After selecting one of the ten characters available from outset, the player must defeat the enemy in battle by winning two out of three rounds. It uses a six-button layout: four of which are responsible for the attacks being one punch, one kick, and the other two for weapon attacks being while the last two are for special actions. Guilty Gear also features instant kill techniques that, if successfully lands on an opponent, ends the match. It uses a tension gauge, which fills up when the character gets hit or takes damage. When it is full, characters become stronger, and can input certain commands to activate special-moves called Chaos Attacks. The game has a feature called Chaos Mode that is activated when a character's health is at the half-way point (yellow bar). A red aura will surround the character and he/she is able to perform unlimited Chaos Attacks. It features three modes: Arcade Mode which is a single mode and culminating in battles with the bosses which is also used to show the storyline of the selected character, Versus Mode which gives the opportunity to play against another player, and Training Mode which allows to practice. The game settings allow the player to set the duration of the round, but not allow to change the number of rounds in a fight, and the difficulty in the single mode.