands, the Elephant Graveyard, the jungle, and Pride Rock.

Gameplay is divided into two main phases of Simba’s life: cub and adult. As a cub, Simba’s abilities are limited to jumping on smaller enemies such as lizards, birds, and bugs. He can also roar to frighten certain creatures, though this ability is governed by a roar meter that needs time to recharge. In these stages, players must navigate platforms, avoid hazards, and solve light puzzles while evading larger predators.

As an adult lion, Simba gains more powerful combat abilities. In addition to jumping and roaring, he can slash enemies with his claws and use a grab-and-throw move to hurl opponents off-screen. Enemies grow tougher in this phase, ranging from hyenas to Scar himself, and platforming challenges become more complex.

Each stage incorporates environmental hazards alongside enemies. Players may need to swing from hippo tails, avoid stampeding wildebeests in a scrolling chase sequence, or climb through twisting caves. The game uses a health meter represented by a lion’s head, which decreases when Simba takes damage but can be restored by eating insects scattered throughout levels. Extra lives are also gained by collecting certain bugs.

The game includes bonus stages that star Timon and Pumbaa. These short minigames allow players to collect bugs for points and power-ups. A scoring system tallies progress at the end of each level. Difficulty is increased by the absence of a save or password system, requiring players to complete the game in a single session. Later ports, such as the Windows edition, included save functionality.

The game was released across multiple platforms, each with slight differences. For example, the DOS and Amiga versions differ visually and audibly from the Genesis and SNES editions, while the Windows version introduced higher-resolution graphics. Modern re-releases for digital platforms preserved the original gameplay while providing improved compatibility.