Nuclear Drifter is an open-world single-player RPG with turn-based combat, set on the mythical continent of Old Zealand in the year 2289. The protagonist is a farmer whose well has gone dry, leaving his animals with nothing to drink. The only solution is to leave home and search the post-nuclear wasteland for a new water source — which leads to more than twenty missions commissioned by NPCs scattered across the map. Enemies encountered in the field range from rats and scorpions to wolves, cyclops, zombies, and hairy rhinos. Five settlements serve as the main inhabited locations, with a bandit camp and abandoned subway among the other notable areas. Two factions are available for alignment: the USA soldiers or the settlers of Old Zealand, with access determined by the player's standing with each group.