Gameplay remains similar to the previous game, Gex: Enter the Gecko, with the addition of certain vehicles, such as a tank, a camel and a snowboard, as well as a gliding ability available with certain costumes. There are also some aspects of the game that are shared only with the first installment, such as: Gex can only collect bugs in all levels (100 per level earns a remote) and secret levels, instead of the variety of items he collected in Enter the Gecko (skulls, TNT plungers, carrots, TVs, police plates, etc.). He can spit fire and ice, as well as swim. Unlike Enter the Gecko, when losing a life, Gex retains only the amount of bugs collected up to the latest checkpoint; if the level has no checkpoint, Gex has to start from zero. Since there are one hundred per level, collecting bugs can get significantly more difficult than the items in Enter the Gecko. Also, similar to the first Gex game, he can collect footprint icons throughout the game which give him more energy, though unlike the first game, Gex retains the energy (eight hits total) once he collects one hundred footprints. Gex 3 combines some aspects from the first game not seen in the second installment, with the general 3D platforming from the second game. Levels are accessed via a more expansive hub, with more areas unlocked as the player collects remotes from each of the levels. Players can unlock and control three alternate characters, Rex, Cuz and Alfred, during bonus stages, though they play the same.