Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is based on the 2009 computer-animated film of the same name. The player is cast as Flint Lockwood, an aspiring inventor who tries to solve the hunger problem in his town by creating a machine that turns water into food. Soon, the machine is out of control, and it literally is raining food on Flint's town. It's up to him to stop the machine and get rid of the abundance of food. To make matters worse however, the machine is now protected by mutated food.

The player has to fight and puzzle their way through twenty levels, using Flint's self created gadgets such as a hair dryer converted into a heat gun, which can be used to melt obstacles composed of ice cream, or a mechanical boxing glove to punch food. Each level features thirty specific destroyable food items. Destroying all of them unlocks a piece of a blueprint for a special item.

The game also features a co-op mode, since a second player can join in anytime as Flint’s pet monkey Steve.