The Wreckless is a single player space combat simulator, with a sixteen level fully voiced campaign and a simulator that lets the player create their own custom skirmishes. The missions comprise a variety of different styles including bombing missions, dogfights against tough AI opponents and escort missions. The player can research different fighter craft to use for each scenario, choosing different fighter/bomber combinations to compliment their own play style.

The gameplay is reminiscent of “old school” space combat games like “Tie Fighter” and “Elite” but uses modern WASD controls, some FPS conventions, and does not require a joystick. Most levels are comprised of flying with a squadron of allied drones, dodging huge capital ships and stations, The Wreckless also allows players to customize the difficulty of each scenario by altering the number of craft deployed.