The Walking Dead is a point-and-click adventure game, played from a third-person perspective. The player can examine and interact with characters and items. The player must make use of inventory items and the environment; the player character often has limited time to do so and can die in the process. Quick time events are used for particular action scenes. The game also features role-playing elements, including moral decisions, which have consequences in relationship with other characters.
The game is told from the point of view of a new character named Lee Everett. Kirkman has said that, unlike typical zombie games such as Left 4 Dead, it will focus more on characterization and emotion than action.