Like most MMORPGs, gameplay centers on venturing into dungeons and combating monsters in real-time. The players combat monsters and complete quests, in the process acquiring in-game currency, called "Mesos", experience points (EXP), and various items. Players can kill monsters alone, or they can form a party with up to five other characters. Loot is shared based on relative damage and level of characters in the party, more awarded to higher-level members.

MapleStory's 2D scrolling viewpoint more closely resembles a platformer rather than the typical 3D or top-down view of other games (such as Guild Wars or Mu Online). The controls for the game are executed using the computer keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is used for many game functions, and much of it can be re-arranged to suit users' needs. The mouse is mainly used to trigger NPCs, or Non-player characters, and manipulating items.

MapleStory characters exist in "worlds" or "servers". Players are allowed to create multiple characters in each world, although that number differs between versions. Each world, similar in content between each other in the same version, is split into at most twenty channels, among which characters are allowed to freely switch.However, characters and their items cannot be transferred between worlds,although there is limited functionality in transferring items between characters of the same world.