World of Padman was originally a mod for Quake III Arena, so most of the gameplay is similar. However, there is no Capture the Flag mode in World of Padman. World of Padman supports bots with a variety of skill levels in both online and offline play for all of the game types included. A single-player campaign has not yet been implemented however bots allow off-line multiplayer games. Players can also record audio and video as they play. The game fully supports modifications, and custom maps can be created.
In World of Padman, players die when they run out of health. Players can restore their health at a loading station or with the power-up 'revival' unlike in other games. In World of Padman there are no health items to collect.
Besides widespread game types like Tournament, Free For All and Team Deathmatch, World of Padman features three uncommon game types: Spray Your Color (spray a logo on the walls in the sprayroom), Big Balloon (similar to Unreal Tournament’s Domination), and Last Pad Standing. As the mod for Quake III Arena, World of Padman offered Capture the Flag for the PadCrash map, unlike the standalone version.