Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Eternal Duelist Soul is a card game with role-playing elements, aiming to imitate the rules of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card tournament. The player controls a young boy destined to be the greatest duelist of all time. The protagonist starts with one of the three starter card decks, and proceeds to challenge and battle duelists in five different levels. Cards represent various monsters, which have their own statistics, strength, and weaknesses, and are used strategically during the turn-based battles. The game keeps track of the time passed: battling a duel will usually advance the calendar one day forward. Should the protagonist survive for long enough time, he will be able to participate in bigger tournaments. New cards, deck combinations, and booster packs can be acquired as well.